The Character of Sebastian in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:
Sebastian's presence in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: or What You Will is a vexation. More pointedly, it is his sudden marriage to Olivia which troubles me so. Was he written in to give a parallel storyline between Olivia and Viola? Was he a convenient way to have a double wedding, which Shakespeare seemed to prefer for his happy endings? Or, could there be some other meaning to Sebastian?
The last day of the Christmas season is January 6, the feast of the Epiphany, when Christ was revealed to the world in the personage of the Magi. The evening before is called Twelfth Night, the most "riotous" holiday of the year for Elizabethans (Singman 61). Supposedly, the classes changed places for the day. Servants lorded over their masters; higher order clergy served the lowly priests; children were free of rules. Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night probably in 1600, and performed it on January 6, 1601 for Queen Elizabeth and her guests, one of which was Don Virginio Orsino, Duke of Bracciano (Halliday 154). F. E. Halliday believes it possible that Shakespeare changed the name of the Duke of Illyria to Orsino in tribute to Don Orsino (155).
Twelfth Night was based on Barnabe Riche's story of Apollonius and Silla. Silla falls in love with Apollonius and follows him back to Constantinople. She is shipwrecked, and is saved by clinging to a chest containing the lecherous captain's clothing. For safety, since her servant, Pedro, has drowned, she dons the men's clothing; calls herself Silvio after her twin brother; and goes into the service of Apollonius. Apollonius asks her to woo Julina for him, but Julina falls in love with Sill...
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...tic, Golden Comedies.
WORKS CITED
Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books-Penguin Putnam, 1998.
Halliday, F.E. Shakespeare. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1961.
Riche, Barnabe. "Apollonius and Silla." Riche: His Farewell to Military Profession. 1581. William Shakespeare: Four Comedies. Ed. David Bevington. Toronto: Bantam-Scott, Foresman and
Company, 1988. 524-546.
Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Ed. David Bevington. Toronto: Bantam-Scott, Foresman and Company, 1988. 283-377.
Twelfth Night. Ed. David Bennington. Toronto: Bantam-Scott, Foresman and Company, 1998. 427-517.
Singman, Jeffrey L. Daily Life in Elizabethan England. Greenwood Press. "Daily Life Through History" series. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995.
In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Malvolio is considered an outcast by almost everyone in the play. He doesn’t act the same way that any of the other characters act, in that he doesn’t participate in any of their activities, he enforces rules that the others could care less about, and he is just overall a socially awkward guy. Malvolio not only claims to adhere to the rules of the household himself, but uses his relations with Olivia to try and help make the others follow the rules as well. This upsets certain characters more than others. For instance Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Maria find his behavior particularly detestable. But Malvolio’s strict coherence to the rules allows him to have a rather high position in Olivia’s household. While Malvolio may be considered a social outcast to most of the characters in the play, Olivia considers Malvolio to be a very trusted steward of her household. For these reasons Malvolio is not only a social outcast, but an outcast that Shakespeare uses to keep people interested in his play.
Twelfth Night, written by Shakespeare between the years of 1599 and 1601 (“Shakespeare-Online”), is easily one of his most well-known plays. A year after the assumed date of publication, on February the 2nd of 1602, Twelfth Night was performed for the first time (“William-Shakespeare)”. The location of the production is thought to have taken place in the Middle Temple, which was one of four law schools within London that were known as the Inns of Court (“Shakespeare-Online”). Though some would classify Twelfth Night as generic, it is laced with a sharp sense of humor and controversial concerns that can easily be applied to the issues of present day. Many of these issues, such as marriage, gender identity, sex, homosexuality, and social ambition, are relevant in today’s society, making them easy to relate to. The central theme of the play is romance. The characters all experience love, in one way or another, whether it be unrequited or shared between more than one person. The plot is intricately woven, sometimes confusingly so, between twists and turns throughout the multiple acts, but it never strays too far from the subject of adoration. Despite the hardships, misperception and deceit the characters experience, six individuals are brought together in the name of holy matrimony in three distinct nuptials.
In this essay I will be examining how Act 1 Scene 5 of “Macbeth” would
In Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence has a major role. Friar Laurence’s role as a member of the Order of St. Francis, a group of wise and generous priests, Romeo and Juliet trusted Friar Laurence completely, turning to him for advice. He was there throughout Romeo and Juliet's lives, he married them, came up with a plan to keep them together, and was a friend throughout their tragedies. However it was his rashness, short-sightedness, poorly thought out plans and desperate measures that led to Romeo and Juliet's ultimate tragedy. Today I am going to prove to you that Friar Laurence is the one ultimately responsible for the death of Romeo and Juliet. Nevertheless, to prove that Friar Laurence is ultimately responsible for their
Columbia University, Press. "Macbeth." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2011): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
Shakespeare, William. "Othello". The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1997. 2100-2172.
Dobson, Michael. “Twelfth Night” in The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
---. “Twelfth Night, or What You Will.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, edited by
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press New Folger Edition, 1992
To begin this essay, I will provide a brief analysis of the atmosphere of the play. I will also establish the mood created by Shakespeare to give a comedic tone to his story which would otherwise have been a maudlin story revolving around romance. The play, which actually has the full title Twelfth Night, or What You Will, was written specifically to be performed for the twelfth night of Christmas. In Elizabethan England, this was a day where people are handed out slices of a cake cooked with a pea and a bean. The two people that eat the special slices are appointed King and Queen of the evening’s festivities. As Shakespeare purposefully tried to emulate, the themes of the festivals revolve around servants according themselves more privileges than they were usually given by their masters. Like it is demonstrated by Shakespeare in the play, sometimes people dressed up in the opposite gender or even as wealthy nobles. Centering his play’s plot around this is what took his play from being only romance-oriented to being more comedic and thus more appropria...
Shakespeare, William. "The Tempest." The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1997: 3055-3106.
Logan, Thad Jenkins. "Twelfth Night: The Limits of Festivity." Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama. N.p.: Rice University, 1982. 223-38. Vol. 22 of Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. Rpt. in Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
William Shakespeare’s usage of stage techniques and language effects in Macbeth are extraordinarily used in creating gradual tension from the moment King Duncan is killed by Macbeth, followed by a short relaxation period and then increasing it again until the climax point of the act of regicide. The reader and the audience are kept in suspense right from the beginning of the play until the final scene.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
The Dramatic Importance of Act 1 Scenes 1 and 2 of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night