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Recommended: Feste in twelfth night critical analysis

In the intricate interweaving of schemes of mistaken identities, intrigue and unrequited love, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night meshes farce, satire, comedy and folly within seemingly independent dramas that culminate in a swift resolution. Tensions in intricate love triangles between Viola’s male persona Cesario, Duke Orsino and Lady Olivia are further intensified with the introduction of characters such as Viola’s identical twin Sebastian and Lady Olivia’s servants Malvolio and Maria, who increase the overall bedlam in the play. However, despite the continual tangling of the plotlines, there is only one character that remains detached from the insanity of the play, yet invariably tied to its unraveling- Feste, otherwise known as the Fool. As the court jester of both Lady Olivia and Duke Orsino, Feste possesses not only the unique opportunity of witnessing the complicated acrobatics of the story as it unfolds, but also the wit and intuition to delve into the truth and observe society’s follies. Acting as the objective commentator for the play, Feste thus serves as Shakespeare’s figurehead for revealing his thoughts about social hierarchy, which was believed to be governed by the Chain of Being during the time. Thus, through Feste’s perceptive commentary in his interactions with other characters, the character of Feste reveals the folly of entrenched social class divisions. Both a social outcast and a social participant, Feste serves as an objective commentator on the organized society of his time. As the fool of both Lady Olivia and Duke Orsino, Feste is privy to a unique opportunity to not only intermingle with the common people of society, but with his superiors as well, thus gaining valuable insight into both the upper and the low... ... middle of paper ... ... noble birth, both Lady Olivia and Duke Orsino proved to be extremely puerile in their behavior, proving that As Feste expresses, “Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun, it shines everywhere. I would be sorry, sir, but the fool should be oft with your master as with your mistress.” (3.1.40-43). Throughout history, social hierarchies have remained an inevitable reality in society, providing the essential social structure in preventing it from disintegrating into anarchy. However, just as Feste had expressed in Twelfth Night, every social structure has its follies. For example, Karl Marx’s ideal of a communist society, with a classless social order, is vulnerable in its tendency to fall victim to human follies of greed and selfishness. On the other hand, in a heavily stratified society, divisions between the classes can lead to injustices and hostility.

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