Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
The first character we are introduced to in 'Twelfth Night' is Orsino,
a count of Illyria. We learn in this first scene that he is in love
with a beautiful woman named Olivia by reading his two speeches at the
beginning. However, as the play progresses we learn that Orsino is a
very self-indulgent character with set ideas about love and what
should follow. This is wrong in the first place, as love should come
naturally and have no rules, but Orsino is very clear in his mind
about 'love' and convinces himself that he is in love with Olivia. We
can get a feeling that really he is not in love with Olivia, merely
infatuated with her appearance and not what is on the inside: really,
Olivia does not treat Orsino well at all and perhaps it is the idea of
pursuing this unobtainable prize that so attracts Orsino.
Really though, Orsino can be quite a ridiculous character in terms of
his self-indulgence: he has quite obviously been fawned over all his
life due to his status in Illyria and so he acts like a spoilt little
boy that cannot have a toy that he so desperately wants. His speeches,
though sometimes very beautiful, become more silly as the play
progresses; from "O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou /
That, not withstanding thy capacity / Receiveth as the sea…" which is
quite an enchanting speech and one of his first, to: "Be not denied
access; stand at her doors, / And tell them there thy fixèd foot shall
grow / Till thou have audience." - said to Cesario (Viola) in scene 4.
The next most prominent character in this play is probably Viola, who
also plays Cesario. She is a young lady in mourning for her brother
whom she believes has been lost at sea in the same shipwreck as she
was in. She dresses as a boy and calls herself Cesario, and goes to
work for Orsino. Viola is shown to have strength of character and a
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare When Shakespeare wrote the story, Twelfth Night, what did his title mean? This play is often referred to as a "festival" comedy, which means a comedy that is specially designed to take place on a festival or holiday. In this case of the "twelfth night," the feast of epiphany, or the last day of the Christmastide events, was his way of letting you figure out when this took place. The phrase "what you will," is another way of saying, "as you wish," or to give
William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night promotes the idea of living in the moment. This lifestyle based on Carpe Diem brings happiness to some characters, as it did with Sir Toby Belch, Sebastian Roderigo of Messaline and Feste the fool. Through their experiences and actions, this play demonstrates the influence and impact this theme can have on their lives. Time ceases to elude them, as they utilize every second in each instant that passes them by, while they give no thought towards the future. While
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare The idea of courtly love based in Shakespeare's 'Twelfth night' involved a woman being put on a pedestal and worshipped from a distance like she was goddess who could not be attained. Only by very long devotion and lots of trials could a man get this kind of woman. The woman quite often appeared to be both cruel and fair. Courtly love was a sexless kind of love and was more idealised. Therefore in reality men much like Orsino almost certainly treasured
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare First impressions of Twelfth Night can be deceiving as on a simplistic level it can be portrayed as a typical Shakespearean comedy. However, Twelfth Night is a mixture of both romantic comedy and tragedy. The romantic comedy elements can be found throughout the play as its structure is based on a typical Elizabethan style, it has escapism with magical settings and happy endings, as is 'Midsummer's Night Dream'. Also Twelfth night has unusual names such
In William Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night” the alleged Puritan Malvolio is the unpopular rigidity, hypocritical and gullible steward made to look a fool by those he has humiliated (Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Maria, Fabian and Feste) which appeals to the audience. Malvolio is more the victim of his own psychic propensities than he is Maria’s gull, as his own beliefs appear to engineer his downfall. In Suzann Collins trilogy the “Hunger Games” the down to earth “pure” President Snow obtains those exact
In the comedy Twelfth Night written by William Shakespeare many of the characters experience emotional pain. The pain that a character name Olivia experiences is the death of her brother, causing her to mourn. Malvolio who is Olivia's steward is involved with emotional pain caused by humiliation, which occurs more than once in this play. Lastly, a great deal of characters battle with the feeling of unrequited love. Even though Shakespeare wrote this as a comedy, there was still a mass amount of emotional
Twelfth Night’s Inspiration and Consequenting Inspiration Stranded on the island of Illyria, Shakespeare’s Viola puts her hope in a plan to become the boy Cesario. Viola “Conceal me what I am, and be my aid For such disguise as haply shall become The form of my intent.” (Shakespeare Act I, scene ii, line 53) Disguise, masquerade, opposite of intention; in many ways, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is the authority on concealment. At the turn of the 16th century, the distinguished comedy depicts
Examining Viola's Character in Twelfth Night "I may not be a lion, but I am a lion's cub, and I have a lion's heart" . These words are said by one of the most celebrated and authoritative women in the 16th century Elizabeth I. Even though the authority was at woman's hands at that time, a dominant woman was unnatural in the society itself. The presence of such a powerful female figure creates an interesting situation for dramatists and playwrights in terms of depicting women's status at that time
In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare portrays several characters in a controversial way. Some witty characters are portrayed as foolish, and some foolish characters are portrayed as witty. In the beginning of the play, Sir Andrew and Malvolio are presented as smart people; however, as the play progresses, the audience is exposed to their foolish sides. On the other hand, Sir Toby and Feste are portrayed as fools, but as the plot develops the audience acknowledges their wisdom. Malvolio and Sir Andrew’s
Cruelty in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare "Twelfth Night" is also subtitled as "What you Will" which shows that this should be a happy, festive comedy, its title is from the twelve-day cycle of celebration enjoyed by medieval revellers each December. As this is a comedy it means that there are multiple marriages in the final scene and happy endings for most, except maybe one person who is seen as a fool throughout the play in this instance, Sir Andrew or Malvolio or some may even think
Olivia (Shakespeare 25) Olivia shows interest in Cesario. This stirs up more dramatic irony as the audience knows that Cesario is actually Viola in disguise. Her interest in Cesario makes it more difficult for Orsino to woo her and for Viola to eventually reveal herself. What was before a simple plot of a man trying to win over the girl, is now a complex story of a love triangle. "'If it be a suit from the Count, I am sick, or not at home. What you will to dismiss it.'" --Olivia (Shakespeare 19)
The Outcome of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare The ‘Twelfth Night’ written by William Shakespeare in the Elizabethan era, is a dramatic comedy enriched with a great deal of hurt to accompany scandalous behaviour and shocking deceptions. The comical elements of this play are those which contribute to Elizabethan humour. The principal characters are of a high social status, making any disruption to their life humorous. The main characters are part of the whirlwind of unrequited love
Characters of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare The title "What you Will" is a perfect summary of the whole play. This story is about deception in character, being something you are not; whether it being disguising gender, true feelings or beliefs. We never no the real to why Viola chose to disguise her gender. We must assume that she wants to conceal her identity until she has gathered enough information about where she is and maybe feels safer dressed as a boy. He is resourceful and
Shakespearean subtext has been of interest for centuries, to professional scholars and English students and Shakespeare fanatics alike. To most, the subtext is just as important as the writing itself, and this is understandable. Two plays in particular—As You Like It and Twelfth Night—rely significantly on subtext. The audience’s interpretation is based entirely on what is shown to them, including the subtext, and this is on both the playwright’s and the actors’ parts: how it is written, and how
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