Twelfth Night Fool Essay

    It is not unusual that the fool should be a prominent figure and make an important contribution in forming the confusion and the humor in an Elizabethan drama. In William Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth Night, Feste the clown is not the only fool who is subject to foolery. He and many other characters combine their silly acts and wits to invade other characters that either escape reality or live a dream. In Twelfth Night, Feste, Maria and Sir Toby are the fools that make the comedy work in many senses.

The first scene starts off at the Duke’s palace, where we, as the audience, are introduced to the duke, who is thinking to himself. Next, it is revealed that the Duke is listening to music, and is in love, as indicated by “O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou,” (I, i, 9). However, suddenly, he decides that he does not want to listen anymore, as indicated by: “Enough, no more!” (I, i, 7). After this, we are introduced to a character named Valentine who tells the Duke that Olivia “Shall not behold at face for ample view;” (I, i, 28) for 7 years, due to her mourning her brother’s recent death. This does not sadden the Duke, however, as he enthusiastically says that

lessons. Some of the lessons are about love and others are about friendship. Regardless what the

Trevor Nunn’s (1996) adaptation of Twelfth Night illustrates the complexity of Feste’s character and how important he is to the overall play. Ben Kingsley, the actor, presents Feste as sympathetic and gentle choric figure. It is Feste who allows the audience to see the films respect for the original play, and the existing issues within it. This includes the defencelessness of women, and the attractive, but dangerous, qualities of altering one’s true sexual identity. Interestingly, unlike the original script, Nunn opens his first scene with Feste observing Viola struggle to shore after the shipwreck she has experienced. In this context, Kingsley’s Feste is revealed for the first time. He is shown as a mysterious and isolated individual, who

In Twelfth Night, the fools are the ones that control the comedy and humor in the play. They assist in the make believe game and fool around with characters who "evade reality or rather realize a dream". In Twelfth Night, Feste, Maria and Sir Toby are the fools that make the comedy work in many senses. They create the confusion through humor and it all works out in the end to make William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night a comical play of his time and today. In Twelfth Night, the clown and the fools are the ones who combine humor and wit to make the comedy work, just like in many comical plays in today’s society. Modern audiences would laugh from the foolery caused by these characters while the comic truth is unwinding to build up this comedy.

love when actually they just loved the idea of it. One such a man is

The moment I have decided to write about is right after the ship wreck leading into Violas transformation. In theatre Calgary’s interpretation of “Twelfth Night”, the director took a much more comedic and modern twist on the play in the use of modern references and the elimination of most tragic scenes from the performance. The standard script was seamlessly turned into a silly classic due to the amazing designs of Old Trout Puppet Workshop, and the ability to make the simplest things comedic. A lot of their set and costumes where based off of puppetry. This became a key component in the ship wrecking scene, when you saw a tiny vessel filled with heads to resemble a ship floating across a massive painted landscape of the moving sea. The heads where incredibly large compared to the size of the ship which made it quite the comedic scene. The vessel was skillfully

William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is considered a tragedy by most who read it and it is very easy to see why based on the ending and the development of the plot and rising action. To contrast that William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night is considered a romantic comedy based on the plot and characters involved in it. With this in mind, the characters use of love as a cause for suffering, the deceit between characters, and the mask that many wear are important elements in William Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Twelfth Night. In both Hamlet and Twelfth Night the characters use love as some sort of cause for suffering, though they both use that idea in different ways.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “fool” can be defined in many ways. A fool can be “a stupid or silly person”, or “one who is made to appear foolish”, a dupe, a jester, or “one who lacks good sense or judgement”. The average child would see clowns or their fathers as silly fools. The more mature mind would describe fools as drunkards or annoying coworkers. While the many definitions above are valid, they are not as accurate in describing Feste the Fool in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

William Shakespeare is known as one of the best writers of all times, by granting audiences from around the world access to his exquisite works. In his specific play, Twelfth Night, he presents a comedic play for the audience to enjoy and laugh. Interestingly, there are instances when the characters from different social classes come together. For instance, at the end of the story a maid by the name of Maria gets married to Sir. Toby. Even though these two are of different social classes, they manage to get along quite successfully. Not only does this couple overcome social barriers, but other characters in the play as well. Shakespeare’s reasoning behind Twelfth Night, derive from political and social views of how society functions.

"I swear, that Tobias is going to hear an ear full from me once I see him. I mean, how reckless can he be?" Noel fumed, pacing back and forth.

In Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, there are quite a few characters that don't seem as important and generally irrelevant to the overall message of the story. Although it may seem that way while glancing at what the characters say and their frequency in the play, they are all deeply relevant. One in particular is the fool. The fool is one of the most impactful characters of them all by influencing other characters.

Throughout William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Feste exemplifies the role of a jester and fool, but thoroughly demonstrates to his audience that there is more to him than the other characters might see. Feste is often degraded by his fellow associates, and deemed inferior to others because they view him for his “lack of wits,” but very few of them realize that Feste is anything but a fool. Feste is Olivia's personal and professional fool, and is therefore given the license to kill (with words). In the first scene that Feste is introduced to the reader, he is immediately stereotyped for being the usual joker, and he even plays along with the part that others reckon him to play. In this scene, Feste wittily

In the play “Twelfth Night” a comedy by William Shakespeare, Feste is depicted as a witty fool, a smart but foolish man, because, his wisdom shown through his shrewd comments, his witty language, and his jocose interactions with other characters. Throughout the play, Feste uses quick-witted comments, that show his intelligence

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