Twelfth NightTwelfth Night

Characters,

structure, and themes

Twelfth NightTwelfth Nightor What You Willor What You Will

• Title “What You Will” is like “As You Like It”– Does it mean “Whatever is your pleasure”?– Is it the ending that is as we like it? what we will?– Is the world they inhabit as we will? Golden world?– Are the characters? Rosalind and Viola most

perfect

Twelfth NightTwelfth NightDominant imagesDominant images

Viola/Cesario

Orsino Olivia

Twelfth NightTwelfth NightPlot structurePlot structure

• Main Plot – wooing– Orsino/Olivia through Cesario (Viola)– Olivia/Cesario into Olivia/Sebastian– Viola (as Cesario)/Orsino– Olivia/Sebastian (whom she thinks is Cesario)

Twelfth NightTwelfth NightSubplot structureSubplot structure

• Subplots– Feste’s singing and begging– Sir Toby’s drunkenness– Sir Andrew’s wooing of Olivia– Malvolio’s Puritanism– Maria’s Jest– Feste’s revenge

Twelfth NightTwelfth NightViola’s interaction w/other charactersViola’s interaction w/other characters

Viola

Orsino’smen

Olivia

Feste

Orsino

Sir AndrewSir Toby

Malvolio

Maria

CaptainSebastian

Antonio

1.4

1.23.4, 5.1

1.5, 3.1,3.4, 5.1

5.1

1.2, 2.4,5.1

2.4, 3.1,5.1 3.5, 5.1

2.1

Twelfth NightTwelfth Night Olivia’s interaction w/other charactersOlivia’s interaction w/other characters

Viola

Orsino’smen

Olivia

Feste

Orsino

Sir AndrewSir Toby

Malvolio

Maria

CaptainSebastian

Antonio

1.51.5

1.5, 3.4, 5.1

1.5, 5.1

5.1

1.5 4.1, 4.3, 5.1

Twelfth NightTwelfth Night Feste’s interaction w/other charactersFeste’s interaction w/other characters

Viola

Orsino’smen

Olivia

Feste

Orsino

Sir AndrewSir Toby

Malvolio

Maria

CaptainSebastian

Antonio

2.4, 3.1, 5.1

1.5, 5.1

1.5, 2.3, 4.2, 5.1

1.5, 2.3, 4.2, 5.1

2.4, 5.1

4.1, 5.1

Twelfth NightTwelfth Night Toby’s/Andrew’s/Maria’s interactionsToby’s/Andrew’s/Maria’s interactions

Viola

Orsino’smen

Olivia

Feste

Orsino

Sir AndrewSir Toby

Malvolio

Maria

CaptainSebastian

Antonio

4.1, 5.13.1, 3.4, 5.1

1.5, 3.4, 5.1

1.5, 2.3, 4.2, 5.1

1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.5, 3.4, 5.1

1.5, 2.3, 4.2, 5.1

Twelfth NightTwelfth Night Malvolio’s interactionsMalvolio’s interactions

Viola

Orsino’smen

Olivia

Feste

Orsino

Sir AndrewSir Toby

Malvolio

Maria

Sebastian

AntonioCaptain

1.5, 3.4, 5.1

2.1

2.3, 4.2, 5.1

1.5, 2.3, 2.5, 3.4, 5.1

Twelfth NightTwelfth Night Orsino’s interaction w/other charactersOrsino’s interaction w/other characters

Viola

Orsino’smen

Olivia

Feste

Orsino

Sir AndrewSir Toby

Malvolio

Maria

CaptainSebastian

Antonio

1.4, 2.4, 5.1

5.1

2.4

1.4

Twelfth NightTwelfth NightIntegration of all CharactersIntegration of all Characters

Viola

Orsino’smen

Olivia

Feste

Orsino

Sir AndrewSir Toby

Malvolio

Maria

CaptainSebastian

Antonio

Twelfth NightTwelfth Nighttwo worldstwo worlds

• Orsino’s / masculine– Talk of hunting

– Music/emotion

– Love is unrequited

– Wooing through intermediary (Cesario)

– Direct wooing (Viola)

• Olivia’s / feminine– Talk of grief

– Jesting /tricks

– Love is impossible

– Wooing through intermediary (Malvolio)

– Direct wooing (Olivia)

– Supposed wooing (letter to Malvolio)

As You Like ItAs You Like ItCouplesCouples

• realistic– Viola/Orsino

• romantic– Olivia/Sebastian

• Sexual– Sir Toby/Maria

• Inappropriate– Malvolio/Olivia and Sir Andrew/Olivia and

Olivia/Viola

Twelfth NightTwelfth NightFoilingFoiling

• Character foiling– Viola/Olivia, both lost brothers– Viola/Olivia/Orsino—all have love unrequited– Viola/Feste, both travel freely between

households– Viola/Sebastian, both lost sibling, are strangers

Twelfth Night -- Act ITwelfth Night -- Act IScene 1

Orsino sadScene 2

Viola sadTo serve Orsino

Scene 3Sir Toby drunk

Maria aids

Scene 4Viola and Orsino

Scene 5Maria/FesteFeste/Olivia

Olivia/MalvolioOlivia/Cesario (Viola)

Twelfth Night -- Act IITwelfth Night -- Act IIScene 1

Antonio/SebastianScene 2

Malvolio/CesarioScene 3

Sir Toby/AndrewMaria/Feste

Malvolio

Scene 4Orsino/Viola

Feste

Scene 5Maria’s Jest

Malvolio letter

Twelfth Night -- Act IIITwelfth Night -- Act IIIScene 1

Viola/FesteSir Toby/Andrew

Viola/Olivia

Scene 2Sir Andrew to

Challenge Cesario

Scene 3Sebastian/Antonio

Scene 4Olivia/Malvolio, yellow stockings

Sir Toby to care for MalvolioOlivia/Cesario

Viola challenged by Sir AndrewAntonio rescues Viola

Twelfth Night -- Act IVTwelfth Night -- Act IVScene 1

Feste/SebastianSebastian fights Sir Toby

Olivia breaks up fight

Scene 2Malvolio’s

tormentFeste as

Scene 3Olivia and

Sebastian marry

Twelfth Night -- Act VTwelfth Night -- Act VScene 1

Feste/FabianFeste/Orsino

Viola/Orsino/AntonioOlivia/Orsino/Cesario

Sebastian/Sir Toby/Sir AndrewViola/Sebastian

Malvolio

Feste’s Song

Twelfth Night Twelfth Night themesthemes

• Masculinity and Femininity

• Nature of love (unrequited), of wooing

• Grief

• Loyalty

• Revenge

• Puritanism: no fun, no drink, no song

Twelfth Night and As You Like ItTwelfth Night and As You Like Itcomparison of main characterscomparison of main characters

• Rosalind– Father absent

– Cousin/sister Celia

– Disguise for fun and protection

– Gets Orlando to woo her as Ganymede. Teaches him about love

– Both masculine and feminine

• Viola– Father dead, brother lost

– Alone

– Disguise necessary for modesty

– Wooes Olivia for Orsino, Admits love for him, teaches him how to love

– Both masculine and feminine