In looking at the character of Viola in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," we see a portrait of the self-made women. Viola is witty, intelligent, and practical in all respects. In fact, it is her ability to analyze characters and situations with such keen insight that ultimately makes her the heroine of Shakespeare's play.

In Scene 2 of Act 1 we meet a Viola who harbors as much emotional sentiment as she does practical wit. Having found herself shipwrecked on a foreign shore (after the lost of her brother at sea) Viola quickly decides that she must develop some kind of plan to ensure her own safety. Having learned some of the details of this new and strange land and of the noble duke who reigns, Viola at once begins thinking of a plan whereby she can ingratiate herself into the service of the duke and thereby assure her own protection and welfare.

From the start of our time spent with Viola we realize two very important aspects about her: 1) that she truly loves and mourns for the death of her twin brother Sabastian, but at the same time, 2) she also functions in the real world. Unlike the Lady Olivia, who has consigned herself into perpetual mourning for the lost of her brother, Viola is able to function even in the midst of tragic lost. Viola does not subscribe to a stereotypical "woman's" role by letting her grief get the better of her senses, but instead transcends the boundaries of feminine emotion in order to provide for her own best interest.

The fact that Viola is able to move from the that of grieving sister to the role of clever servant in the subsequent acts is a testament in and of itself to her intelligence. This and her uncanny ability to navigate the waters of gender roles leads her to emerge the undisputed victor in the end.