| When was a twelfth night written | Near the middle of shakespears career |
| Considered one of the greatest comedies | As you like itMuch ado about nothing A midsummer nights dream |
| What was important about the title twelfth night | Only one of Shakespeare’s plays to have an alternate title |
| What does transvestite comedy mean | Females protagonists who disguise themselves as men |
| Examples of a transvestite comedy | As you like it The merchant of Venice |
| Basis for Italian play | 1530 gi igannati- twins mistaken for one another/ love triangle |
| 1581 | English ” Apollchius and Silla” – barnabe riche |
| Apollchius an Silla | ShipwreckTwins ( one disguised as man ) |
| A twelfth night was the last of three what’s | Mature comedies |
| Like earlier comedies- romantic comedy’s, but different | Concept of loveInsanityMadness of love |
| What is the setting | While the shipwreck at sea provides the basis for the play, the twelfth night takes place in Illyria at the courts of Olivia and orsino. Illyria was an ancient region on the eastern coast of Italy along the Adriatic Sea, also what is now Albania Croatia and Montenegro. This setting adds to the romantic atmosphere of the play |
| What do gifts symbols | Both the duke and Olivia give physical gifts like jewelry or pearls to their lovers. In both cases these gifts serve more as bribes for love that they both could not obtain naturally |
| What does darkness represent | Darkness serves to represent insanity. Darkness also could be seen as ignorance because malvolio is unable to realize he is being played by the fool and in turn made to appear the fool |
| What does changes in clothing represent | Changes including serve to represent changes in gender |
| Madness is a motif for what | The general atmosphere of the play contains element of madness the way things usually happen is turned upside down |
| Disguises are a motif for what | Disguises serve to transition characters between various elements such as gender and class rank. They serve to fool not on the others but also the characters himself into believing that there something different |
| Mistaken identity is a motif what | Relevant also to disguises cases of mistaken identity because the great confusion and tangled web of 12th night as the audience knows the true identity of the characters these cases a mistaken identity create irony for the audience |
| The theme of love and suffering represents what | Throughout the play characters complain about the suffering that experience because of love |
| The theme of gender and uncertainty represents what | Shakespeare leaves things a little cloudy on the subject of gender and gender roles especially when it comes to Olivia to viola and duke Orsino love triangle |
Background for twelfth night
July 27, 2019