Modern Adaptation And Interpretation Of The Twelfth Night

     Unlike the other characters in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", Viola's feelings of love are genuine. She is not mistaken about Orsino's true nature and loves him for who he really is, while the other characters in the play seem to be in love with an illusion. Viola's love for Orsino does not alter during the play, nor is it transferred to another person.

Viola is disconcerted at being confused with Sebastian in Twelfth Night's final acts, but this confusion is not one plotted by men. She and Beatrice remain two of Shakespeare's few undeceived women.

In spite of the promise of three weddings to be celebrated, the play concludes on a sour note when Feste, the clown, depicts life as grim, "for the rain it raineth every day" (Act V Scene i). They play’s primary central theme is that of the comic relationships between men and women. Furthermore, it illustrates the traditional, societal notions of “interdependence, and the newly emerging attitudes towards individual choice and personal desire, or as the play puts it, ‘will’” (Malcolmson 163). Although Twelfth Night is a story of love and courtship, nevertheless, it is also a “comedy of gender,” because of its ability to override the traditional Elizabethan notions of the female role through the characters of Viola and Olivia.

Another way that they are very similar is that in twelfth night sebastian goes out to sea and people believe that viola is dead and is never coming back. In shes the man sebastin tells his parents

Hamlet and Twelfth Night could both be compared through instances of body imagery, critical thought and social integration.

People no longer believed everything they were told, but tried to find things out for themselves. As to whether Twelfth Night is a feminist play, would have several differing points to show against or for it. As it was the ‘period of change’, this play could have been written to change people’s ideas of females and males in general. Since the olden days, women have always been viewed

Most of the major characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night experience some form of love or marriage. Whether it’s unrequited like with Antonio and Malvolio, or it is something seemingly unattainable like with Duke Orsino. Regardless, it is clear that love is prevalent as one of the central themes Shakespeare seems to emphasize in Twelfth Night. With that, we see him communicate different interpretations and feelings regarding the subject. He does this with the medium of melodramatic characters. In this essay, I will elaborate on the opinions of love that Shakespeare communicates through one of the leading characters:

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

Nevertheless, the rendition broadens audiences of my work to “movie people” who do not enjoy reading. Though, reading the play adds a new level to the movie experience by creating an interesting way to watch the characters come to life. In fact, character trait synthesization and division, specifically of Malvolio, adds a new level of comedy as well as the modern-day edits and twists like the soccer and debutante elements. The details that Fickman included caused me to laugh out loud. I particularly enjoyed the Stratford Junior League (Stratford is my hometown), Cesario’s Pizza, Illyria prep school, and Duke’s friends, Andrew Aguecheek and Toby Belch. “She’s the Man” most definitely has differences from 12th Night, but its lightheartedness, attention to details, and character similarities make the film an enjoyable

In the kingdom of Illyria (fantasy world), Twelfth Night was supposedly originally written for the entertainment of Queen Elizabeth I. William Shakespeare’s comedy associates with the Feast of Epiphany (January 6th) and was means for entertainment in the seventeenth century. It contains some aspects that can be thought of as a successful comedy when compared to the standards of today’s society. The play incorporates some of the very same devices that are used in modern comedies today, such as topsy-turvy romance, foolery, and mistaken identities. Twelfth Night also involves many cultural aspects that would be tough for an audience today to relate with. Some of these ideas are social class, dialect, and lack of modern technology that affect

that are undefeatable. This causes the characters to be in a confused state and each

In Twelfth Night, Feste asks the “most simple and at the same time most complex of questions,” “What is Love?” (The English Review). Some people believe that love is easy, effortless, and leads to fairytale endings. However, in Twelfth Night, Shakespeare shows the other side of love. Love is not a simple feeling, and it is a confusing emotion which leads to heartbreak, or pure happiness. These two polar opposites are derived from either true or false love. Shakespeare portrays the idea that love is not always easy, and differentiates between false and true love in Twelfth Night.

Twelfth Night Contrast She’s the Man The author and playwright William Shakespeare of the play Twelfth Night, is a masterpiece written in the Renaissance era; where the poet used a variety of literary devices to convey the role of women at that time. The movie She is the Man directed by Andy Fickman, set in a modern time period; applied as well a complex number of literary devices to communicate the same theme of women, in a different manner. Shakespeare showed in his play a brave woman disguising as a man to be the Dukes’ servant; and Fickman portrayed on his film a young girl that also disguised herself as a man to play soccer on a male team. The author and director conveyed the story of women with the same difficulties at different times in history and how the perception of men toward women, had not changed.

Dramatic irony encompasses the love triangle between Cesario (Viola), Orsino and Olivia to involve the audience and create humor. After Orsino sees how young and attractive Cesario is, he sends her to win over Olivia without knowing the reality of the situation. In this scene, Cesario feels this task is of “a barful strife” for “whoe'er [she] woo, [she]would be his wife.” (1.4.43) Revealing her true feelings for the Duke and Olivia proves her situation to be awkward and ironic because of her disguise. Providing her confession before Cesario actually talks to Olivia produces suspense and strengthens the dramatic irony towards the trio.

Comedy, in the Elizabethan era, often included themes of wit, mistaken identity, love, and tragedy, all tied up with a happy ending. These themes are prevalent in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, a comical play that explores the pangs of unrequited love and the confusion of gender. Love is a powerful emotion that causes suffering, happiness, and disorder throughout the play. The play also demonstrates the blurred lines of gender identity, which ties into the modern day debate on sexuality and gender identity. The main characters in the play, Viola, Olivia, and Orsino are connected by a love triangle, each person pursuing an unrequited love. Suffering from love and the fluidity of gender are the prevalent themes explored throughout the play and intertwined with Viola, Olivia, and Orsino.