9130829
Description
Mind Map by Anna Jones, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Anna Jones
over 7 years ago
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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 uses wordplay and wit to create humour at the expense of his characters
- 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'
- This is also a characteristic of Romeo in 'Romeo and Juliet'
- 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
- although this may be argued to be a feature of romantic comedy
- Accost scene - Sir Andrew
- 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
- 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
- love is the driving force of the play, established by Orsino's first lines
- 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
- Act 2 Scene 4
- 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: 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!
- 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
- "there was nevertheless a growing tradition which established
marriage as the goal at least of romantic comedy. That
tradition Shakespeare habitually disrupts." Lisa Hopkins
- trad. rules and boundaries are reaffirmed by the marriages at the end
- 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
- "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, Orsino's masculinity and
trad. gender power distribution is
reestablished through Orsino's
speech
- However, this does establish the typical ending of
a romantic comedy - 'companionate marriage'
- Act 5 Scene 1
- However, this manipulation of gender does
facilitate some typical aspects of romantic comedy
- 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"
- Burnaby Rich - "The History of Apolonius and Silla"
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