Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

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Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
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Comedy

• Definition a comedic play has at least one
  humorous character, and a successful or happy
  ending.
• Characteristics of
• The main action is about love.
• The would-be lovers must overcome obstacles and
  misunderstandings before being united in
  harmonious union.
• The ending frequently involves a parade of
  couples to the altar and a festive mood or actual
  celebration (expressed in dance, song, feast,
  etc.)  Twelfth Night has three such couples.

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Twelfth Night

• Type of work play
• Genre comedy
• Time written between 1600-1602
• Place written England
• Tone Light, cheerful, comic occasionally
  frantic and melodramatic, especially in the
  speeches of Orsino and Olivia.

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Twelfth Night

• Tense Present (the entire story is told through
  dialogue)
• Setting (time) Unknown
• Setting (place) The mythical land of Illyria
  (Illyria is a real place, corresponding to the
  coast of present-day Yugoslavia, but Twelfth
  Night is clearly set in a fictional kingdom
  rather than a real one.)

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Twelfth Night Characters

• Viola (a.k.a. Cesario)
• Duke Orsino
• Olivia
• Sebastian
• Malvolio
• Feste

• Sir Toby Belch
• Maria
• Sir Andrew Aguecheek
• Antonio

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Main Plot

• Count Orsino Olivia
• Viola/Cesario Count Orsino
• Olivia Viola/Cesario
• Antonio Sebastian (III.iii)
• Olivia Sebastian

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Sub Plot

• Maria Sir Toby
• Sir Andrew Olivia
• Malvolio
• Feste

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Dramatic Structure

• Major Conflict (Problem) Viola is in love with
  Orsino, who is in love with Olivia, who is in
  love with Violas male disguise, Cesario. This
  love triangle is complicated by the fact that
  neither Orsino nor Olivia knows that Cesario is
  really a woman (Viola).
• Rising Action The mounting confusion, mistaken
  identities, and professions of love, leading up
  to Act V.

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Dramatic Structure

• Climax Sebastian and Viola are reunited, and
  everyone realizes that Cesario is a woman.
• Falling Action Viola prepares to marry Orsino
  Malvolio is freed and vows revenge.
• Resolution Everyone pairs up and goes off to
  celebrateexcept Malvolio

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Themes

• Love (joy and pain of it)
• Mistaken Identity (disguiseswho?)
• Pranking/funmaking
• Revenge (who?)
• Madness (delusions)

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Journal Prompt

• Pretend that you are good friends with either
  Olivia or Sir Toby. What advice would you give
  Olivia at the end of Act I Scene v, or Sir Toby
  at the end of Act II Scene v.
• Review the scene and write based on what happened
  during it. Do only one.