twelfth night Essay - 952 Words

Twelfth Night Essay While many will agree that Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is critically acclaimed to be one of the most entertaining and well-liked pieces that he has written, there tends to be a discrepancy over how the characters in the play are portrayed when it comes to the importance of gender roles. After reading James C Bulman’s article over the Globe’s more recent performance of Twelfth Night and Shakespeare’s original written version, I realized that there are many ways that this famous piece has been portrayed and each has its own pros and cons. Shakespeares Twelfth Night examines patterns of love and courtship through a twisting of gender roles. The play centers on the lead female role and protagonist, Viola, who†¦show more content†¦I honestly don’t believe that one’s opinion on same-sex couples has any importance when it comes to transvestite versus traditional role-play on stage. An author or director’s utmost g oal is to successfully present his/her work in a way that makes the audience members feel as if they are apart of the show like they were one of the characters themselves. In other words, it is all about believability. If the play calls for a young female character then I am more likely to follow along when a female actor is playing that role. On the contrary, I would be distracted focusing on the male actor trying to portray a female role. In all versions of Twelfth Night, however, the roles are so convoluted that it is difficult to say which would be more believable: Viola/Cesario played by a female actress or male actor. For example, in Nunn’s film, the scene where Orsino is in the tub and asks young Cesario to help him bathe, it wouldn’t make any difference in believability whether the actor was male or female since our minds have already had to entertain the thought of Viola representing both a man and a woman. Others may disagree and say that the sex of the actor /actresses would not have an effect on their acceptance of the play. As previously stated, it is entirely a personal matter. If it were up to me to direct this play I would do traditional casting, like Nunn had done, with men playing male characters and women playing femaleShow MoreRelatedTwelfth Night Essay1134 Words   |  5 PagesTwelfth Night Essay Twelfth Night is a comedy and a marvel. This play conveys many messages that are seen by the audience, but not seen by the characters in the play. There are many points involving love, friendship, conflicts and confusion. Twelfth Night displays characters that are mad, in love, and desperate for love. Twelfth Night has many conflicts that occur because characters fail to listen to messages. Viola is a character who has just thought that her brother has died in a shipwreck thatRead More Twelfth Night Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesIn Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night or What you Will, the characters are involved in a plot complete with trickery, disguise, and love. Each character is defined not by his or her gender or true identity, but by the role they are forced to take because of the complicated situation that arises. Unlike their gender, the speech the characters give an insight to their true personalities. In the Twelfth Night, the character Duke Orsino uses flowery an d over-dramatic language, long poetic sentenceRead MoreTwelfth Night and Pygmalion1783 Words   |  8 Pages The play Twelfth Night is set in a Elizabethan country household in a place called Illyria. Illyria is a fictional place. Although the setting felt familiar to the audience, the name Illyria gave it a feeling of escape from reality, something that was important because everyday life could be tough in those days. The people needed an escape from reality sometimes. In this play we meet the upper class, as well as the lower class. It is not certain whether it really is twelfth night, but there areRead MoreTwelfth Night Questions1595 Words   |  7 PagesTWELFTH NIGHT: SCENE QUESTIONS ACT 1, SCENE i 1. Where does the play open? 2. Imagine you are the director of a Twelfth Night production. What kind of music would you have played for this scene? 3. The Duke has a very famous speech, in the beginning of the play, about love. How is the Duke feeling about love as the play opens? 4. What news does Valentine bring the Duke? How does the Duke take this news? 5. Even though we haven’t met Olivia yet, what do we know about her? ACT I,Read MoreSummary Of Twelfth Night965 Words   |  4 PagesTwelfth Night - Scene I, Act I-III Summary By: Manraj Singh The first scene starts off at the Duke’s palace, where we, as the audience, are introduced to the duke, who is thinking to himself. Next, it is revealed that the Duke is listening to music, and is in love, as indicated by â€Å"O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou,† (I, i, 9). However, suddenly, he decides that he does not want to listen anymore, as indicated by: â€Å"Enough, no more!† (I, i, 7). After this, we are introduced to a characterRead 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 the original structure and text of the play, manipulatingRead MoreViola in The Twelfth Night580 Words   |  2 PagesWho is Viola? Who REALLY is Viola? Viola is a very cunning, smart, and interesting character. This is shown in Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night, this book is about three different lovers. The Duke loves Olivia, Olivia loves Cesario/Viola, and Cesario/Viola loves the Duke. Viola is trying to set up a new life after surviving a shipwreck in which her brother â€Å"died.† Viola is a cunning lady with lots of attitude. Viola influences almost every other character as well. She unintentionally tricks both theRead MoreTwelfth Night Love Essay1610 Words   |  7 Pages William Shakespeare has written a number of romantic comedies. Twelfth Night is one of the finest comedies of the author. Shakespeare is driven by Viola’s decision to voluntarily conceal her identity and go to work as a servant for the lovesick Orsino.This disguise and gender confusion a re there in the beginning of the play and finishes with happy ending. This paper tries to ascertain how Viola in Twelfth Night perform her disguise and become an ideal woman of Shakespeare’s own concept. There mayRead MoreTwelfth Night And Brokeback Mountain1338 Words   |  6 PagesAfter reading literary works such as Twelfth Night and â€Å"Brokeback Mountain,† it appears they share numerous themes with the novel Never Let Me Go. One theme particularly interesting regarding the novel Twelfth Night is that of identity. The theme of identity in Twelfth Night influenced me to think differently about Ishiguro’s text, Never Let Me Go, because it allows for a deeper understanding of the difficulty the clones faced in finding their identity. After reading Never Let Me Go, one can perceiveRead MoreGender Roles in Twelfth Night2204 Words   |  9 PagesStratford-upon-Avon, England, William Shakespeare is considered by many to have been the greatest writer the English language has ever known. His literary legacy included 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and five major poems. Among his many plays is the notable, Twelfth Night, a romantic comedy, placed in a festive atmosphere in which three couples are brought together happily. The play opens with Orsino, the Duke of Illyria, expressing his deep love for the Countess Olivia. Meanwhile, the shipwrecked Viola disguises