Playwright: William Shakespeare
First Performance: circa 1600/1
Important characters:Viola, Sebastian, Countess Olivia, Duke Orsino, Malvolio, Feste, Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Mary (or Maria).
Good Critical Quotes: Twelfth Night "makes us laugh at the follies of mankind, not despise them" - William Hazlitt.
Summary: Twins "both born in an hour" are shipwrecked on the shore of an enemy land Illyria. The girl Viola believes her brother "is in Elysium" (Heaven, drowned) and must make her own way in the world. She insists that the captain "conceal me what I am" and call her Cesario so she may work for the Duke of Illyria, Orsino. She "[has] heard [her] father name him" and recalls him being apparantly very handsome indeed. His love however is for Countess Olivia, whose brother and father's recent deaths have put her in mourning. Viola is then sent to woo her on Orsino's behalf. However, Olivia "feels this youth's perfections" and falls in love with Cesario-Viola. But Viola has already discovered she has feelings for Orsino.
Meanwhile, Sebastian (Viola's twin brother) has in fact survived thanks to the help of Antonio and is on the other side of Illyria. He ventures out to find work for the Duke, heartbroken that he has lost his dear sister.
And in another area, mischief is afoot when Feste returns to the "good Madonna" Olivia in order to entertain her and her uncle Toby Belch. He, Toby, Maria and Sir Andrew hatch a plan to trick manservant Malvolio, a man who thinks that "all who look on him, love him". They put in his way some "obscure epistles of love" supposedly from the lady Olivia to fool him into dressing as a madman. He shocks Olivia and is consequently sent to the madhouse (temporarily) by Feste and Sir Toby. Sir Andrew (a suitor for Olivia) finds out that Olivia loves Viola and resolves to fight him. They almost fight since one is a coward and the other a woman, Viola then escapes
Sebastian arrives at Countess Olivia's to find that he is being attacked by Sir Andrew and Toby and being called Cesario. Consequently he beats them up. Olivia sees him do this, professes her love for him (mistaking him for Viola/Cesario) and thinking it a dream, one he asks to "still let me sleep!" and marries Olivia on the spot. Sebastian leaves and Viola arrives with Duke Orsino. Confusion breaks out as Olivia believes that Viola is still Sebastian. Sebastian arrives again not a moment too soon and finds a mirror image of himself. The twins are reunited at last. The Duke realises he loves Viola and asks her to "give me thy hand"
Background: The Twelfth Night was a day of feasting in Elizabethan era when people would dress above or below their stations, the social classes would be turned upside down and a great celebration was to be had in light of Christmas and the New Year. This play would have been performed as a form of entertainment at this time.
Symbols and motifs:
Disguise The Twelfth Night is constantly weaving through this idea of disguise and people not revealing who they truly are. Olivia at first hides behind a black veil of mourning. After hearing first that she "hath a heart of that fine frame" and has no desire to love him, it is interesting that she avoid it by publicly saying that she will "abjure the sight of men". Hiding from Orsino's love in public mourning rather than refusing him outright. He and Olivia never meet till the last act, he woos her through others. Impersonal.
Viola is possibly the most obviously disguised. Being unable to work as a woman, she must disguise herself as a man "for such disguise...shall become the form of my intent". This direct reference is to both avoid the law, going against Elizabethan expectations of women's roles and also deceiving others. Here it is for her protection, but as her feelings for Orsino become apparent, the intimacy she shares with him, she conceals herself to maintain that friendship.
This all relates back to the issue over whether or not deception is necessary or excusable. It's only the woman who conceal themselves too, very anti-feminist. In contrast to this though, Viola does in fact think to and act on the idea of disguising herself as a man. She is a stronger female character than other Shakespearean plays. However, the need to lie to others for her own self-preservation is society vs conscience. Something to think about.
Puns:
Puns are a strong recurrence in Shakespeare's comedies, it's a way of playing with language in an entertaining way that tricks the audience or reader. Olivia asks Viola "are you a comedian?" (term for actor) to which Viola answers "I am not that I play" referring to both the character Viola and also to the actor, being a boy dressed as a woman disguising herself as a man. Feste says "if this were played upon a stage now/I should condemn it as improbable fiction" yet there it stands, an improbable fiction on a stage. Feste and Viola talk of Feste's profession. With Viola asking whether he is a churchman, seeing as he lives "by the church". However, Feste answers: " I do live by the church; for I do live at my house and my house doth stand by the church.". Creating humour and puns. Reflects the topsy turvy nature of the Twelfth Night and its ability to twist and play with anything game. The social class of people and the class/manipulation of language. Also representative of the ability to manipulate meaning and others. Relates back to the idea that all is not what it seems.
Opposites:
The play Twelfth Night is riddled with opposites, paradoxes and puns. From characterisation (Malvolio's attitude being far above his station and making him out to be "a kind of puritan", noble Sir Andrew being shown the fool, see the "Mistress Mary Accost" incident), Viola dressing as a boy, and a woman being head of the household (Olivia's family has all died, leaving her to be in charge). Feste - the fool, is probably the chief source of paradox in this play. A clown and a fool, he turns out to be the wittiest fool in the play, tricking "Madonna" Olivia and holding more wisdom and clever observation than anyone else. The topsy turvey nature of the holiday this play is named from is echoed in the play's characters and circumstances. Reflective of a woman being in power and a revolutionary way of thinking being born and nurtured in England.
Music:
"If music be the food of love, play on" is the first and one of the most famous lines of The Twelfth Night, tying food and music to the art of love. Dresses up love to be a magical and musical thing, striven for by all. But in the reality of the play, love is a messy hotch botch of people loving the ones they shouldn't or not knowing what love is at all. Shakespeare shows us that there is no art of loving at all, just falling in and out of it and finding the person that fits you most completely. The songs of Feste are truly expressive of the hope of love "your true love's coming/that sing both high and low". "That piece of song" that "did relieve my passion much" do not put fire to his love and we all know his infatuation with Olivia is simply that. Music may be the food of love, but it is not love itself, which deludes many. "Write loyal cantons on condemned love/and sing them loud even in the dead of the night" - Viola.
Readings:
Feminist - Due probably to the fact that a woman was in power, there can be allusions to this in the character of Countess Olivia. She is left as the head of her household, as Sir Toby would be too drunk to form a coherent order. Viola is the central character, making it a refreshing contrast to others in Shakespeare's repertoire. But this is in fact a comedy, where nothing is as it would be in reality. This is in light of the twisted upside down day that was the feasting of the Twelfth Night. Therefore, Shakespeare is making a backhanded stand for women. Yes he is in fact writing a female as the main character, but in a play where nothing is like reality. The need for both female characters to hide their true feelings and wishes behind a "veiled walk" and manly pretenses shows their inability to be freely independent. In the end both women marry to suitable husbands and in a classic comedy, everybody lives for the most part, happily ever after. The fact here suggesting that women cannot be happy without men was commonly thought in Shakespeare's time, however, he gives women more freedom in fiction than would have been given in reality.
Nature of Shakespearean Comedy:
- Happy endings, usually with a marriage of unmarried characters
- Separation and re-unification
- Struggle of old adversaries to overcome their difficulties. Usually represented by young people
- Mistaken identities
- Clever servant
- Lots of puns
- One main plot, with lots of little side stories
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