Inside/Outside Twelfth Night

In “Twelfth Night”, disguise is a key theme in order for the play to take shape. Within the first three scenes, we have several examples of characters deliberately deceiving others in order to achieve a selfish goal. An example of this is seen through Viola’s decision to disguise herself as a eunuch in order to find favour with the duke.

Adding to the humor of the comedy, Feste dresses up as Sir Topaz, the curate and visits the imprisoned Malvolio with Maria and Sir Toby. There he uses his humor to abuse Malvolio who is still unaware that he is actually talking to the clown rather than to the real Sir Topaz. Feste (disguised as Sir Topaz) calls Malvolio a "lunatic" (IV.ii.23), "Satan"(IV.ii.32) and confuses him by wittingly making him a fool. Throughout the play, Malvolio has always been the person who intentionally spoils the pleasure of other people.  He is Feste's worst nightmare in the play, but in

Another example of deception is when Maria, Olivia's servant writes a letter to Malvolio, Olivia's head servant and Maria's coworker. Maria deceives Malvolio by writing in Olivia's handwriting. In the letter she says that Olivia loves men in yellow stockings. "Remember who commended thy yellow stockings, and wished to see thee ever cross-gartered" (2.5. 143-145). Maria knows that Malvolio will follow this ridiculous deed because of this love for his lady Olivia. Sir Toby Belch says, "He shall think by the letters that thou wilt drop that they come from my niece, and that she's in love with him" (2.3. 154-156). Maria places the letter in her garden where Malvolio will definitely find it. Thinking Olivia will fall in love with him because of his clothing, Malvolio dress up in yellow stockings and goes to see Olivia. When Olivia sees Malvolio and the way he is acting, she isolates him for fear that he is insane.

Deception and disguise are two key themes in Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'. As in most comedies, Twelfth Night celebrates different forms of disguise and deception in order to make the play more entertaining. It also develops a strong connection between the main plot (with Viola, Orsino, Olivia, and the others) and the sub-plot (involving Sir Andrew, Sir Toby, Malvolio, and Maria). Disguise and deception appear in many different ways throughout the story.

The Stratford version of gulling Malvolio scene which is a stage play from Twelfth night written by William Shakespeare is better than the Multicultural version that is presented in a movie version of the play. The Stratford Theater presented the character as very funny and interesting to watch because of the tongue-tied jokes. In the Multicultural, movie version the characters of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian are shown as very aggressive and malevolent people also Maria who is Olivia's maid is shown as a malicious woman who wants to make a fool out of Malvolio who is Olivia's steward and like's Olivia. The Multicultural version didn't have any background music which is not amusing for some audience, but Stratford Theater had many tones

himself just to suit his outlook on the situation. For example, the play he twists Olivia's words around to make it seem like she likes his yellow cross-gartered tights when in reality she dislikes them. Sir Toby just considers himself and no one else, not even his companions. He ignores Maria's notification about drinking into the night, and he continues to push Sir Andrew and Olivia to court. Even though he believes that Sir Andrew doesn't have a chance. Olivia considers the all-inclusive community around her, yet she furthermore assumes that no man is meriting her brilliance. She assumes that she is "all that," and that no one can organize her. For Shakespeare to incorporate this sort of just a single was most likely to demonstrate that Malvolio who thinks excessively of himself isn't right about Olivia cherishing him.

What do the words “love,” trickery,” “misogyny,” and “madness” all have in common? They are a few general themes that embody Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, Twelfth Night. The story begins when the main character, Viola, finds herself shipwrecked off the coast of Illyria and begins her new life disguised as a man. Complications arise when she gets stuck in a confusing love triangle, and her thought-to-be-dead brother mysteriously arrives with his caretaker. When everything is said and done, all the happy couples celebrate and the Scrooge of the group, Malvolio, stays locked up in his secret little madhouse. This story has been modified for many uses such as the purpose of comprehension, parody, and modernization. I viewed two different versions: the first being the original script with young actors, and the second being a modern parody with young actors. The first version aims to provide accurate representation of Shakespeare’s work, with young actors for education. The second is purely comedic with a modern twist that is more ridiculous than it is realistic. The setting, word choice, and camera effects all contribute as adaptations from Shakespeare’s original Twelfth Night in order to entertain or educate their audience.

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.

the letter also asks him to wear yellow stockings and be rude to the servants, and smile all constantly. Because he thinks it is Olivia he promises to follow her request. When Malvolio encounter Olivia following the request of the prankster she thinks he's gone mad, Malvolio says “'Remember who commended thy yellow stockings,'—.” Olivia then orders toby and maria to take care of him. When Maria and Toby are to take care of him they start calling him a madman possessed by the devil. Maria, Toby, and the others have locked Malvolio in a small dark chamber and Feste acts like a priest visiting the madman Malvolio.

Salingar also argues that the sub-plot serves to amplify the main themes of the play. He asserts that the theme of misrule in the comic subplot “gives the underlying constructive principle of the whole play,” (Salingar 118) and the elements of unconscious parody in the sub-plot help to reinforce the theme of delusion and error. Misrule is common to both plots, perhaps more directly in the sub-plot and indirectly in the main plot. In the main plot the setting is fantasy-like, every day is a feast and the aristocracy enjoys freedom from the normal social constraints that characterized the period in which Shakespeare was writing. Misrule is necessary to explain a number of points in the main plot such as the sudden switch of romantic partners at the end of the play and Viola’s ability to remain undetected as a woman despite her feeble attempts at concealment. She nearly admits it to Olivia in the scene where she says, “What I am, and what I would, are as secret as maidenhead (1.5.???). According to Cahill the subplot is, “historically-specific, more obviously grounded in Elizabethan social relations,” (63) thus the theme of misrule is represented in a more literal fashion. Sir

Our group proposed, presented, and directing the stage performance for the Twelfth Night. In the beginning of the semester I had no clue of what to expect from this course, and reading the syllabus made Shakespeare’s Plays seem complex. I am somewhat familiar with William Shakespeare’s plays stemming from a Shakespeare course that I had taken at Harold Washington (City College of Chicago). My professor (Hader) informed the class that if we were looking to go on to a four-year university as an English major that we will have to take another course, and it will be taught from a different perspective or angle—quite frightening. As a person who had not connected or have read anything that the playwright had ever written, I was afraid that I

Maria and the conspirators decide to mislead Malvolio into thinking that Olivia is in love with him. Maria decides to lead him on by writing a letter, but means to be from Olivia. This love letter is meant to instruct Malvolio to do actions that Olivia despises. Maria is able to mislead Malvolio because she has the same print and seal as Olivia. Shakespeare is able to trick the characters and create many portrayals of them.

Another example is the way in which Olivia adopts the pretence of mourning and the puritanical Malvolio is tricked into the role of Olivia's suitor and becomes a smiling courtier.

The interchangeability of the sexes is a prevalent implication throughout William Shakespeare’ Twelfth Night. In fact, the concluding romantic pairings are only introduced, as well as established, at the very end of the play. In addition, gender, either assumed by one character or inferred by one character of another character, proves to be irrelevant when initial attractions develop between characters. This suggests that Shakespeare believed, “homoerotic and heterosexual love [were] not […] mutually exclusive in a person’s makeup” (Lindheim 692). His arbitrary portrayal of gender throughout the play thus creates a work of literature that strays from the conventions of the romance genre of the time. The romance genre has generally been characterized as:

Shakespeare uses cruelty to punish the antagonist, Malvolio, for his vanity. The audience gets clear signs that Malvolio is vain. Malvolio repeatedly indicated to other members of the household staff and even the household that he views himself as better than them. Malvolio tells the others that they are “idle, shallow things” and that he is “not of [their] element” (3.5. 125-127). Malvolio thinks he is not of their element because he views himself as their social betters. To teach him a lesson, Maria and other characters decide to leave a love letter from Olivia that instructs Malvolio to