William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

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William Shakespeare wrote a satirical comedy, Twelfth Night in the 16th century. The date is not for certain but it was right around the same time he wrote Hamlet. Twelfth Night is widely famous today for being a Transvestite comedy meaning characters are cross dressing. William Shakespeare’s, Twelfth Night, plunges into a state of widespread misperception and disorderly behavior, the power of love rescues the unruly characters from the chaos and restores order to their lives and to their kingdom. Grief is what starts the hiding of Viola and She hides herself as another and falls in love. Finally, the hard told story of the gender confusion is explained. In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare wrote this play to prepare the audience for a jovial feel of celebration which consisted of drinking, dancing, and sense of general self-indulgence. The play expanded on the riotous disorder that is expected on the occasion of Twelfth night. Also in the play, Shakespeare showed evidence that he may be against social norms, he elevated women to equal or greater superior roles to men within the play. He also deepen this thought by giving women intellectual characteristics, placing a woman in a role of power, disguising a woman as a man, showing that woman have equal proclamation to a man, and preventing a woman from being prosecuted of a criminal charge. Grief is used as a hyperbole in Twelfth Night. Olivia decided to mourn her brother by hiding her face behind a black veil and seeing no one for seven years. In Act 1, Scene 1 Valentines says, “The element itself, till seven years’ heat, shall not behold her face at amole view, but like a cloistress, she will veiled walk and water once a day her chamber round with eye-offering brine – all this season a... ... middle of paper ... ... portraitures the gender confusion that was going on during the time period. Men used to dress as women as to play their parts in plays because women couldn’t be in the plays. In this play the women actually dressed up as a men to obtain a job. The confusion starts when Viola dresses up as her brother and tries to be him, but her voice is off and her way of acting shows that she is not a true man. Viola works very hard to try and hide her imagine, she has everyone convinced. All the people she comes in contact with believes she truly is a guy. The end of the play she shows her true self and everyone is shocked when her and her brother come together at the same time. After the truth has come out Orsino shows his love Viola and Sebastian and Olivia all already married. In the end the gender confusion was challenging, but it turned out well and everyone ended happy.

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