Twelfth Night Questions

The Duke has little to no patience and Feste tries to make him aware of this flaw.  Feste believes that people are better off due to their enemies and worse because of their friends.  He explains that a person's enemy will tell them the truth, where a person's friend will lie to them and not make them aware of a personal flaw they may have.  Orsino displays his short patience through his obsession with Olivia.  He sends Cesario, his messenger, to Olivia's house daily to try to win her love over.  She sees his messenger so often because of Orsino's constant persistence that she ends up falling in love with Cesario and not the Duke.  Feste attempts to convince Orsino to stop obsessing over Olivia and try broadening his thoughts of who he loves.  Feste endeavora to help Duke Orsino, but he does not welcome the constructive criticism given to him by the clown.

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.

1. What has Vivian so upset in this chapter? How does Grant take Vivian’s concern?

1. What does Juana attempt to do at the beginning of the chapter to the pearl? Why?

It stands as Olivia loves Cesario/Viola, who loves Duke Orsino who loves Olivia. Each character suffers in sorrow as they cannot have who they desire, because of status, gender or love for another.

8. The conversation between Millie and her friends show how their society is selfish, they complain about children and aren’t fazed by the fact that men are dying in a war. I think that this can at times be an accurate description of our society today because we only give our thanks to our soldiers on Veteran’s Day. Faber is angry with Montag because he is giving away too much information to these women who don’t even care. I don’t think this was a wise decision for him to make because one of these women could report Montag and this could have dire consequences for

After Juliet and Romeo had arrived at Friar Lawrence’s chamber to marry each other Friar Lawrence was in shock to hear and believe that Rome had forgotten the woman he had been obsessed over a long period of time, Rosaline. Despite the unbelievable that had happened to Romeo and Juliet Friar Lawerence thought the only way to end the war between the two families

What is a main theme or idea this play brings up? What does it say about that theme? Use details from the play to provide evidence.

The word love can mean many things. Love can be an object, emotion, and a life. However, love could lead to a loss of power, prosperity, and status. In the literary work “Romeo and Juliet” written by William Shakespeare, the readers are introduced to a tragic love story. In this play, readers are also shown the different perspectives of love and the many downfalls it could lead to. The central theme of this work is the recklessness of love. The theme is significant because it is shown throughout the whole story and it’s a strong force that takes place of all the other emotions and values. In this play, Shakespeare uses characters to present different aspects of love. In addition, Nurse, Mercutio, and Romeo completely show what actual love is and what it is like to lose it due to their experiences.

“How would a modern audience view this play in a different way to an audience in Shakespeare’s time, particularly in relation to the role and status of women and attitudes to marriage and courtship?

The most important fact that was overlooked in class was the true nature of Mirabell and Millamant's relationship. One question never broached in discussion was, "why all the plotting in the first place?" If Mirabell truly loved Millamant like he claimed, why did he need to fight so hard to get the money she was expecting from her aunt? There's no evident reason why they couldn't have lived without such money or her aunt's blessing and yet it seems as if Mirabell practically refuses to marry Millamant without her inheritance. Millamant, the female and again the submissive one, goes along with her beloved's scheming because she loves him and will do whatever it takes to get him to marry her. Millamant, the man, uses his dominance to get her to agree because it seems he will only marry her if he gets her money as well. The woman seems like a fool for only focusing on love and only gets what she wants as a result of her man's intelligence and cunning, but he certainly wasn't just in it for the love.

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.

Meanwhile Olivia's drunkard uncle, Sir Toby; his pawn in the story Sir Andrew Aguecheek, are trying in his hopeless way to court Olivia with Sir Andrew. When Sir Toby takes offense at Malvolio's, the houses Stewart, constant efforts to spoil their fun, Maria engineers a practical joke to make Malvolio think that Olivia is in love with him. She forges a letter, supposedly from Olivia, addressed to her beloved, telling him that if he wants to earn her favor, he should dress in yellow stockings and crossed garters, act haughtily, smile constantly, and refuse to explain himself to anyone. Malvolio finds the letter, assumes that it is addressed to him, and, filled with dreams of marrying Olivia and in hopes of becoming noble he, happily follows its commands. He behaves so strangely that

In Shakespeare’s play, Malvolio and Maria both wish to do this; one by courting Olivia, and the other by trying to get closer to Sir Toby. The main difference between the two characters is Malvolio’s self-adulation and lust for power in comparison of Maria’s cleverness and her willingness to put her immediate wants aside to ultimately satisfy her craving for a better social standing at a later time. Malvolio’s immediate addiction to power and wish to get revenge on others overcomes any will he could have to play a part to access a higher social status.