Twelfth Night, or What You Will was one of Shakespeare’s more sophisticated comedies. He wrote it to be performed and to provoke laughter from his audience, especially during the holiday season. Modern readers of Twelfth Night can still relate to one of the main themes of the play, hidden identity.
Besides, what is the purpose of Twelfth Night?
The title of Twelfth Night refers to the twelfth night of Christmas, also referred to as the eve of Epiphany, a day that commemorates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus and is often celebrated with a temporary suspension of rules and social orders.
Similarly, what is the story of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night? Plot Summary. Duke Orsino of Illyria is in love with Olivia, but his advances are rejected. A shipwrecked Viola arrives on his shores, and with the help of a Captain, disguises herself as a boy, calling herself Cesario, and enters Orsino’s service. Orsino takes to Cesario, and sends ‘him’ to woo Olivia for him.
why is Twelfth Night so popular?
Today, however, Twelfth Night is one of the most popular and beloved of Shakespeare comedies perhaps because of its rebellious portrayal of gender ambiguity. It was popular back in Shakespeare’s day, too, but perhaps for different reasons.
What is the main theme of Twelfth Night?
Reductively, the theme of Twelfth Night is the joy and pain of love. The play was written in Shakespeare’s older years and he attempts to see love for all that is both good and bad about it. This may explain why Twelfth Night has a subtitle, What You Will (the only play that has one, btw).
11 Related Question Answers Found
What is the main plot of Twelfth Night?
Lesson Summary William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is a comedy about a brother and sister pair that are shipwrecked off the coast of Illyria and are separated. Viola, the sister, must assume the identity of a man to earn a living in the home of Duke Orsino, who is in love with the Lady Olivia.
What is the main conflict in Twelfth Night?
major conflict Viola is in love with Orsino, who is in love with Olivia, who is in love with Viola’s male disguise, Cesario. This love triangle is complicated by the fact that neither Orsino nor Olivia knows that Viola is really a woman.
Is Twelfth Night relevant today?
The Globe’s new production of Twelfth Night is relevant to young people today partly because it explores the theme of cross-dressing, its director has said. The project, sponsored by Deutsche Bank, sees the Globe putting on a free Shakespeare play for London teenagers who have never seen Shakespeare before.
Why does Viola dress up as a man?
In Act 1, Scene 2, Viola sees herself in what the Captain describes of Olivia: Why does Viola dress as a boy? Partly because she is trying to keep her brother alive, who she fears might be dead (she tells us later in the play that she wears his clothes, and in his fashion – and Cesario sounds quite like Sebastian).
What is the setting of Twelfth Night?
Twelfth Night Setting Shakespeare set Twelfth Night in Illyria – the ancient name for the coast on the Adriatic Sea, which takes in parts of modern Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Albania, Croatia, and Montenegro. The period in which the play is set is not obvious.
What does Twelfth Night say about love?
Love is also exclusionary: some people achieve romantic happiness, while others do not. At the end of the play, as the happy lovers rejoice, both Malvolio and Antonio are prevented from having the objects of their desire.
How long does Twelfth Night last?
approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes
Who does Olivia marry in Twelfth Night?
Olivia eventually comes to the conclusion that she must marry him. However, in a case of mistaken identity, she marries Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian. All ends well, however, because Sebastian and his sister are extremely similar. The climax of the play takes place at Olivia’s estate.
What genre is Twelfth Night?
comedy
Why does Orsino marry Viola?
At the end of the play, Orsino finds out that the character he has known as Cesario is actually a young woman named Viola. Orsino seems interested in marrying Viola for two reasons. The first reason is that he has already been impressed by the devotion and fidelity she showed while disguised as his page.
Who ends up together in Twelfth Night?
Toward the end of the play, Sebastian is pressed into marrying Olivia, who thinks he is Viola. When Sebastian and Viola finally are seen together and revealed as twins, Viola declares herself for the Duke, and their marriage is announced. It is also revealed then that Toby and Maria have married.