To what extent might Twelfth
Night be seen as a typical
romantic comedy?
It isn't a typical romantic comedy - Shakespeare satirises his characters and consequently punishes them - making social commentary
Accost scene - Sir Andrew
Shakespeare uses wordplay and wit to create humour at the expense of his characters
"Laughter always erupts precisely as the situation becomes hopeless:" Walter Kerr
Shakespeare satirises and mocks the courtly love which was fashionable at the time
although this may be argued to be a feature of romantic comedy
the fact that Orsino sends another to do his wooing for him suggests
that his love is disingenuous and emphasises that he is too distant
from Olivia to truly love her, but instead loves the concept of love
Her very inaccessibility seems to be what makes her
appealing as it enables him to indulge his misery and
luxuriate in his role as unrequited lover
His fickleness also undermines the
genuineness of his affection, although this
does enable him to quickly move on to and
fall in love with Cesario/Viola
This is also a characteristic of Romeo in 'Romeo and Juliet'
All the love in the play is romantic, intense and irrational - emphasised
by many of the characters being subject to 'love at first sight'
love is the driving force of the play, established by Orsino's first lines
It's immense power is most clearly demonstrated in its impact on Malvolio - who is otherwise extremely rational and straight laced
However, Malvolio's love is mainly comedic for Shakespeare's contemporary audience because of the torture it results in therefore not fitting to typical features of a romantic comedy
Although to a lesser extent than Malvolio, Olivia is similarly overcome by ridiculous love and
degrades herself in the process - this may be her punishment for acting too powerfully and
masculine: particularly in her rejections of Orsino and single-handedly running her household
But the characters' foolishness can be forgiven in the world of comedy
Isn't typical - gender bending
However, this manipulation of gender does
facilitate some typical aspects of romantic comedy
Orsino: What kind
of woman is't?
Viola: Of your
complexion.
Orsino: She is not
worth thee then.
What years i'faith?
Viola: About your
years, my Lord.
Orsino: Too old, by
heaven!
Act 2 Scene 4
"Hilarity is a gasp, a shock, a shriek of disbelief at what is plainly evident." Walter Kerr
Antonio is similarly limited in his love for Sebastian
due to his gender, however since he cannot remedy
it he is condemned to be alone whilst Sebastian
enters into a stable, heterosexual relationship
Orsino: Boy, thou hast said to me a
thousand times thou never shouldest love
woman like to me. ... Give me thy hand.
And let me see thee in thy woman's weeds.
Act 5 Scene 1
Viola isn't seen in her female
clothing in the play, heterosexual
gender norms aren't reestablished
However, Orsino's masculinity and
trad. gender power distribution is
reestablished through Orsino's
speech
trad. rules and boundaries are reaffirmed by the marriages at the end
"there was nevertheless a growing tradition which established
marriage as the goal at least of romantic comedy. That
tradition Shakespeare habitually disrupts." Lisa Hopkins
Viola's continued masculinity may just be Shakespeare trying to
show continuity in their relationship which is enabled by her disguise
"Orsino wants to establish continuity with their earlier moments of intimacy" Michael Shapiro
"the final couplet restates the desire to see Viola dressed "in her woman's weeds"
and can therefore define Orsino's final attitude more as impatience or relief than as
uncertainty or disappointment about her gender." Michael Shapiro
However, this does establish the typical ending of
a romantic comedy - 'companionate marriage'
Types of comedy in Twelfth Night: Romantic comedy,
Slapstick (the role of fools), wordplay and wit, satirical
It can be seen as a typical romantic comedy since the work shakespeare appropriated was one
Burnaby Rich - "The History of Apolonius and Silla"