Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
A study of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, showing how Shakespeare's choice of form, structure and language shape meaning
Wit, and't be thy will, put me into good fooling! 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. For what says Quinapalus? 'Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.'
Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed to an audience from different social classes and of varying levels of intellect. Thus they contain down-to-earth characters who appeal to the working classes, side-by-side with complexities of plot which would satisfy the appetites of the aristocrats among the audience. His contemporary status is different, and Shakespeare's plays have become a symbol of culture and education, being widely used as a subject for academic study and literary criticism. A close critical analysis of Twelfth Night can reveal how Shakespeare manipulates the form, structure, and language to contribute to the meaning of his plays.
Form
Through the form of dialogue Shakespeare conveys the relationship between characters. For example, the friendship and understanding between Olivia, and her servant Feste, the clown, is shown in their dialogue in Act 1, Scene 5. In this scene Shakespeare shows that both characters are intellectuals by constructing their colloquy in prose.
Characterising Feste, Shakespeare gives him the aphorism,
Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. [Feste. Act 1, scene 5]
This line illustrates the clown's acumen; and is a delightful example of the way in which he uses language, as well as form to manifest Feste's character. Far from being a fool, the clown is erudite and sagely ...
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...been made a fool of by all of them, and also signifies his isolation from the rest of the cast and how he has become a loose end of the play, as everybody else has found love or companionship with another person in the play.
After analysing the way in which Shakespeare uses form, structure and language to shape meaning I have come to the conclusion that we are not consciously aware of these techniques when we are the audience. Directors and actors may take these factors into consideration when performing a play, to assist in conveying meaning to the audience. Different directors may interpret the text in different ways, but the play should be performed in such a way that subtle clues help the audience receive messages and understand the complexity of the developing plot, so that we are not obliged to be continually struggling to interpret the text for ourselves.
For years casino gambling was portrayed in the media and Hollywood as being associated with criminal activities and the mafia. Now with proper scrutiny and government regulations casino gambling has become a lucrative business, with casinos stock even trading on Wall Street. Casino gambling is an ever increasingly popular and legal activity in many states throughout the United States. “The term gambling or ‘gaming’ as the industry calls it, means any legalized form of wagering or betting conducted in a casino, on a riverboat, on an Indian reservation, or at any other location under the jurisdiction of the United States” (National Gambling Impact Study Commission Act). States that allow casino gambling benefit vastly by re-incorporating the taxation off of commerce gained from casinos and tourism associated with the casinos back into the state and local communities. Jobs created by casinos also have a positive impact on the economy in local communities surrounding casinos as well as, the states that legalize gambling. Texas, while allowing horse and dog racing, lottery, and charitable bingo, does not currently prohibit casino gambling. In this essay, I will provide the different reasons the State of Texas will benefit from legalizing casinos gambling. By not having casinos, Texas continues to lose valuable tax revenue that could be awarded to state and local government funded programs for example, education, public safety, economic development, and infrastructure improvements. With the increasing number of legal casinos in bordering states such as Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, the loss of tourism and tax revenue is a growing concern for Texas. Passing legislation to allow casinos in the State of Texas will help fund ...
...he Tribulation and come to a lasting belief in Him. Scripture teaches us that Israel will have an eternal place in Christ’s government (Romans 11:26-27; Daniel 4:3, 7:14; Jeremiah 23:5). Chosen believers will be appointed to reign under Christ, who will rule as the King of Kings (Revelation 19:16). Government and religion also seem to still be a necessity during His reign (Revelation 20:4-6). Additionally, there will be believers in glorified bodies who will literally reign on earth with Christ. At the beginning of the Millennium there will be those believers who are still be alive from the Tribulation who still have their old physical bodies (Zechariah 10:8; Jeremiah 30:20). These believers who have made it through the tribulation will still have their sin natures. Some of these believers will die and there will even be some whom will live the entire 1,000 years.
... this happens quite frequently at least once a month.” This is how Rhonda Hamilton thinks that casinos helps not only her little community but also all the communities within the state and the state as a whole.
On August 29, 2005, the third strongest and biggest hurricane ever recorded in American history hit the Gulf Coast at eight o’clock a.m. The interaction between a tropical depression and a tropical wave created a tropical storm later referred to as Hurricane Katrina (FAQS, 2013). Forming over the Bahamas, Hurricane Katrina gradually strengthened as it moved closer and closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Recorded on August 28th, 2005, Katrina jumped from a category three storm to a category five storm with maximum sustained winds up to 160 miles per hour. Although other hurricanes, such as Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma, exceeded Katrina, this dominant storm was classified as the fourth most intense hurricane based its pressure capacity. Once Hurricane Katrina hit land, it was pronounced as a category four storm moving slowly. While people thought that the slow speed of this storm prevented trauma, records show that Katrina did more damage than any fast-moving storm could have ever achieved (Solanki, 2013). Katrina produced abundant debris. The debris was in such large quantity that if it was stacked together on a football field, the rubble would reach the elevation of ten and a half miles. The size of Katrina also caused 90,000 square miles to be affected. Once proclaimed a category three storm, Hurricane Katrina slowed to the speed of 155 miles per hour. At this point in time, Katrina proved to be the sixth most prevailing hurricane traced in history. (Solanki, 2013). Several different aspects of life were impacted by Hurricane Katrina such as availability of gasoline, economic issues, and the ability to have an adequate supply of drinking water (Solanki, 2013). Hurricane Katrina was a large storm ...
Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night, Or, What You Will. Ed. Keir Elam. London: Arden Shakespeare, 2008. Print.
October 29th 2012 the high wind destroyer struck the heart of New York. They called her sandy; she was a very devastating hurricane. She demolished more than 300,000 homes and left them homeless, and confirmed 285 deaths. Imagine big strong winds whistling around your home, no power, and a big river down your street with cars bobbing down it, scary, isn’t it. These are some of the tragic events that happened during hurricane sandy. What is a hurricane? The proper definition is, when a series of cold gusty winds mix with the warm humid air. It’s just like a tornado but it forms over water.
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
Hurricane Sandy struck the northeast United States on October 29, 2012. It came in as a category one storm, bringing ninety per mile winds and a record surge of 13.88 feet into New York (Fitzpatrick 2012, Kantha 2013). These strong winds brought down various trees and caused destruction throughout the forests within the Northeast.
The weird sisters tell Macbeth he is destined to become king so Macbeth kills Duncan to fulfill their prophecy. The third witch says that Macbeth will become king. Banquo and Macbeth are talking to the weird sisters when she says this, “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!”(1.3.49). The witch tells Macbeth he is destined to be king and this is a game changer for Macbeth. All claws are out. The prophecy plants a seed in Macbeth’s head that would have otherwise wilted. The very fact that there is even the slightest chance that Macbeth could be king brings out the flight or fight response, and Macbeth chooses to fight. This instinct is only enhanced when the first part of the witches’ prophecy becomes true. Before this, it was a bit like reading a horoscope: entertaining, but not realistic. However, after Macbeth becomes the Thane of Cawdor the prophecy is ...
In Elizabethan times, the role of a fool, or court jester, was to professionally entertain others, specifically the king. In essence, fools were hired to make mistakes. Fools may have been mentally retarded youths kept for the court’s amusement, or more often they were singing, dancing stand up comedians. In William Shakespeare’s King Lear the fool plays many important roles. When Cordelia, Lear’s only well-intentioned daughter, is banished from the kingdom Fool immediately assumes her role as Lear’s protector. The fool is the king’s advocate, honest and loyal and through his use of irony sarcasm and humour he is able to point out Lear’s faults. Functioning much as a chorus would in a Greek tragedy, the fool comments on events in the play, the king’s actions and acts as Lear’s conscience. As he is the only character who is able to confront Lear directly without risk of punishment, he is able to moderate the king’s behaviour.
Barton, Anne. Introduction to Twelfth Night. The Riverside Shakespeare. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974. 403-407.
“I don’t know Sammy,” I bite off. Anger burns like fire in my veins, clouding my senses.
Fools, as I understand them, were kept by kings as entertainment devices prior to the advent of television. Lear's Fool, how-ever, transcends the role as entertainer to assume the role of both Ann Landers and Jim Davis. Particularly intriguing to me are his witticisms and humorous tidbits which interweave foreshadowing, practical advice, humor, and characterization into a succinct, meterical saying.
Scott, Mark W. Shakespearean Criticism: Volume 8, Excerpts from the Criticism of William Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry, from the First Published Appraisals to Current Evaluations. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1987. Print.
Hurricanes are one of the deadliest and most expensive natural disasters around. In the hurricane the mixture of the water and winds can be extremely damaging. The winds are extremely dangerous and usually don’t go faster than about 75 miles per hour, but have been documented to go as fast as 85 miles per hour. Due to the fact that hurricanes need water to survive, they cannot go too far on land, but that does not stop them from causing billions of dollars in damages. Hurricanes are so dangerous that they were listed number 1 on the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Hazard and Disasters list. Picture this, you are sitting on your front porch drinking some coffee and reading today’s newspaper and you look out to the street which