In the play, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Feste's role in the play extends beyond providing comic relief. Feste is Lady Olivia's court jester, and is characterized as being wise, witty, foolish, and humorous. However, in the play Feste also plays the function as the play’s wise observer. As the result of Feste not being involved in any of the play's conflicts, compared to other characters. He also gives useful advice to aid characters in the novel. Feste observes the foolishness of the other characters and says that Olivia is foolish for wasting her youth and beauty by prolonging her mourning over her brother, especially when she believes his soul to be in heaven. We see in Feste's lines as he reunites with Olivia and is first introduced in the novel, how he proves her foolishness, If that this simple syllogism will serve so; if it will not, what remedy. As there is no true cuckold but calamity, so beauty’s a flower. The lady bade take away the fool, therefore I say again, take her away... The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen. (I.v.46-65) …show more content…
His passage from the play, indicates how Feste shows Olivia's foolishness for wasting her youth, and says she is the fool when he says “Take away the fool gentleman.” Even when Olivia says she knows her brother is in heaven, Feste proves his point of her being foolish. By the cause of her knowing her brother is in heaven, then she should not mourn and throw away her youth for her brother, and instead live her life. Feste also observes how fickle Orsino is. We see Feste claiming Orsino to be fickle when Feste is at Orsino's palace and sings for Orsino. Feste
... He speaks to Viola, before Feste, Olivia’s Jester, sings to signal the ending. “Cesario, come – For so you shall be while you are a man; But when in other habits you are seen Orsino’s mistress and his fancy’s queen.” The characters in Twelfth Night each play an important and specific role, especially when it comes to interfering or setting fate for romantic interests.
Feste is a jester, clown or fool who moves between the homes of Olivia and Orsino. During the Renaissance, monarchs and some noble families had fools or clowns in their households as entertainers- to sing, make witty observations and play practical jokes. Shakespeare usually includes at least one clown in most of his comedies. This is how Feste earns his living, along with giving other characters shrewd advice. Despite being a professional fool, Feste often seems the most intelligent person in Twelfth Night. Feste seems to be a pivotal character in the play, and his presence makes the play much more than just a tale of romance.
One of the most idealistic and influential classical concepts was the Elizabethan Chain of Being. The idea behind the Chain was that everything in existence had its place in the hierarchy of the universe. An object's place depended on its spirit-to-matter ratio: the more spirit and less matter something had, the higher up the chain it was. At the bottom were various inanimate objects like stones, metals, and the four elements, i.e. earth, water, air, and fire. Higher up were members of the vegetative class, like flowers and trees. Next came animals, then humans, and then angels. At the top sat God. Within each section, there were subsections, each with its own hierarchy. For example, among humans, the king was above the noble, the noble above the soldier, and the soldier above the servant, and he above beggars and fools. The fool in Elizabethan literature was used to provide a topic or theme for mediation, or he could be used purely used for comic relief. In William Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth Night, Feste the Fool was not the only actor who played a fool. In fact, Feste was one of the smartest and wittiest characters in the comedy, one who seemed to be able to withdraw from the scene and provide insightful commentary, much like the Greek chorus. When Olivia's called Feste was an allowed fool, meaning he was a critic to speak the truth of the people around him, it put him in a unique position. In some cases, he acted as a teacher through puns and humor. He also revealed that some other characters that were higher up in the chain than he was were not as smart as their place suggested. In Twelfth Night, Feste the Fool ironically acts as Shakespeare’s megaphone, presenting the playwright’s message that the Chain of Being is n...
...alvolio by slipping seamlessly into Sir Toby’s ploy. All of this reveals Feste’s inward character as wise and witty, as opposed to his social repute as an uneducated lower-class fool.
William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's most famous comedies, involving complex plots, which result in hilarious outcomes. The main plot of Twelfth Night tells of Count Orsino's efforts to woo the Lady Olivia. who does not return his affection. Instead, Olivia is smitten with her. Orsino's servant Cesario, unaware of his true identity.
Perhaps the most straightforward aspect of the way Feste communicates with other characters that resembles the communication of theater itself is the overtly performative nature of his character. A clown, Feste is often portrayed in productions caked in elaborate makeup or in a fancy jester costume. In this sense, he is almost a caricature of the way actors don new ident...
Shakespeare’s jester, Feste not only provides humor but gives intelligent
tries to get Olivia away from Feste when he says the line, and he is
The perfect lives that make up the routine of the Illyrian citizens portrays a society in which enjoyment, and personal gain are held in utmost priority. Shakespeares mocks the passivity of the Illyrian lifestyle to explain to the audience that excess of such festivity has negative side effects such as ego and lack of true love. He expresses that the pursuit of expression and truth in itself invokes enjoyment. Sir Aguecheek mirrors the uncertainty of a person through lack of self-confidence and the desire to openly reveal his true self when lamenting “Is it a world to hide virtues in?” (1.3.131). While uncovering aesthetic and emotional mysteries, the Illyrians find that disport restrains them from actual enjoyment and love. The play follows the audience to motivate them towards dissemination of feelings and expression of passion as a “locus of growth and self discovery” (Logan 223) and to obtain true happiness by ridding themselves of excessive, meaningless fun.
Feste, however, never takes sides with any of the characters, and in this way, he becomes a kind of commentator for the play. He is able to examine the characters, revealing the bare truth about them and he unites the main and sub-plot in a similar way.
a fool that the Lady Olivia's father took much pleasure in. " Feste is "an allowed fool", meaning he is a licensed, privileged critic. to speak the truth of the people around him. In Act 1 Sc5, Olivia is. proved to be a true fool by Feste when she was asked what she was.
Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night revolves around a love triangle that continually makes twists and turns like a rollercoaster, throwing emotions here and there. The characters love each another, but the common love is absent throughout the play. Then, another character enters the scene and not only confuses everyone, bringing with him chaos that presents many different themes throughout the play. Along, with the emotional turmoil, each character has their own issues and difficulties that they must take care of, but that also affect other characters at same time. Richard Henze refers to the play as a “vindication of romance, a depreciation of romance…a ‘subtle portrayal of the psychology of love,’ a play about ‘unrequital in love’…a moral comedy about the surfeiting of the appetite…” (Henze 4) On the other hand, L. G. Salingar questions all of the remarks about Twelfth Night, asking if the remarks about the play are actually true. Shakespeare touches on the theme of love, but emphases the pain and suffering it causes a person, showing a dark and dismal side to a usually happy thought.
...one of the antics at the start play to woo Olivia succeed for Orsino and Viola’s initial plan in the beginning does not blossom. This line concludes the part of Feste’s song in which he is giving a synopsis of the play. The last two stanzas are addressed to the audience and Feste thanks them.
...h the underlying theme of festivity in the play. Edward Cahill’s article and evidence from the play provides solid evidence to support this argument. However, what Salingar hasn’t addressed in his article is that the sub-plot also serves to illustrate the dangers of unchecked festivity. The sub-plot is absolutely necessary to the play and adds a layer of depth and insight into the themes of Twelfth Night but most of all, the subplot is what allows this play to be classed as a comedy.
Mistaken identity and disguise are important aspects of comedy in Twelfth Night that stand at the forefront of the play’s comedy. Not only are mistaken identities and disguise evident within the main plot of the play but also in various other situations. Sexual confusion amongst characters, subversion of gender roles and farcical elements through stagecraft all effectively contribute to the dramatic comedy genre. However, it can be suggested that certain elements of Twelfth Night are not interpreted to be purely comedic; Shakespeare has incorporated serious and controversial subjects such as the idea of genuine love, the patriarchy of the time and the cruel gulling of Malvolio. Therefore, disguise and mistaken identity are not solely for the purpose of comedy and it could be inferred that it even borders on the genre of tragedy.