Confusion & Identity Crisis in "Twlefth Night" and Baltimore City

One Tuesday of last week I went to St. Mary’s School for after school homework tutoring as I do every Tuesday. Although this event is not a speaker, lecture, film, or panel discussion hosted by Loyola I feel that it is just as much if not more of a learning experience because my interaction with the students, and elements of the Baltimore community is hands-on. When I go to St. Mary’s each week it does not consist of simply sitting at a table helping Baltimore city kids, many of them underprivileged, figure out math problems or learn spelling words. Every week I witness myself learning something new about the kids, the city of Baltimore, and myself as well. Reflecting on my experience this past week, I can in many ways relate it to the themes prevalent in the play we are reading now, Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night or, What You Will”. The plotline as well as elements of the play’s thematic focus are based upon the problem of identity crisis, which is also a problem faced by Baltimore city and its inhabitants.
Every city is a diverse environment teeming with people from different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities. Cities have various neighborhoods and districts to channel these differences and showcase the cultural elements such as restaurants and stores that reflect them. For example, New York is home to 5th avenue and the ritzy Upper West Side, 42nd St. and the funky theater district, Chinatown, artsy Soho, and the eclectic Village. While Los Angeles is home to Rodeo Drive and the glamorous Hollywood Hills it also houses rougher neighborhoods including Compton and the South Side. Like all of the cities across the United States, Baltimore has its own eccentricities that make it a unique city. One of the great obstacles the inhabitants and the city of Baltimore face is trying to capture these beautiful and inspiring elements of the city to give it an identity.
While there are many beautiful sights and characteristics of Baltimore city, there are many that not as enticing. The poverty and turmoil that notoriously plague Baltimore are characteristics that are ultimately a reality in every urban locale. Working with students at St. Mary’s, many of whom are underprivileged, casts a bright light across the real life situations and obstacles the kids deal with in day-to-day life. Like the elements of confusion and identity crisis that play a role in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” they contribute to many of the obstacles faced by the kids at St. Mary’s and the thwarted inhabitants of Baltimore city. While the children receive a solid education at St. Mary’s in which they are taught Catholic values to help them achieve academic success and spiritual happiness in their lives, the reality is that most of them go home to an environment that is not so nurturing. Many of the children come from households and neighborhoods that are plighted by poverty, drug abuse, alcoholism, and neglect. As a result, these youths in Baltimore, and across the U.S turn to the streets.
For many of these children it is a confusing circumstance because they do not have a family or supportive influence guiding them and helping them make positive decisions as they enter adolescenthood. My experiences at St. Mary’s have been particularly though provoking because I have realized how much my interaction with the children influences them. Something that we take for granted such as once a week after school tutoring means so much more the kids at St. Mary’s. While reflecting on this point I was able to draw a parallel between the confusion these kids face and the problem of identity crisis in “Twelfth Night”. The entire basis of the play is a giant, somewhat confusing love triangle between the characters Olivia, Viola, Duke Orsino, and Sebastian. Peripheral characters including Malvolio, Sir Andrew, Maria, Sir Toby, and Antonio play minor roles in the plot and add smaller details that complicate the story.
Although the comparison may appear somewhat far-fetched, there is a legitimate relationship between the identity issues that the characters face and the real life identity issues faced by Baltimore city and its inhabitants. The premise of the play is dictated by the mistaken identities and disguises that complicate relationships and cause conflict. For example, Viola works disguised as Cesario and falls in love with the Duke. Olivia is being pursued by the Duke but falls in love with Viola, as Cesario. Cesario is mistaken for Sebastian and Maria writes a note to Malvolio forged as Olivia. Trickery and disguise play a central role to the plot and as a result, cause much of the confusion and conflict that lend dramatic elements to the play. In many of the relationships love is the cause of great suffering and this is not revealed until the identities are revealed and conflicts are resolved at the conclusion of the play. However, resolution is not such a quick process for the revitalization of Baltimore city. The urban plight and turmoil associated with Baltimore contributes to the lack of identity it faces as city. Additionally, the environment can sometimes make it tough for children, such as the ones that attend St. Mary’s to make positive decisions and discover their individual identities.