...Twelfth Night is a magnificent comedy written by famous writer William Shakespeare. Twelfth Night or What you will was probably written for performance on the Twelfth Night i.e. the last night of the Christmas holiday ,January 6th in the year 1601.it is also likely that it was first presented before queen Elizabeth I in a great hall of her palace of Whitchali ,just outside London. the play would suit such an occasion since it’s a delightful ,lighthearted comedy ,full of love and laughter ,and with only a cloud or two to pass across the happy sunshine. But what about the social background of the play? For many centuries Christian communities have celebrated the feast of Epiphany-the time when the infant Jesus was first presented to the Magi (wise men) twelve days after his birth on Christmas day .in Shakespeare’s time; this whole period from 25th December to 6th January was given over to ‘Yuletide revels’-a time of feasting and celebration which probably dates back to Roman Satumalin. During this extended partying, it was traditional to play tricks on people, and it was understood that, for a while the usual master-servant relationship were turned on their heads. Twelfth Night was a period of carnival in which typically: a. People might give away to bodily pleasures of all kinds (drinking too much, indulging in sex, over eating and many more). b. Language itself seemed to run riot (with jokes, nonsense and wit). c. The traditional hierarchies (the lord and lady ‘at the top’...
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...Pick two characters in ‘Twelfth Night’ and analyse their role and what they might represent from what you have read so far. Use the text and any research you have done to help explain your opinions. Despite not being a main character, Feste has a significant role in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It can be argued he is less of a character and more of a function as he takes on a choric, commentary role rather than a participatory one throughout the play. Feste’s position as an ‘allowed fool’ gives him the ability to speak his own inscrutable form of wisdom, and therefore allows him to point out truths that other characters don’t want to hear. He tells Olivia that her brother’s soul is in heaven and therefore beyond mourning, thereby urging her...
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...Act I, scenes i–ii Summary: Act I, scene i If music be the food of love, play on, . . . O spirit of love, how quick and fresh are thou. . . . In the land of Illyria, Duke Orsino enters, attended by his lords. Orsino is hopelessly in love with the beautiful Lady Olivia and pines away for her. He refuses to hunt and orders musicians to entertain him while he thinks about his desire for Olivia. His servant Valentine reminds him that Olivia does not return his love or even listen to the messages he sends her. We learn from Valentine that Olivia is in mourning for her brother, who has recently died. She wears a dark veil, and she has vowed that no one will see her face for another seven years—and she refuses to marry anyone until then. Orsino, obsessed with the woman who keeps refusing him, wants only to lie around on beds of flowers, listening to sweet music and dreaming of Olivia. Summary: Act I, scene ii Meanwhile, on the Illyrian sea coast, a young noblewoman named Viola speaks with the captain whose crew has just rescued her from a shipwreck. Although Viola was found and rescued, her brother, Sebastian, seems to have vanished in the storm. The captain tells Viola that Sebastian may still be alive. He says that he saw Sebastian trying to keep afloat by tying himself to a broken mast. But Viola does not know whether or not it is worth holding onto hope. In the meantime, however, she needs to find a way to support herself in this strange land. The ship’s captain tells Viola...
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...The Comedy in Twelfth Night is largely generated by Shakespeare's use of disguise and mistaken identity. How far do you agree? Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is one of the best known comedies and is often well cited for its use of disguise and mistaken identity as being the key factors in the play that cause humour and make the play into the comedy that it is. However there are many other factors and comedic effects that take place within the play and cause humour that do not directly tie to disguise and mistaken identity. These include the use of standard comedic plot lines, the use of visual humour, bare basic comedy and jokes alongside the use of comic servants. All of these play a part in the comedy and humour of Twelfth Night but how prominent they are is the factor I shall be examining. The use of Viola (when disguised as Cesario) is a key point of humour throughout the play and is a constant reminder of the humour based off visual comedy and mistaken identity that Shakespeare intended to portray. A lot of the central plot within the play revolves around Viola and Cesario and the many events within the play that directly stem from these characters. In Act 1 Scene 4 we get our first glimpse of disguise within the play when we are introduced to Cesario. Here we learn that within a short space of time Viola has managed to become a favourite of Orsino and as Valentine notes “if the Duke continue these favours towards you, Cesario, you are likely to be much advanced”. This in...
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...12th Night Feste: Foolish or Wise “Those wits that think they have thee do very oft prove fools, and I that am sure I lack thee may pass for a wise man.” (1.5.30-31) In the ‘Twelfth Night’ by William Shakespeare, the role of the entertainer was fulfilled by the character named, ‘Feste’. Feste’s purpose was to entertain the nobles through songs and witty jokes at the expense of others; however, his role was far more important than a simple ‘jester’ or ‘fool’. When Feste says; “Those wits that think they have thee do very oft prove fools, and I that am sure I lack thee may pass for a wise man” (1.5.30-31), he is stating a version of the old saying, “know thyself.” These lines point out that Feste is not simply a jester; but rather a fool with much intelligence. Shakespeare meant to create Feste’s character to help teach the other characters more about themselves through experiences displaying their foolishness and short-comings. Feste used various strategic approaches and insightful remarks to reach that goal. Feste incorporates music to affect and convey multiple hidden messages which are essential in order to better understand the play’s central theme of love. A perfect example is the song he performs for Sir Toby and Sir Andrew: “O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O stay and hear, your true love's coming, That can sing both high and low. Trip no further, pretty sweeting, Journeys end in lovers meeting, Every wise man's son doth know” (2.3.37-42)...
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...Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night focuses largely on the “nothing is as it seems” theme. This particular scene depicts a conversation between Feste and Sebastian. The fool is surprised that Sebastian is suggesting that he was not sent for Sebastian. Sebastian tells the fool to go away, calling him a “foolish fellow” (IV.i.2). Feste compliments Sebastian for holding out on him. He then sarcastically says that Olivia did not send him, that she does not want to speak with Sebastian, and that Sebastian’s name is not Master Cesario. The fool continues with a joke to emphasize the sarcasm: “nor this my nose neither” (IV.i.6). Sebastian instructs the fool to tell his nonsense to someone else and insists Feste does not know him. This fits the theme because it seems that the fool is speaking to Cesario, but that is not the case. Some words in this passage may be difficult to figure out. The fool says, “to bid you come speak with her” (IV.i.5). In this context the word “bid” may be confusing. Bid means to command or direct. Therefore, Feste is saying: to command you to come speak with her. Sebastian says, “I prithee, vent thy folly somewhere else” (IV.i.8). The words “prithee” and “folly” may be unfamiliar. Prithee means “pray thee.” It is a word that was commonly used in that time period and is frequently used in the play. Folly means the state of being foolish and lacking sense. Sebastian is saying: I pray you share your foolishness somewhere else. After Sebastian says this, Feste says, “Vent...
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...People can be blinded from the truth by focusing only on appearance. In the play, Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare, characters mistake other characters because they just look at their appearance. To begin with, Viola, survivor of a shipwrecked, disguises as a man and creates plenty of problems for her and for other characters as well. Moreover, Sebastian, twin brother of Viola and a survivor of a shipwrecked, is ignorant about a specific event due to his twin sister disguise. Not to mention, Feste, the clown, being disguised as a clown makes other characters think that he is a fool and cannot do anything intelligent. By looking at Viola’s disguise, Sebastian’s mistaken identity and Feste’s disguise; other characters are ignorant about the reality of these characters. First of all, Viola is ignorant about Sebastian is alive, since she thinks that he drowned. While being in the disguise, characters are going to mistake Cesario, Viola, with Sebastian, which the characters think it is Cesario since they look the same. When Antonio wants some of “Sebastian’s” money he says “I must entreat of you some of that money” (3.4.327) while Antonio is getting arrested by the officers, he asks “Sebastian” to give him some of the money he gives him earlier. Antonio sees Cesario thinks it is Sebastian, since...
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...English Essay Task Characters often play a crucial role in constructing meaning in plays; How have characters been developed in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night? Shakespeare is world-renowned for his aptitude in writing plays, for a wide range of audiences, and one of these plays is Twelfth Night. In this play, Shakespeare takes particular care in the development of his characters in order to construct the meanings and messages embedded in Twelfth Night. Through the development of some key, central characters within the play, namely Olivia and Malvolio, Shakespeare showcases the chaos and hardship instigated by their pride, and is then able to reinforce the importance of order and adhering to the set, established, hierarchy of Elizabethan times. Shakespeare first portrays the character of Olivia as vain, superficially judgemental, and indulging in her own self-pity, neglecting her duties as the lady of the house. A secondary character, Malvolio, is depicted by Shakespeare to be overambitious and full of his own self-importance – attempting to overstep his position. Shakespeare manifests different forms of pride in different characters in order to show that whatever the facet of pride the character might possess, in the end, their fatal flaw will still result in chaos and misfortune, thereby emphasising the need of adhering to and attending to the duties of their positions so that order can be maintained. Through Olivia’s language and interactions with other characters, Shakespeare...
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...Twelfth Night Cast: Frances Barber, Christopher Ravenscroft, James Saxon, Abigail McKern, James Simmons, Anton Lesser, Caroline Langrishe, Richard Briers, Tim Barker, Christopher Hollis. Director: Kenneth Branagh Synopsis: Frances Barber starts the film as a woman who lost her brother (Christopher Hollis) and in an attempt to find money and a place to live without the inconvenience of her true identity, she uncovers herself in a man suit and prepares to work and live as a man. In this first version of the film, Branagh uses his intelligence to create a clever and funny film full of twists and mystery identities. Review: I recently saw Twelfth Night film version by Kenneth Branagh and honestly I can say I was very pleased by the outcome. It is really hard to transform one of Shakespeare’s best literary work into an interesting film version that keeps the true essence of the story and keeps you wondering and laughing at almost every scene. Shakespeare’s books were meant to be acted alive, to keep the audience intrigue by its cleverness, interesting and sometimes twisted scenes in which characters were involved in non so usual circumstances, and the fact that Kenneth managed himself to achieve that in a film version amazes me. This movie is filled with amazing actors who truly represent the characters in the book. First, Frances Barber gives a really good performance acting as Viola, a woman who lost her brother but was convinced he was still alive and Cesario...
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...surface of the play, providing great comedy and risking tragedy.’ To what degree are the central characters in some way mad, or verging on madness? In Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ the madness being referred to in the title could describe mayhem, silliness, uproar and risky behaviour. No one is truly insane; however a number of characters are accused of being mad and certainly psychologically unstable, and a current of insanity or zaniness runs through the action of the play. Throughout ‘Twelfth Night’, madness could be perceived to be bubbling under the surface. We see this from the opening line ‘If music be the food of love, play on. ’ Orsino is perhaps showing some of the symptoms of madness such as obsession. Immediately the audience is alerted to the potential madness to follow; the line acts as a means for Shakespeare to foreshadow future madness. It seems there is obvious psychological instability here. Shakespeare introduces the idea of love-sickness and makes us aware that love will be the basis for the majority of madness within the play. It is clear that Shakespeare wanted to demonstrate the potential madness has to lead characters into great sadness or despair, shown in various forms such as obsessive behaviour, excess and addiction, madness of love, grief and inflexible belief. Madness in ‘Twelfth Night’ is multi-dimensional. It creates seemingly conflicting consequences it succeeds in creating comedy and threatening tragedy. Probably the most obvious scene involving...
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...The Question of Sexuality Shakespeare is known for being one of the greatest play writers of all time. Due to his clever use of language and rhyme, many people like to use his work when teaching literature or drama. He is also notorious for implying religious beliefs and suggesting themes that may not be well accepted during his time. One of these major themes in Twelfth Night happens to be the question of sexual identity throughout the play. From the beginning until the end of the play, Shakespeare shows how the idea of sexual identity can be questionable and how it affects the main characters throughout the play. As the play Twelfth Night begins, the reader gets a first glance at how Shakespeare suggests the idea of cross dressing through Viola, who poses as Cesario in order to work for Orsino. “For such disguise as haply shall become the form of my intent,” here Viola tells the Captain her plans and asks him to keep quiet. Wearing her brother’s clothing, she disguises herself to be a man because she fancied Orsino and to get closer to him. In this scene Shakespeare raises the question of Viola’s sexuality because of her cross dressing. Even though the idea of cross dressing seems to be over stepping social acceptance bounds, it is also ironic considering that theatre at the time always contained cross dressing if a play consisted of female parts. Viola’s relationship with Orsino progresses rapidly in a matter of a few days which helps to understand how Viola...
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...link to the green world of carnival were no sleep and all night parties are part of the celebration however sir Andrew may be signaling the turning pointy and the end of carnival is near as he says “to be up late is to be up late” showing his rejection of the timelessly fun green world acknowlging natures bringing to an end the timeless fun. * Sir Andrew pipes up that all he and Toby ever really do is eat and drink, so Toby calls for another round of booze. Then Feste turns up and they greet each other by saying things like "Youths stuff will not endure”, feste always has a somber tone to his songs and this one has a element of foreshadowing of the future in the new world and the marriage were growing up has to occur and “youth” in the green world comes to an end. * Toby and Aguecheek give Feste a few more coins and demand a love song, which Feste obliges. The trio continue to fool around, singing and talking, much of it nonsense when Maria enters and tells them to pipe down before Olivia kicks them out. * Maria's chiding doesn't do any good, so Malvolio runs in to lecture them. Don't they have any sense of propriety? Are they crazy? Acting like a bunch of drunken commoners in a rowdy bar. This shows how Malvolio acts as the social climber as in Toby’s house “art any more than a steward” he says “your misdemeanors” showing how the new world will be with equality of all stewards and lords. * Toby, Maria, Feste, and Aguecheek bag on Malvolio for being a steward (head...
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...Twelfth Night Coursework Introduction Q. ‘Comedy, like all drama depends on conflicts, in particular between weak and strong characters’. Explore how far you agree that Shakespeare uses conflict to create comedy in twelfth night? Shakespeare’s use of conflict to create comedy for the reader is very effective, as he makes the arguments themselves be based on misunderstandings and manipulation, providing humour for the reader because they are not really caused by any actual wrong doing by any of the characters. This shows that the characters that have been manipulated in this way, such as Sir Andrew, when Sir Toby gets him to fight Viola/Cesario, are weak characters, because as with Sir Andrew, he has allowed Sir Toby to cloud his judgment and cause him to believe that he has a good reason to fight Viola. In this situation, there is more humour because we learn that Sir Andrew dresses very well and has a respectful position, he seems at first like he should be a stronger man, but Sir Toby’s easy manipulation of him shows the reader that Sir Andrew is in fact more like an unsure, naïve child. Because of this we get the impression that Sir Andrew is one of the weaker characters, but we know that Viola is a stronger character, because although she is afraid to fight Sir Andrew when he challenges her, she tries her best, and stands up to fight despite being innocent and being a woman. This could be humorous for the reader too, because we see how Sir Andrew is afraid to fight Viola...
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...2. Viola's soliloquy in Act 2,scene 2, reveals the concept that the rest of the play will be about, a very complicated love triangle. In scene 2, Malvolio returns the ring from Olivia back to Viola, however Viola dismisses his action claiming that Olivia had accepted the ring and she must keep it. Malvolio frustratedly throws the ring because he is in love with Olivia. Viola then mistakenly believed this as a sign that Olivia was in love with her because she is "Cesario" and feels pity for Olivia because she is truly a woman, not Cesario. Viola says, " Poor lady, she were better love a dream" due to the fact that Viola thinks Olivia is unknowingly in love with a secret woman. Cesario and the Duke's conversation in scene 4 demonstrates that...
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...The film adaptation of Twelfth Night is a light hearted comedy of love, exuberance, drunkenness, deception and mistaken identity. According to Stephen Hitching “...twelfth nights plot is delightfully absured, the acting brilliant and the directing superb. The contrast between the proud and proper Malovlio and the drunken, stupor of Sir Toby Belch creates much laughter along; with the switch from the original script where the Duke opens the play to the sound of Fest’s voice certainly makes the film adaptation a riveting experience. It is the sort of comedy you can watch over and over again. Both Nunn and Shakespeare displayed effective use of technique through the use of non-verbal elements such as costuming and verbal elements such as language, respectively .Shakespeare’s mastery of imagery and Nunn’s use of visual and auditory appeal reinforce the timelessness of themes such as Love and Deception. Costuming is the vehicle through which the theme of deception is revealed. Trevor Nunn’s interpretation of disguise gave the audience a sense of understanding of his idea into the cross dressing process by using Visual Imagery which is seen through the Decepetor herself Viola .She presented herself as man or by her transformation name ‘Cesario’ by getting rid of her feminine garments, cutting her hair, banding her breast, putting on trousers with suspenders, a white shirt and jacket accessorising the complete look with a moustache. However with Viola developing a friendship...
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