Analysis Of Shakespeare 's ' The Twelfth Night '

Of course, no Shakespeare play would be complete without the use of puns. Shakespeare uses this type of humor as a witty way to keep the dialogue fresh and flowing. The reader gets a taste of these funny little bits as early as the first act and first scene, when Brakenbury starts, “With this, my lord, myself have naught to

Shakespeare uses metaphors and figures throughout his plays to give the reader and audience a further understanding of the story he is telling. In Metaphors We Live By, it is stated that “…Metaphorical expressions in everyday language can give us insight into the metaphorical nature of concepts that structure our everyday activities…” (Lakoff & Johnson 7). Through these conceits Shakespeare expands a normal idea and transforms it into

“Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.” Was said in act 1 scene 5 by Feste the fool of the play, Twelfth Night. In the Twelfth Night Shakespeare demonstrates several comedic elements in minor and major ways. Three of the major elements will be covered today. Clever word play, mistaken identities, and plot twists.

Shakespeare is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and life. His tragedy seems to be skill, his comedy to be instinct.

William Shakespeare, arguably the greatest language in the English language and England’s national poet, has written numerous histories, tragedies, comedies and poems. Throughout his plays, his use of dramatic irony, immaculate word choice and wording, and his vast imagination has made him a successful playwright even in his time. Shakespeare’s scripts for his theatrical company, needed to pertain to the needs and fascinations of the Elizabethan audience. It is safe to assume that all his sonnets, poetic speeches, electrifying action and soliloquies in his play were created for the delicate and quickly appreciative of language Elizabethans of his time. A particular example out of the many soliloquies

Puns are used a lot throughout Twelfth Night. For example, in act one scene one, curio uses the word hart in place of the word heart and in act one scene three, andrew uses the word “acost” which shows the use of word play. In the movie, they used inversion by having viola dress as a boy which shows that she’s in disguise as a man. When they banter and insult each other it shows that they’re drunks. Also, when Duke Orsino mentions Cesario’s feminine looks it shows dramatic irony because Duke Orsino doesn’t know that Cesario is in reality Violia, a women.

Wordplay is an important and frequently used component of Shakespeare’s written works. Aside from being a common approach by other Elizabethan writers, the puns have been used to provide comic relief, to build up tension, to provoke thoughts, and to clarify or explain. More than once do the puns either create a clear picture of the emotions in the scene or furthermore allow the audience to develop their own thoughts about what is truly occurring.

William Shakespeare is a very famous poet, born on April 23, 1564 in a small English town. His parents John and Mary Arden were not wealthy, they worked and struggled to support the family. William is one of eight children in his family. Williams father struggled with financial debt. Shakespeare's childhood is said to not be known as little information is found on his earlier years

In William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night, it is ironic how many times the fool is said to be dishonest, when, in fact, his role proves entirely opposite. Though sometimes the characters do not realize his hidden messages, the reader can instantly comprehend Feste's figurative language, which is evident in every scene in which the fool appears. Whether he is singing to Orsino, arguing with Malvolio, or playing around with Viola, Feste always manages to sneak in a few symbolic foretokens before his exit. His keen eye and fast wit help him to actively partake in the portrayal of the story, however, the fool is merely present to express that which cannot be fully expressed through the

Shakespeare’s work is littered with metaphors; some which require careful reading to pick up on, while others are easily detectable. Simon Palfrey states that “Shakespeare’s

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is a play with themes that parallel the folly of the festival it is named after. The main storyline of the plot plays on this a lot by mixing up the stereotypes around gender that were very present at the time. However, a sub-plot involving secondary characters defines this theme even more. It takes the idea even further by relating servants’ attempts to blur the lines between social classes. Twelfth Night’s Maria and Malvolio both have great aspirations to rise above their social class. However, Maria succeeds where Malvolio fails because of her capability to make use of the satiric ambiance of her mistress’s household to achieve her goals.

“Each play of Shakespeare is the development of a metaphor or group of metaphors. There is a matrix out of which feeling finds words, emotions take shape and voices become characters. That which is referred to most often- in metaphors, images, allusions and statements- is usually for Shakespeare what is significant” (Rehder 1980 p56)

The poetry of Shakespeare is a boundless and timeless gift to mankind. It is truly hard to find a one person who is not familiar with at least one Shakespeare's work. I think that he is the greatest writer of English origin and one of the best playwrights in the world. I choose William Shakespeare because, in my opinion, he is one of the most readable classics, and certainly the easiest to understand and interpret among the representatives of his time. Wherever the fate of Shakespeare's characters lies, their problems and experiences are universal. Shakespeare seemed to be writing in advance so that the reader of the 21st century could easily understand the nature of the play. It is possible that in the future Shakespeare’s work will live on an intergalactic ship as well as it did in the 16th century.

On April 23, 1564 a writer with an abundance of talent, enthusiasm, and motivation was thought to be born. 400 Years ago, William Shakespeare graced the world and injected his name with others, such as Aristotle, Apollo, and Wolfgang. Works such as Romeo and Juliet, Julius Creaser, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream we can see commendable qualities Shakespeare exhibits. I extol and esteem Shakespeare indefinitely, and though I could never truly compare, I think his passion, creativity, and love for art accurately represents my own. As William Shakespeare maintains, “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness trust upon them.”

William Shakespeare was born and bred at Stratford – upon- Avon, Warwickshire in England. His birth is unknown but he was baptized on the 26th of April in 1564, he grew up in a middle- class merchant family. William Shakespeare became the most famous and influential writer in English literature, he was an English poet, playwright, and also an actor. He was known as the “Bard of Avon” because he was famously known as the greatest poet who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.