Twelfth Night
Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night is an Elizabethan situation comedy. Each character has a problem to solve, and each one finds a different way to attempt to solve it. For most of the characters their difficulties revolve around members of the opposite sex. By the time the play has been completed, it is the female characters who have accomplished their goals to the satisfaction of all the parties involved. Olivia, Viola and Maria all demonstrate their ability to accomplish their romantic goals far better than the men in the play can on their own.
Orsino, a man of high birth, believes himself passionately in love with Olivia. He believes his love to be the most passionate, most sincere and most ardent of any man alive. The fact the Olivia does not return his affection has no effect on his emotions, and as it turns out, he is more in love with the notion of love than with Olivia. When another admirable woman comes along, he is able to develop real feelings for her instead of wallowing in an obsessive, unrequited love. However, it takes a woman -- Viola -- to bring this about.
Viola is the survivor of a shipwreck cast on the shore of the island of Illyria while traveling with her twin brother, Sebastian, who looks remarkably like her for a young man. She fears her brother has drowned, and even if he has not, is not present to help protect her in this unknown place. Calling herself "Cesario," she disguises herself as a young man for her own protection and enters Orsini's service. While this would be an odd contrivance today, it shows Viola to be a level-headed young woman who can take care of herself in an emergency.
Olivia, the original object of Orsino's affections, is like him in some...
The play also opens with Orsino hopelessly in love with Olivia. Olivia, however, is consumed with grief for her brother, and rebuffs Orsino's attempts to woo her. For the play to reach its conclusion, which has the two of them marrying others, it first has to address the issue of Orsino's feelings for Olivia. Elsewhere in the play, it is clear that Orsino's love for Olivia is largely based upon
play of Shakespeare, Twelfth Night particularly the comedy and the conventions used in it. What makes the play twelfth night a comedy? Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare presents the best example of a true Elizabethan romantic comedy. Though the themes constituting the play like lunacy and absurdness of love place it in the category of a rather unconventional comedy. Nevertheless, if closely analyzed for conventions of romantic comedy, Twelfth Night certainly
Feste in "Twelfth Night" The Role of Feste's Music in "Twelfth Night" "Twelfth Night" is a play with multiple characters who do not see themselves clearly. Some just really don't understand who they are or what they really want. Examples of that are Olivia and Orsino Another, Malvolio, adopts postures that are superficial, trying to be something he is not. Still another, Viola, has to don a disguise because of circumstances. One
Ii.37). Here we see that love does not always bring out the most beautiful emotions in people. It can cause desperation, isolation, frustration, and agitation. These are emotions that can sometimes make us appreciate love even more - if we have the strength to do so. One of the things we learn from Twelfth Night is that love looks to the inner man. In other words, love discovers the truth because
12th Night Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Discussing a Comedy The great bard's works are always full of surprises, but nothing surpasses his comedies. The Twelfth Night, perhaps one of my most favorite plays, is a fantastic comedy that Shakespeare wrote to explore life's greatest emotions, love, loss, and laughter. This paper will discuss the plot of the play, as well as the genre. Perhaps one of the reasons that this is such a great piece
Subtitled by Shakespeare "Or What You Will," Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's most celebrated and beloved comedies. One of the reasons Twelfth Night remains relevant for contemporary audiences is that the romantic imbroglios described in the play bear resemblance to the situations we observe in our daily lives, or at least on the television shows and movies that we continue to watch. However, the aspect of Twelfth Night that
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