Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

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 the play's title any name you wish, as long as you understand it. It connects to the themes of this class because we, as people, can interpret anything we want into something that "fits" us better. If we weren't able to do that, then the world would be far too confusing to understand. As far as putting it into the Heritage lesson, I think the school board wanted us to think about the choices we have and don't always "just take" what you have. You can always change things to make it easier for you, that is the beauty of everything, shaping life and all of its possessions around your personality!

Shakespeare uses many powerful lines in his story, one of which reached out to me the most. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." (II.v.144-145, p.48) To me it means much more than it says. Many people are born with certain abilities. Whether its athletics, knowledge, music, or any talent for that matter, they all reach their goals in different ways. Yes, some are born with a natural ability to do certain things, but it's their will power that makes them great at what they do. You have to push yourself to the edge to get the best out of yourself. To achieve greatness, it takes much more than just practice, you have to make it your life, give it everything you have, and then, you can achieve anything at all. It is said again at the end of the play to remind you of what it means. Don't give up on anything; you can do whatever you want if you try your best. I think Shakespeare just wanted to remind us again of what we can achieve.