From Twelfth Night Shakespearean Criticism

Name:______Period: ______

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

“Viewed as one of Shakespeare's finest romantic comedies, TwelfthNight (c. 1600-01) continues to be praised by scholars as a fascinating and evocative study of love, sexual desire, and personal discovery.”

from "Twelfth Night" Shakespearean Criticism

Directions:

You will read the play for homework and complete this packet as you read Acts I –V. We will discuss the play in class (and have reading checks), so you must keep up with the reading.

Setting

Twelfth Night takes place during the Christian celebration of Epiphany, which occurs on January 6th, the twelfth night after Christmas. The holiday celebrates the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus, symbolizing Christ's divinity to the world. During Elizabethan times, the celebration consisted of feasts, gift-giving, and general merry-making. Most importantly, however, the Epiphany celebration was marked by a reversal of the normal order of things. There were masquerades, role reversals, and a general sense of things being turned upside down. This spirit of lighthearted insanity and foolishness is a central element of the play.

Plot

The play’s central plot concerns a love triangle between the Illyrian nobleman Orsino, his beloved but unattainable Olivia, and the shipwrecked Viola. After disguising herself as the male page Cesario, Viola takes a position in Orsino's court and swiftly becomes enamored of her patron even as he sends her to woo Olivia on his behalf. Olivia, in turn, falls in love with Viola, whom she believes to be a man. The play also features a subplot centered on the priggish Malvolio, steward to Olivia, and the punishment he endures at the hands of his fellow servants.

Reading Homework Schedule

______Act I

______Act II

______Acts III, IV, and V

1. Summary

Write a one sentence summary for each scene. I will check summaries daily.

Act I

Scene I

Scene II

Scene III

Scene IV

Scene V

Act II

Scene I

Scene II

Scene III

Scene IV

Scene V

Act III

Scene I

Scene II

Scene III

Scene IV

Act IV

Scene I

Scene II

Scene III

Act V

Scene I

2. Thematic Concepts

Copy quotes or paraphrase scenes from the play that reveal each theme.

· love as a form of insanity

· love as suffering or illness

· the uncertainty of identity

· the uncertainty of gender

· the folly of prideful ambition

· the fickle nature of love

· the fleeting nature of youth and beauty

· the comic and tragic effects of deception

· the idea that events are controlled by fate

3. Motifs

A motif is a recurring theme, idea, image, object, color, etc. Make a list of motifs in the play.

Ex: Disguises and mistaken identity