Twelfth Night is the merriest of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies‚ it is also the saddest. The Christian associations of the title suggests the carpe diem theme which runs through the play. Epiphany‚ according to Christian mythology‚ is the time when the shepherds recognized the birth of Christ. The feast of epiphany is the last festival of the Christmas season‚ after which death takes over. This cycle of life is an extension of the ancient pagan fertility rituals. The mood is similar in Keats’s ‘To
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Four of the Second Act of Twelfth Night Orsino and Viola‚ dressed as Cesario‚ listen to music and have a conversation about love and more specifically about which kind of women Viola allegedly fancies. Furthermore‚ Orsino gives Viola advice on what sort of woman would suit her best. In this discussion‚ the relationship between love and time or more accurately‚ the changing nature of love in the passing of time seems to play a central role. This close relationship between love and time is illustrated
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In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night‚ we are presented with various characters and plots which supply the play with comedic elements. The comedy of Twelfth Night predominantly stems from the ‘foolish’ characters and the scenarios they are involved in. Traditionally a fool is defined as ‘a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person’‚ ‘a person who is duped or imposed on’‚ or ‘a jester or clown‚ especially one retained in a royal or noble household’. (1) In Twelfth Night it is clear that at
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BACKGROUND LECTURE ON TWELFTH NIGHT The following information is based upon my taped lecture on this play. Although this text version is not the same as the taped lecture‚ it does contain the same information. All references are based on the Signet paperback edition which you should consult in conjunction with this lecture. Twelfth Night was probably written in 1601 and first performed in January of 1602. We know this because the play is mentioned that year in the diary of a
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Shakespeare utilizes disguise as the primary source of theatrical appeal in his play Twelfth Night. It is particularly common in Comedy‚ for various reasons. With disguise‚ you get confusion‚ mistaken identities‚ and with these‚ you get laughter. On the Elizabethan stage‚ playwrights frequently included disguise‚ or deception‚ in their comedies‚ using it as a comedic device. In Twelfth Night‚ it is the characters abilities to utilize disguises to deceive one another or themselves. This is evident
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‘At the end of Shakespeare’s comedic plays all complications and disorders are resolved and a new order is generated to the satisfaction of the audience.’ to what extent is this true of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night? It is easily argued that Shakespeare’s comedic plays have a similar‚ formulaic‚ structure. Dr Schwartz from the California Polytechnic State University argues that the ‘action of a comedy traces a movement from conflict to the resolution of conflict’. There are many disorders and complications
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"The Truth About Foolishness" in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. William Shakespeare used a unique device to explain how foolishness is an unavoidable part of everyday life. He employed many specific examples of foolishness in his comedy play titled Twelfth Night. Each of the characters he created were all foolish in one way or another. Not only do the characters entertain the audience‚ but also educate the audience as they portray mankind avoiding obvious truth. Shakespeare takes a
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There’s much more to this story than meets the eye. The book the Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare is a novel about mistaken identities‚ satire‚ and intimacy. The protagonist Viola is a woman who dresses like a man in order to serve the Duke Orsino. But she soons falls in love with him. This is a difficult love to pursue‚ as Orsino is still in love with the Countess Olivia‚ and more importantly Orsino thinks Viola is a man. This love triangle creates much tension in the kingdom of Illyria‚ but fortunately
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COURSE: ENGLISH 121 LECTURER: MR TEMBO ASSIGNMENT: Discuss the role and effect of disguise and mistaken identity in Twelfth Night. How does Shakespeare use these to advance his plot? DUE DATE: 17 JUNE 2011 Before explicating how Shakespeare utilised disguise and mistaken identity in Twelfth Night to develop his plot‚ it is important to understand the meaning of Twelfth Night. In the eastern most part of Canada is a province called Newfoundland and Labrador‚ a long forgotten English tradition-
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Writing about Shakespeare promotes a sympathy with extremes. One such extreme is the impressionism of a critic like A. C. Bradley‚ when he tries to hold together‚ synoptically‚ Feste the fool and Shakespeare himself‚ both as actor and magical author. Bradley notes that the Fool in Lear has a song not dissimilar to the one that concludes Twelfth Night1 and leaves Feste at the finish-line. “But that’s all one‚ our play is done …” After everything has been sorted out‚ and the proper pairings are arranged
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