Social Class In Twelfth Night Essay

Laertes is the extreme irrational while Fortinbras represent the logical more thoughtful man of action. Hamlet lies in the middle of this spectrum.

Although he does not make any profound remarks, he seems to be the wisest person of all the characters in the comedy. Viola remarks this by saying, "This fellow's wise enough to play the fool"(III.i.61). Since Feste is a licensed fool, his main role in Twelfth Night is to speak the truth. This is where the humor lies, his truthfulness. In one example he proves Olivia to be a true fool by asking her what she was mourning about. The point Feste tried to make was that Olivia was mourning for a person whose soul is in heaven.

Although Feste is a clown, he seems to be the most perceptive and knowledgeable of all the characters.  He has an ability to be able to understand people and their problems.  Throughout the play, the clown acts as

She feels pity for Olivia and herself with the statement "Poor lady, she were better love a dream" (2.2. 25)! Viola's use of deception causes a cross gender love triangle with which she can not deal.

In I Henry IV and II Henry IV, William Shakespeare brings together drama and comedy to create two of the most compelling history plays ever written. Many of Shakespeare's other works are nearly absolute in their adherence to either the comic or tragic traditions, but in the two Henry IV plays Shakespeare combines comedy and drama in ways that seem to bring a certain realism to his characters, and thus the plays. The present essay is an examination of the various and significant effects that Shakespeare's comedic scenes have on I Henry IV and II Henry IV. The Diversity of Society

An early interaction between the wealthy noble Olivia and her hired fool mocks the hierarchal stereotypes and provides an example of Shakespeare's ironic commentary on the social class distinction. In this scene, Olivia, mourning her brother's death, is angry with Feste, her fool, for his unexcused absence. Feste responds to this anger with wit and proceeds to disprove the stereotypes surrounding his title. As a fool, Feste is expected to embody his title and possess little wit. However, as he and Olivia continue to argue, he uses his wit to flip this cliche, proving her to be the true fool. Olivia exits this scene in higher spirits, due to Feste’s comedy, rather than Feste exiting in a body bag, as most would have expected. Shakespeare uses Feste’s humor and diction in this scene to develop not only the characters but provides more insight on the social class distinctions present in the play.

Social class refers to the system of stratification of the different groups of people in a society. These different forms of classification are, in most instances, based on gender ethnicity and age. Social class makes everyone’s lives extremely different. For example: How long one can expect to live. In a wide range of ways, from success, to one’s health class, social class influences people’s lives (Grusky,2003).

The most interesting character of “Twelfth Night” is Feste. He has such a double character that shows at different times of the play. His first ‘character’ or ‘personality’ is his wise and humorous one:

does not make it clear to Olivia why somebody would not want to kiss her, a beautiful

the characters who use it to be antagonists. Shakespeare challenges the norm by showing that the protagonists such as

Basile does not “take himself seriously; nor is he serious” (59). Basile realizes on some level that he had just been dressing for the part with the “correct detail,” the right comment or story to give him credence (59). When he first joined the rebel group, Basile said all the right things. He had all the correct ideas. However, when he attempted to discuss something not as serious—which did not “match” the costume he had that night—he was dismissed and ultimately expelled. Viewing clearly for the first time how he and Farid differed in life, Basile begins to fear how they could be similar in

The advice the Fool gives is often hard to decipher but when one deciphers it, it seems very wise. Thus, one sees the Fool is not foolish but wise. Lear goes mad. Edmund is a sociopath. Yet surrounded by fools, he maintains his sanity.

Viola contributes a great deal to the theme of Disguise versus Identity in Twelfth Night. Viola must bundle up her personal emotions which she has for

As well as this she acquires the skill to bide her time, until the time was right, lest she reveal her true self or intentions.  However, there is also the use of emotional disguise as well as the physical:  Olivia thinks she really wants to cut herself off from the world and Viola pretends she wants Orsino to marry someone else.

Throughout history, Shakespeare’s works have been able to captivate and enchant audiences of all backgrounds. His words have an undeniable ability to sway a crowd’s emotions and truly affect them. His plays are timeless pieces of art considered the foundations of English literature. Shakespeare’s most dramatic and infamous tragedy, Hamlet, has earned its place as a cornerstone. In the play, Shakespeare poetically writes speeches that reveal the true colours of the characters, whether good or devious. The main antagonist, Claudius, exposes his treachery to the audience, through his speech to his wife Gertrude. Those living during Shakespeare’s times, the Elizabethans, were the first to witness Claudius’ deception and were able to fully appreciate the play. Claudius’ conversation with Gertrude in Act 4, Scene 5 of Hamlet effectively targets the Elizabethan audience through the clever use of literary tools and the connections to aspects of Elizabethan society.