Shakespeare’s Creativity

Shakespeare’s Creativity

In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the art of music appears in the opening of the speech as the unhappy and lovesick Orsino tells his musicians, “If music be the food of love, play on” (I.i.1) In the speech that follows, Orsino asks the musicians to give him so much musical love i.e. food that will “surfeit” and cease to yearn for love any longer. Shakespeare uses music in opening line of play and at the end by Feste singing his song. It reveals that Shakespeare has presented on stage a romantic comedy which is not detached from our everyday reality. Thus songs are used by Shakespeare with surfeiting desire not only for the purpose of entertaining the audience but also closely linked to the play’s theme.

Defining Music

Music, as commonly in the English Oxford Dictionary is the “art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds to produce beauty of form, melody” or “the vocal or instrumental sound produced by practical exercise of the art of music”. Music is also described as “a musical composition or a performance” which can be seen in Shakespeare Cymbeline: “I haue assayl’d her with Muscikes, but she vouchsafes no notice” (II.ii.37). Shakespeare also uses music as the “cries of a pack of hounds on seeing the chase” (IV.i.105) in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Music in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night opening speech is written as “Muſicke” in the EBBO version whereas it is spelled “music” in our class text. The word “music” has been spelled differently throughout the years. Shakespeare uses the word “music” differently in his plays, such as: “musickes,” “musique,” and “music.” The word “music” is spelled differently in the OED and in the song, with different alphabetic but pronounced the same way....

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...are’s writings. Edward W. Naylor writes in his essay that, “this is the more satisfactory, as no subject in literature has been treated with greater scorn for accuracy, or general lack of real interest, than this of music”. Music is the only topic that the audience and the readers view with content and a smile on their face. Shakespeare’s musical references are mostly found in comedies, but the musical stage direction that is presented in tragedies is due to the military nature or politics that bound the play. Shakespeare knew the impact of music on the society and during his time. Naylor also suggests that music “was considered an essential part of a clergymen’s education” and this notifies the value music held in the society. In the Duke’s case, “If music be the food of love, play on”, music seems to be rigorous and the musicians perform it with peacefulness.