Twelfth Night What You Will

Date Twelfth Night was probably written in 1600 or – External Evidence: John Manningham's diary: – Internal Evidence: Malvolio's Face

The Titles Feast of the Epiphany – It’s significance – It’s absence Will – Desire – Appetite

Role of Comedy Sidney’s Ideas Source’s Ideas

Shakespeare's Advances as a Comic Dramatist Even Darker Comedies Follow – Troilus and Cressida – Measure for Measure Why this isn’t as dark – Despite flaws, characters are basically good – Temporary Insanity

Comic Techniques Love Triangle – Disguise – Mistaken Identity

The Impediments to Love Lack of self-knowledge – Orsino – Olivia – Minor characters Lack of knowledge of others Polar Extremes – Love of dead – Unrequited love

Viola’s Middle Ground in order to place herself between the two extremes-- Orsino and Olivia, pure sensuality and pure abstinence, Viola must become something of a neuter, a eunuch (she says)--or at least an androgynous figure, Neither male nor female, yet both male and female at the same time.

Irony Cesario as (male) confidante to Orsino Cesario as (male) beloved of Olivia Orsino’s sense of understanding women II.4.22