In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, young Viola, having lost her brother in a shipwreck, realizes that dressing as a boy herself is the best way to continue to live, to flourish and to seek him. This play shows how Shakespeare had more respect for women than ever before, because Viola can do anything a man can do. On top of that, the servant Maria proves perfectly capable of deceiving Malvolio, to the point of making everyone in town believe that he has gone completely crazy. Both of these women are stubborn and self-assured and just eager to prove to the men in the room that neither of them can consider themselves better than the women. Equality of religion is not discussed much in this piece, but equality of class is definitely a recurring theme. Granted, the majority of the cast are nobles or at least wealthy, but Maria and the Fool offers an interesting look at the lower class of Shakespeare's time. Everyone treats Maria as an equal, and Sir Toby even finds her desirable despite her low ranking. She manages to fool someone from the upper class, proving to everyone that even though she is a service woman, she is cunning enough to go around others. The madman Feste is also an interesting case. In act three, scene one, he briefly discusses with Viola the importance of the fool. “Madness, sir, wanders around the orb like the sun; it shines everywhere,” he told her. He explains how the idiot is much more important than he thinks. He is responsible for bringing laughter and joy to the town, but when it comes time to thank him, he can barely scrape together enough money to feed his family for a day. Much like Shylock in Merchant, Feste only wants to be treated the same...... middle of paper ......t has reached full equality, but we're not there yet. However, we are closer every day, and we are much closer now than before. In developed countries like ours in particular, we may even be able to live in full global equality in just a few generations. This is the future that Shakespeare fought for, and that everyone today will fight for as well. Works Cited Crary, David. “Russian protests against anti-gay law focus on Sochi Olympics. » Huffington Post January 31, 2014: n. page. Print. “Eurovision Song Contest: It wasn't for the British that the drought continues. » The Gaurdian of May 10, 2014: n. page. Print.Shakespeare, William. Merchant of Venice. 1600. Washington: Folger Shakespear Library, 1993. Print.- - -. Twelfth Night. 1623. Washington: Folger Shakespeare Library, 1993. Print. “Women in Sochi”. The Gaurdian. The Gaurdian, February 24, 2014. Web. May 13 2014.