Twelfth Night A Quick Intro

Alternate Title What You Will

To what does “twelfth night” refer? Last night of Christmas celebrations that were popular in Elizabethan times (Jan. 6) Also known in the church calendar as Epiphany, the Feast of the Magi (the “Wise Men” who visited baby Jesus) This holy day, however, covers over a Pagan mid-winter holiday, Saturnalia, which became the medieval “Feast of Fools” A day given to fun, disguises, and pranks

“Feast of Fools” A holiday celebrated as a festival in which everything is turned upside down – much like the topsy-turvy world of Illyria!

Reconciling Oppposites Dark and Light of the season Male/Female Good/Bad Rich/Poor Higher Class/Lower Class “The Origin of Love” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Setting: Illyria City of Illyria Known to Shakespeare as an actual region off the coast of the Adriatic Sea (present day Albania)

Illyria ideal for many of the plot developments, themes, imagery, etc Illyria ideal for many of the plot developments, themes, imagery, etc. that arise in the play:

Distant Land It acted as a generically exotic setting for a play full of romance and intrigue

Shipwreck Situated off the coast, offered preconditions for a shipwreck Illyria associated with piracy in the Elizabethan mind

Illusion The word “Illyria” brings forth associations like “illusion” or the “illusory”

What is the play about? Illusion Deception Disguises Madness Love Concerned with the extraordinary things we’ll do in the name of love

The Play Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are shipwrecked in a violent storm off the coast of Illyria and lose contact, with each thinking the other is dead Viola disguises herself as a boy named Cesario and becomes a page in the service of Duke Orsino

“Transvestite Comedy” Features a female protagonist who disguises herself as a young man In Shakespeare’s day, all parts were played by men, so the actor playing Viola would be a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy

Gender Roles Orsino speaks about women not loving as strong as men do Sebastian and Antonio Viola/Cesario Lady Olivia as head of the house and rejecting a Duke Men dressing as women and women as men

Class Malvolio, Sir Andrew (who’s impoverished) reaching above their class Feste, the fool, skewers the upper class Feste dressed as Sir Topaz Viola dressed as Cesario

Religion Puritanism Fool as Preist Marriage

Honor Loyalty to beloved Duel Malvolio’s disgrace

Sanity Love as insanity – Orsino, Antonio, Cesario, Olivia, Malvolio Who is the fool? Malvolio declared insane

Love Love at first sight Loving the wrong person Unrequited love Love for money, power Inverted marriage

Identity You are not who you think you are Others are not as you think they are You do not love who you think you love Reality is not reality