Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Title n Twelfth
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Title n Twelfth Night – refers to the twelfth night of the Christmas celebration (the Epiphany) n celebrated as a festival in which everything was turned upside down or reversed
Title n The play features several situations that are reversed – such as a woman that dresses like a man and a servant who imagines he will become a wealthy nobleman
Shakespearean Theater n In Shakespeare’s time women were prohibited by law from acting. n All the roles in Shakespeare’s play were played by man. n Viola, a woman who dresses like a young man, would be played by a young man.
Literary Terms n Pun – a joke based on words that sound similar or a word with more than one meaning Example: Why can’t you see a camel in the desert? Camel-flage
Literary Terms n Dramatic irony – occurs when the reader or audience knows something important that a character or character do not Example: Most of the characters in Twelfth Night think Cesario is a young man, but the audience knows that he is really Viola dressed as a man.
Other Terms n Woo – to try to win someone’s love, especially with the goal of marrying him or her; to romance n Unrequited love – love that is returned by the other person
Characters n Viola – shipwrecked on Illyria; believes her twin brother as died; she decides to disguise herself as a young man named Cesario n Sebastian – Viola’s brother; he believes that she didn’t survive the shipwreck
Characters n Duke Orsino – powerful nobleman in the country Illyria; lovesick over Olivia n Olivia – a wealthy Illyrian countess; mourning the recent death of her brother
Characters n Malvolio – Olivia’s head servant (steward); he is considered stuck up by the other members of her household n Fool (Feste) – the clown of Olivia’s household n Sir Toby Belch – Olivia’s uncle; a drunk
Characters n Maria – Olivia’s clever, funny servant n Sir Andrew – a friend of Toby; a foolish man; he tries to marry Olivia n Antonio – the man who rescues Sebastian from the shipwreck; an old enemy of Duke Orsino
What your opinion? n What are some reasons people fall in love? n How long does it take to fall in love?
- Slides: 12