Comedy in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

Comedy in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

'Twelfth Night' is the only one of Shakespeare's plays to have an

alternative title: the play is actually called 'Twelfth Night', or

'What You Will'. "Twelfth Night" is usually considered to be a

reference to Epiphany, or the twelfth night of the Christmas

celebration. In the Elizabethan times this holiday was celebrated as a

festival in which everything was turned upside down, much like the

chaotic world of Illyria in the play. Disguise is crucial to the plot

of the play. It is the thread which runs through the play from start

to finish and holds it all together. Yet, paradoxically along the way

there are many problems, deceptions and illusions, which creates

comedy for the audience.

Viola's plan for disguising herself in Act 1 scene II introduces one

of the central parts of the play: disguise and the identity confusion

related to it. Similarly, Orsino's mournful speech in Act 1, scene I

lets us know that the play will also concern matters of love: emotion,

desire and rejection. Put together, the two scenes suggest the extra

twist that is the highlight of 'Twelfth Night', mistaken gender

identity and Viola's gender deception leads to all kinds of romantic

complications.

Meanwhile, Viola's decision to disguise herself as a young man in

order to find a job seems somewhat improbable. Surely this isn't

necessary; even if Orsino only hires young men. However Viola's act of

disguising herself generates an endless number of interesting

situations to advance the plot. We can interpret Viola's disguise as

something that makes the unprotected young woman feel safer in the

strange land i...

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...nce the truth about Viola's womanhood comes out, the

uncertainty that her disguise has raised remains. For instance,

Orsino's declaration of love to Viola is strangely phrased. Continuing

to address Viola as if she were male, he says, "Boy, thou hast said to

me a thousand times / Thou never shouldst love woman like to me". The

ending is not simply cut and dry, and entirely happy. Although Orsino

closes the action of the play with an optimistic statement about the

"golden time" they are all about to enjoy, the play ends with a

prologue song by Feste that mars the possibility of a completely happy

end. Though this play is a comedy, with a great deal of light hearted

wordplay and amusing situations, the audience must remember that the

play, like life, is bittersweet; some people come to happy endings,

other people do not.