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Viola
fictional character
Viola, a shipwrecked young woman, later disguised as the young man Cesario, in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Viola-Cesario stands at the centre of the play as Shakespeare’s example of reason, intelligence, self-control, and mature love. For her moral stature and wit, Viola ranks with Portia and Rosalind, two other great female characters in Shakespeare’s comedies.
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