William Shakespeare remains the most successful and popular playwright of all times. This success can be traced back to William’s relocation to London about the year 1590 where he became a playwright and an actor (Orgel, 2002). One of his most sought after work to date is Twelfth Night or What You Will, a comedy whose setting was Illyria. The comedy evokes a feeling of the purity and innocence of children inasmuch as it revolves around ‘grow up’ matters such as grief, dirty joke and courtship. This phenomenon forms the initial reaction to the drama and catalyses the immense interest in it. This spirit is especially portrayed by Orsino, who is highly agitated by a multitude of emotions, a feat that seems to have its origin from his teenage past. An interesting aspect is his genuine, and intense depictions of the various feelings notably love (Schalkwyk, 2005). On the other hand, Viola seems to sympathize with Orsino’s intensity of feelings. She, therefore, is plagued with a degree of emotionality and vulnerability that makes the drama not only endearing but also entertaining. Further, Viola tries to act like Cesario in a bid to stand out and with the aim of exploring her identity, an attempt that is quite notable. Moreover, the portrayal of the conflict between Viola’s appreciation, though sympathetic, for Orsino’s musical misery coupled with the discomfort of observing it from proximity is rather intriguing.
Twelfth Night was written around 1601 in England and subsequently published in 1623 (Orgel, 2002). This was during ‘The Renaissance’ literary period. Various scholars have referred to this comedy as ‘transvestite’ and amongst Shakespeare’s plays, it classified amongst those whose characters cross-dressed. These include As You Like and Merchant of Venice. In the latter, for instance, Portia in a scene at a court dresses like a young gentleman. Likewise, due to the confused twins, the drama shares similarities with Comedy of Errors. However, Twelfth Night is based on Iganni, a comedy of Italian origin about the ‘unknown ones’. Viola is the drama’s main character who poses as Cesario a pageboy. During William’s era, Viola’s character as well all parts and characters in the drama ought to have been taken up by men. This is because, at the time, it was illegal for women to act. Therefore, Cesario role would have been taken up by a man, dressed like a woman. This reflects the patriarchal nature of the period. Likewise, the play’s title comes from ‘twelfth night of Christmas’ or ‘the feast of the Epiphany’, a holiday in England celebrated on January fifth’s eve. This took place during the Renaissance England and during this day the nobles and kings were treated like peasants and vice versa. This reflects the clearly demarcated class system of the period. Further, What Will You, its second title references the ritualized revelry and disorder that characterised the holiday season. The fact that individuals could perform all their fantasies points to the morality of the era.
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Twelfth Night revolves around deception, illusion, madness, disguises as well the myriad unexpected things that people see or do as a result of love. It is this phenomenon that influenced this drama. Consequently, literary, Shakespeare intended to write a comedy of romantic nature, exploring love as being an excessive endeavour, which is short-lived and filled with madness. This is irrespective of its drawing inspiration from music, beauty and sight as well as its true nature. Likewise, the play was influenced by the multiple themes. These include desire and love, melancholy, madness, deception, performance and disguise, gender and sexual identity, and class, servants, and masters.
The style of Twelfth Night is both poetic and musical (Schalkwyk, 2005). This is first portrayed by Viola, Orsino, and Olivia, who in several scenes come out as being experienced poets. In the play, this eloquence is brought out in the form of love poetry. A case in point is the short well-rhymed skit by Orsino at the end of one his love musings. This is likewise laced with humour that works perfectly in keeping the audience engaged and interested. Besides poetry, the play is characterized by singing on various occasions. Some notable songs include, ‘o mistress mine’ and ‘the twelve days of Christmas’. The latter is rather incoherent and incomplete and is sung by Andrew and Toby. Furthermore, the play is also rife with dirty jokes and obscene words. A case in point is Maria and Feste’s conversation. Though entertaining, these instances provide a glimpse into the era’s state of authority and language.
The play, without a doubt, relates to someone living in the second decade of the 21st century. For contemporary individuals and society as a whole, Twelfth Night resonates with many occurrences. These include the myriad social and erotic problems as characterized by social and sexual dissatisfaction (Lindheim, 2007). Likewise, conceptual, gender, dramatic and class issues are raised in the play. The drama also captures the mundane occurrences, notable among them the misery that comes from death. For instance, Viola mourns the death of his brother, though she later learns that he is alive, and the two are subsequently reunited, sharing profound joy at that moment. This scenario continues to play out today, especially in this era of increased terrorist activities. On the other hand, Olivia mourns the death of her father and brother while Feste makes constant remarks and references about death. Regarding love, Viola though in love with Orsino, can’t confess to him due to her disguise. Overall, the play is laden with analogues of the emotive relationships and other situations that are highly applicable today. In conclusion, it’s only after research and deep analysis that Twelfth Night can be appreciated more. Just as various scholars agree, some level of depth is attained after every review of literary work. This is not any different in this case.
References
Lindheim, N. (2007). Rethinking sexuality and class in Twelfth Night. University of Toronto Quarterly , 76(2), p. 679-713.
Orgel, S. (2002). The Authentic Shakespeare . New York and London: Routledge.
Schalkwyk, D. (2005). ‘Love and service in Twelfth Night and the sonnets.’ Shakespeare Quarterly , 56, p. 76-100.
