The Idleness of Time

Here’s the thing. This blog is due at midnight, and I have absolutely no idea what to write about. And because I have no idea what to write about, I have procrastinated. And because I have procrastinated it’d now 9:16, and I am panicking because I have nothing done, no ideas, and this is due in three hours. Foolishly, I had believed that given time inspiration would just strike me. I had believed time would solve my problems because I could not.

Viola expresses a similar sentiment when faced with the seemingly impossible problem of the convoluted love triangle she, Orsino, and Olivia were in. She states “O Time, thou most untangle this, not I; / It is too hard s knot for me t’ untie” (2.3.40-41). And frustratingly, it does. Time solves all the entire problem. Viola literally does nothing and gets exactly what she wants. Her brother Sebastian comes back from the dead and just happens to stumble upon Viola, reuniting them. Olivia marries Viola’s brother, thinking that he’s Cesario, and is okay with it. Orsino, having been rejected by Olivia, decides to marry Viola, apparently not caring about her deception. It feels too neat and lazy. Frankly, it seems like bad writing.

Yes, I know, I just accused Twelfth Night, which was written by William Shakespeare, “the greatest writer in the English language,” bad writing. Let me qualify this. I recognize this is a comedy, and that, unlike Othello or Macbeth, its primary purpose is to entertain and not offer some deep insight. And I enjoyed the comedic aspects of Twelfth Night; I found Sir Toby’s and Sir Andrew’s carousing, along with Maria’s prank on Malvolio, hilarious. But the plot conveniences at the end irked me beyond measure. Everyone just accepts what happens to them; they don’t make anything happen. None of the characters grow, none of them react, and they all just get what they want, living happily ever after. It’s like Shakespeare forgot to add consequences for the plot he made and just wanted a funny story.

I find the passivity of the characters irritating because that’s not how life is. If you want something down, you have to do it yourself. Procrastinating and hoping time sorts everything out is not a solution. Thing won’t get better by doing nothing. Time won’t resolve your problems for you.