By: William Shakespeare Twelfth Night By: William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare Born April 23, 1564; Stratford on Avon in England Died on April 23, 1616 Wrote 154 sonnets and 37 plays: Comedy, Tragedy, History. 5 act plays written in blank verse and iambic pentameter

Iambic Pentameter Makes a beautiful sound and song rhythm Similar to rhythm of conversation Each line has 10 syllables 5 stressed, 5 unstressed

Exceptions! Some lines were less than 10 syllables-shared lines Ex: Viola: I pity you Olivia: That’s a degree to love Some lines have 11 syllables – a feminine ending. Character is in an emotional state trying to cram everything in one line.

Elizabethan Theater (1564-1603) During the reign of Queen Elizabeth Only a few male actors- played multiple roles Colorful costumes/scenery Audience would become “involved” If they disliked it, they threw tomatoes/apple cores

Globe Theater Shakespeare helped build it in 1599 Open air theater- held 2,000-3,000 people The “groundlings” stood in the “pit” to watch Above the “pit” the higher class sat in a covered area No curtains or scenery changes

Globe Theater Burned down in 1613- rebuilt across the Thames River in 1614 Closed in 1642- anti theater regime Leveled in 1644- tenement houses built over it A reconstructed version stands in London

The Globe in London

Twelfth Night- a Comedy Also has some dark elements to it Written around 1601 The 2nd most performed play

Conventions of Comedy The main conflict is always resolved- usually in celebration If a minor character doesn’t fit- they are eliminated from the festivities The impossible, fantastic, or supernatural Disguises mistaken identity Ghosts, fairies Disregard social classes

Stock Characters Youthful lovers Blocking characters- are the obstacle The clown or fool- can get away with anything and is usually very wise Clever servants Confidants/sidekicks Twins

What is the ‘Twelfth Night?’ The end of the Christmas holiday- January 6th Believed to be the day of Epiphany when Christ was shown to the three wise men There was usually a festival where normal rules and behaviors were put on hold The holiday was not as serious or religious as other Christian holidays

A subtitle? The only Shakespearean play to have one “…or What You Will” Scholars believe it to mean “what you want” Shakespeare wanted his audiences to make what they wanted of what they were watching