The Fools of Twelfth Night
It is not unusual that the fool should be a prominent figure and make an important contribution in forming the confusion and the humor in an Elizabethan drama. In William Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth Night, Feste the clown is not the only fool who is subject to foolery. He and many other characters combine their silly acts and wits to invade other characters that either escape reality or live a dream. In Twelfth Night, Feste, Maria and Sir Toby are the fools that make the comedy work in many senses.
In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Feste's role in this Illyrian comedy is significant because "Illyria is a country permeated with the spirit of the Feast of Fools, where identities are confused, "uncivil rule" applauded...and no harm is done" (source page #). "In Illyria therefore the fool is not so much a critic of his environment as a ringleader, a merry-companion, a Lord of Misrule. Being equally welcome above and below stairs" (source page #). This makes Feste significant as a character. Feste plays the role of a humble clown employed by Olivia's father playing the licensed fool of their household. We learn this in Olivia's statement stating that Feste is "an allowed fool"(I.v.93) meaning he is licensed, privileged critic to speak the truth of the people around him. We also learn in a statement by Curio to the Duke that Feste is employed by Olivia's father. "Feste t...
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...ke William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night a really funny Elizabethan play.
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Feste is a jester, clown or fool who moves between the homes of Olivia and Orsino. During the Renaissance, monarchs and some noble families had fools or clowns in their households as entertainers- to sing, make witty observations and play practical jokes. Shakespeare usually includes at least one clown in most of his comedies. This is how Feste earns his living, along with giving other characters shrewd advice. Despite being a professional fool, Feste often seems the most intelligent person in Twelfth Night. Feste seems to be a pivotal character in the play, and his presence makes the play much more than just a tale of romance.
One of the most idealistic and influential classical concepts was the Elizabethan Chain of Being. The idea behind the Chain was that everything in existence had its place in the hierarchy of the universe. An object's place depended on its spirit-to-matter ratio: the more spirit and less matter something had, the higher up the chain it was. At the bottom were various inanimate objects like stones, metals, and the four elements, i.e. earth, water, air, and fire. Higher up were members of the vegetative class, like flowers and trees. Next came animals, then humans, and then angels. At the top sat God. Within each section, there were subsections, each with its own hierarchy. For example, among humans, the king was above the noble, the noble above the soldier, and the soldier above the servant, and he above beggars and fools. The fool in Elizabethan literature was used to provide a topic or theme for mediation, or he could be used purely used for comic relief. In William Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth Night, Feste the Fool was not the only actor who played a fool. In fact, Feste was one of the smartest and wittiest characters in the comedy, one who seemed to be able to withdraw from the scene and provide insightful commentary, much like the Greek chorus. When Olivia's called Feste was an allowed fool, meaning he was a critic to speak the truth of the people around him, it put him in a unique position. In some cases, he acted as a teacher through puns and humor. He also revealed that some other characters that were higher up in the chain than he was were not as smart as their place suggested. In Twelfth Night, Feste the Fool ironically acts as Shakespeare’s megaphone, presenting the playwright’s message that the Chain of Being is n...
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You may not know it, but in the United States GM foods are quite prevalent. Approximately 65% of foods in the U.S. contain some variation of genetically altered ingredients (Ulrich 9). And of that portion, 89% of soybeans and 61% of corn is transgenic (Powell 529). This technology came to prominence in the 1990’s and since then has been a subject of much controversy. Proponents preach the undeniable health and growing benefits of this new development. Critics rail against biotech companies for the ambiguous safety status and ethical grounds of altering natural plant growth. The center stage for this conflict is Europe. While generally similar to the U.S., this region of the world is much more outwardly suspicious and hostile towards crop alterations.
Workplace bullying is defined as any as any type of repetitive abuse in which the victim of the bullying behaviour suffers verbal abuse, threats, humiliating or intimidating behaviours, or behaviours that interfere with his or her job performance and are meant to place at risk the health and safety of the victim (Murray, 2009). Bullying can take many forms, some blatant, others more subtle. Researchers ha...
When most people think of a fool, they recall a video that they watched of people building a ramp out of a piece of plywood and then attempt to use it. Others, however, may think back to when they were in history class and there was a student that sat in the back of the class and did things to irritate the professor. Regardless of what comes to mind, there always seems to be a common theme when describing a fool. It’s a person that is silly or is doing something idiotic. However, there are many more examples of a fool, especially in literature. William Shakespeare commonly has a foolish character in his plays. In his plays, the fool is usually a witty commoner that outsmarts the people of a higher social class. However, he does also enjoy to
The phenomenon of workplace bullying refers to a gradually evolving process, whereby an individual ends up in an inferior position and becomes the target of systematic negative social acts by one or more perpetrators (Brodsky, 1976). Workplace bullying consists of repeated and prolonged exposure to predominantly psychological mistreatment, directed at a target who is typically teased, badgered and insulted, and who perceives himself or herself as not having the opportunity to retaliate in kind (Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf, & Copper 2003). After investigating three research studies related to workplace bullying, it is quite evident that bullying can have serious consequences on employees; therefore, it is important for employees and employers to know how to recognize it within their working environment. According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (2013), “bullying presents a threat to the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of a worker and is dealt with under t...
In Shakespeare’s King Lear, the Fool is a source of chaos and disruption in King Lear’s tumultuous life. The Fool causes the King distress by insulting him, making light of his problems, and telling him the truth. On the road to Regan’s, the Fool says “If thou wert my Fool, nuncle, I’d have thee / beaten for being old before thy time.” (1.5.40-41). He denies the king the respect due to him as an aged King, causing the King to wonder at his worthiness. The fool also makes light of Lear’s qualms making snide remarks in response to Lear’s ruminations. When Lear asks Edgar cryptically, “wouldst thou give ‘em all?” the Fool responds, “Nay, he reserved a blanket, else we had been all shamed” (3.4.69-72). The Fool’s snide remarks do little to maintain Lear’s fragile control of his faculties. However, the Fool speaks to the king candidly, a rare occasion in Lear’s life. Even Kent acknowledges the truth of the Fool’s statements, saying, “This is not altogether fool, my lord” (1.4.155).
Feste, the amusing clown, plays a most important part in the play. He is able to take on several roles, and is indeed "for all waters"; from serious to comic, learned to nonsensical, the wit or the practical joker; just as the occasion seems to suggest. Because he is a part of both the main and sub plot, Feste is the character, who links both parts of the play together, making Twelfth Night a whole.
Mistaken identity and disguise are important aspects of comedy in Twelfth Night that stand at the forefront of the play’s comedy. Not only are mistaken identities and disguise evident within the main plot of the play but also in various other situations. Sexual confusion amongst characters, subversion of gender roles and farcical elements through stagecraft all effectively contribute to the dramatic comedy genre. However, it can be suggested that certain elements of Twelfth Night are not interpreted to be purely comedic; Shakespeare has incorporated serious and controversial subjects such as the idea of genuine love, the patriarchy of the time and the cruel gulling of Malvolio. Therefore, disguise and mistaken identity are not solely for the purpose of comedy and it could be inferred that it even borders on the genre of tragedy.