Twelfth Night Study Notes

Twelfth Night: Study Notes

• Characteristics of Comedy:

  • Typically features a happy ending
  • Employs wit, wordplay, and humor
  • Often involves role-switching and disguises
  • Frequently includes romantic elements
  • Plots often involve entanglements
  • Deeper human insights might be subtly addressed through comedic situations

• Characters in Twelfth Night:

  • Viola: Protagonist, disguises herself as Cesario for safety, sister of Sebastian, falls in love and marries Orsino, portrayed as honest
  • Olivia: Countess, mourning her brother, loves Cesario but is loved by Orsino, somewhat self-absorbed
  • Orsino: Count, loves Olivia, then Viola
  • Sebastian: Viola's shipwrecked brother, marries Olivia, mistaken for Cesario
  • Fool: Provides comedic relief, demonstrates wisdom, offers advice, often tricks Malvolio, reveals uncomfortable truths about characters
  • Captain: Saves Viola, protects her secret and disguise
  • Priest: Marries Sebastian (Cesario) and Olivia
  • Malvolio: Servant to Olivia, source of humor, loves Olivia, is the target of deceitful plots
  • Toby: Olivia's uncle, drunkard, troublemaker, source of comic relief
  • Andrew: Toby's foolish friend, attempts to woo Olivia, source of humor
  • Maria: Olivia's lady-in-waiting, devises tricks involving Toby
  • Antonio: Rescues Sebastian, becomes friend with him, wanted by Orsino
  • Fabian: Gentleman in Olivia's household
  • Valentine and Curio: Orsino's servants

• Role of the Fool:

  • Provides comedic relief
  • Represents wisdom and intelligence
  • Offers advice, though characters often ignore it
  • Often plays tricks on Malvolio
  • Reveals truths about characters, acting as a mirror

• Themes:

  • Master-Servant Relationships: Important in the play's dynamics
  • Family Relationships: Can be strong or conflicted
  • Isolation: Many characters feel isolated due to their experiences or identities
  • Madness: Confusion arises regarding reality and deception
  • Humor: The play employs various humor types (wordplay, situational irony, etc.)
  • Social Class: Characters move between classes, indicating social fluidity
  • Love and Desire: Love triangles, self-love, true love vs. shallow love are explored
  • Deception and Disguise: Characters disguise themselves physically and emotionally
  • Melancholy: A pervasive sentiment among characters, resolving for most but lingering for Malvolio
  • Wisdom vs. Foolishness: Wisdom is presented in various forms throughout characters' actions

• Dramatic Irony:

  • Audience knows Cesario is Viola, but others don't
  • Audience knows Sebastian is alive, others don't
  • Audience knows the letter isn't from Olivia, other characters don't
  • Audience knows Antonio knows Sebastian, but Viola doesn't
  • Audience knows Cesario is Viola, but Antonio doesn't
  • Audience knows Sir Topas is the Fool, but Malvolio doesn't
  • Sebastian is mistaken for Cesario, while the audience knows the truth
  • Cesario isn't a skillful fighter, but is presented as such by Toby to Sir Andrew
  • Malvolio's not mad, though some characters think so
  • Olivia marries Sebastian, unaware he is not Cesario, audience knows they are mistaken
  • The priest is unaware of the entire situation as well

Explore the characteristics of comedy and key characters in Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'. This quiz highlights important traits and dynamics within the play, focusing on themes of love, disguise, and humorous entanglements. Test your knowledge of this comedic masterpiece!