The Bittersweet Comedy of Twelfth Night Essay - 979 Words

The Bittersweet Comedy of Twelfth Night Twelfth night is a name commonly given to the Christian feast of the Epiphany which is celebrated on the 6th of January. On this day we remember the coming of the Magi and the taking down of decorations which is a sad occasion for many but also a happy occasion as new times are beginning. Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy, and romantic love is the play’s main focus. Despite the fact that the play offers a happy ending, in which the various lovers find one another and achieve wedded bliss, Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain. Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse, a feeling that attacks its victims suddenly and disruptively.†¦show more content†¦Love, thus, cannot conquer all obstacles, and those whose desires go unfulfilled remain no less in love but feel the sting of its absence all the more severely. Feste’s first song in Act II, scene iii, firstly sums up the love triangle between Orsino, Olivia and Viola. He sings, O mistress mine, where are you roaming? This line shows that the fool knows the truth: that Orsino, Olivia and Viola are all searching for their true love. In the second verse, Feste explains more of a philosophy for life. The lines Present mirth hath present laughter. Whats to come is still unsure, can be interpreted as the modern saying of ‘Live for today’ and not delay their lovemaking; the future is always uncertain and youth does not last. These words show Festes knowledge of their hesitance toward love and also represent Tobys logic toward life. Later, at Orsinos request, Feste sings a sombre tune about a boy who dies for love. This link between love and death affects both Orsino and Viola as they listen and compare themselves to the boy in the song. For Orsino, the lover in this melancholy song is a young man whose heart has been broken by a ’fair cruel maid’. he wishes to die and be buried without friends or other mourners so that no one will know where his bones are laid, ‘O where sadShow MoreRelatedComparing Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet And His Comedy Twelfth Night1627 Words   |  7 PagesCompare how love is presented in Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet and his comedy Twelfth Night INTRODUCTION Shakespeare uses similar techniques in his contrasting plays ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to explore societal conventions of love and courtship, while also considering different types of love – such as fraternal love or the idea of infatuation; and, despite the fact that each play lies at opposite ends of the genre spectrum, he still manages to clearly convey the idea to bothRead MoreEssay about Film Versions of Shakespeare Comedies2208 Words   |  9 PagesFilm Versions of Shakespeare Comedies Shakespearean plays are complex, intricate pieces of work in which a diverse range of interpretations and readings can be made. This is particularly true of his comedies, where the light-hearted humour is often offset by darker, more serious undertones. In adapting these comedies it is for the director – in the cinematic context – to decide how to interpret the play and which elements are privileged and which are suppressed. This variance in interpretationRead MoreCritique Of Twelfth Night1746 Words   |  7 PagesEmma Rice revamps Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night into a dazzling musical production, full of modern twists and references that encompass the original core of the play. In this eccentric production, comedy and music take center stage, supported by technical factors such as set, lighting, and sound, but brought to life by brilliant costuming, wondrous music, and the superb acting and singing abilities of the cast. Rice takes several liberties with th e original structure and text of the play, manipulatingRead MoreEssay on The Fool as a Playwright in Twelfth Night2852 Words   |  12 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Feste, the fool character in Twelfth Night, in many ways represents a playwright figure, and embodies the reach and tools of the theater. He criticizes, manipulates and entertains the other characters while causing them to reflect on their life situations, which is similar to the way a playwright such as Shakespeare interacts with his audience. Furthermore, more so than the other characters in the play he accomplishes this in a highly performative way, involving song and clever wordplayRead MoreEssay on Shakespeare as a Real Man in Shakespeare in Love2553 Words   |  11 Pageswhether or not a play can show the real truth and beauty of love, the prize wagered is fifty pounds -- the exact amount Will needs to achieve his goal. Of course, by the end of the film, Shakespeare ´s Romeo and Juliet has proven both the bittersweet truth and unwavering romance of true love, and Queen Elizabeth determines that Will ´s play has won the bet. Nevertheless, whatever the side we take (either the purist or the Anti-Stratfordian), few facts do exist about the life