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He thought that Olivia really loved him, despite all evidence to the contrary. His desire that Olivia might love him was the channel for all his fantasies and hopes for promotion, for rising in the world, and for achieving a blissful love. He took pride in his demeanor, decorum, and restraint. Malvolio, an isolated figure, who neither had nor seemed to crave friends. Andrew too was sacrificed to the larger comic ending. Toby brutally striped the illusions from Andrew, without his so-called friend and the woman he had hoped to woo. That was one of those moments when looking up a few of the rare words in the play could really help to see the meaning.
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“A coxcomb, and a knave, a thin-faced knave, a gull?”Ī ‘coxcomb’ was the mask worn by a professional fool.
At the end of the play, Toby turned on him telling him what he truly thought of him: Andrew was like the geeky kid in high school who could not believe his good fortune to be liked and befriended by one of the popular boys of the school. He kept Andrew in constant hope that Olivia, Toby’s niece, would accept his marriage proposal and by constantly telling him, “Tut, there’s life in’t, man.” Andrew stated that unless he obtained Olivia, he would be ruined. Toby told Maria that he kept Andrew around only for his money. Geeky AndrewĪndrew’s character suffered a similar fate. Not just in Twelfth Night but also in As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice, such a tool takes us far in understanding Shakespeare’s vision in his mature comedies. It was interesting to watch how those figures functioned, and why they were excluded from the happiness at the end of the comedy. In many productions, Antonio walked offstage alone, a sad figure of isolation, another concept for Shakespeare’s toolkit. Learn more about the comic tools used in Twelfth Night. At the play’s end, Antonio was left alone when Sebastian paired up with Olivia and Orsino with Viola. Character of Antonio in Twelfth NightĪntonio followed Sebastian throughout the play, giving money, and even protecting him when he was attacked by Toby and Andrew except Viola, in disguise as Cesario, involved in the comic fight with the two drunkards.
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This is a transcript from the video series How to Read and Understand Shakespeare. That danger shall seem sport, and I will go. At one point in the play, he said:Įlse would I very shortly see thee there: The character of Antonio could not bear to let Sebastian out of his sight, even though he followed him at some personal risk to himself. In Shakespeare’s plays, negative elements really depended on how the director and actors decided to play the parts. Negative elements, which were not limited to Malvolio, but also included Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Antonio – a sailor who befriended Viola’s brother Sebastian and formed a strong attachment to him. A painting, done by artist John Faed, shows members of the King’s Men, the acting company to which Shakespeare belonged.
What was remarkable about Twelfth Night was that the ‘high plot’ and the ‘low plot’ mirrored one another, but at the same time the two plots went in opposite directions toward regenerative, festive comedy, and also toward scenes of malicious cruelty and rejection. Key Tool of Shakespeare’s PlaysĪ key tool for understanding Shakespeare’s plays is the ‘double plot’ tool. Learn more about how to read and understand Shakespeare. At the same time, Twelfth Night moved toward a beautifully redemptive and positive conclusion for some characters, notably the ‘high plot’ figures of Viola, Orsino, Olivia, and Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian. Moving into Acts 4 and 5 of the play that element increased. For Malvolio’s resentment of the fun of others, the revenge plot borders on cruelty, needed education. In the play Twelfth Night, the discovery-of-the-letter scene, and the gulling of Malvolio was funny. (Image: stevemart/Shutterstock) ‘High Plot’ Figures
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Twelfth Night is full of key tools, which are easy to understand and accurately convey the meaning of the play. His plays may seem complicated to some, but knowledge of the key tools make it easy to understand the message conveyed through them, and make the plays worth watching. By Marc Connor, Ph.D., Washington and Lee University William Shakespeare is a celebrated playwright.
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