Exploring Themes in Twelfth Night and She's the Man - A Modern Take on Shakespeare's Comedy

1. Lesson Objectives: Twelfth Night Week 9-11 • William Shakespeare -(1077-1138) First Performed Jan/Feb 1601 • Journal Responses – Daily reflections on reading assignments/themes and character development and see calendar. • Secondary Source: MLA Citation – Scholarly Journal: Kleet, Elizabeth. “Reviving Viola: Comic and Tragic Teen Film Adaptation of Twelfth Night.” Shakespeare Bulletin 26.2 (2008): 69-87. JSTOR. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. • Film Adaptation – Just One of the Guys, She’s the Man Discuss how the themes from Twelfth Night are taken from the play and used in a modern context. Compare and Contrast the play and film.

2. Shakespeare’s Plays Comedies • Twelfth Night • The Comedy of Errors • Midsummer’s Night Dream • Much Ado About Nothing • As You Like It • Tragedies • King Lear • Macbeth • Othello • Hamlet • Julius Caesar • Romeo & Juliet • Anthony & Cleopatra • Timon of Athens

3. Title of Play: Twelfth Night • It is possible that the play was staged on January 6, the Twelfth Night of the Christmas season, as part of events celebrating the holiday season. This debut date would explain the title.  • The performance date could also explain why the title of the play was changed from What You Will to Twelfth Night.

4. William Shakespeare –Twelfth Night – A Comedy • Literary Devices: • Dramatic Plot Summary Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution • Theme of Drama • Satire • Comedy, humor • Irony, dramatic irony/situational irony • Allusions • Imagery • Aside • Conflicts – inner/outer

5. Announcements: • Announcements – upcoming assignments – • Journal Portfolio due: December 8/9, 2011. • Draft Research Project (first two pages/thesis) November 14/15, 2011 • Research Projects due: December 1/2, 2011

6. Twelfth Night/She’s the Man • Lesson Notes: We completed reading Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (Norton B) and for Homework students were assigned a Secondary Text entitled: “Reviving Viola: Comic and Tragic, Teen Film Adaptations of Twelfth Night” by Elizabeth Kleet. For this class session we will be discussing the themes utilized at this point from text to film.

7. Class Activities– • List any themes used in the film adaptation, She’s the Man from the play Twelfth Night • Group Discussion - Secondary text - Elizabeth Kleet: Identify her argument (thesis) and the main points she uses to support her argument (Prepare a Large Post-it/Present to Class) • Present Findings to Class • Continue with film adaptation – continue to identify themes and quotes from the play.

8. Twelfth Night or What You Will - Themes • True love sees the soul. • Love (brotherly and romantic) is foolish at times.   • Love vexes and presents pitfalls. • Love ultimately triumphs. • Appearances and first impressions can be deceiving. - Act V.  • Carpe diem (seize the day).

9. William Shakespeare –Twelfth Night – A Comedy • Themes: • Mistaken Identity, Disguises, Deception • Political, Social, and Cultural Roles (men/women) – Nobility – Caste System • Beauty • Death • Romance: True Love, Marriage

10. William Shakespeare –Twelfth Night • Vocabulary • Aguecheek • Illyria • Ducats – gold coin that was used as currency throughout Europe, contained 3.4999 grams of gold. • Prodigal • Kickshawses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ducats

11. The Renaissance – Theater Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello with Connections. English writing and performing plays for several centuries Early theater – church ceremonies dialogue and songs --From Church to towns – 1300 – 1400 --Less Religious to drama/comedy Performances- ritualistic, moral message, changing to: miracle, mystery plays, messages on how to live and die New Theaters, The Globe (Wooden O) James Burbage partner with William Shakespeare. 1st theater – The Theater 2nd theater – The Curtain The Tragedy of Othello is based off stories written by Giraldi Cinthio and published in Venice in 1566.

12. William Shakespeare –Twelfth Night http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/leightonolivia

13. Olivia from Twelfth Night http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-twelfth-night.htm

14. Setting: Northwestern Balkans along the Adriatic Coast http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illyria

15. Famous Quotes: • “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them” (Act II, Scene V) (Note how this is used in the film adaptation of the play) • “Love sought is good, but giv’n unsought is better” (Act III, Scene I)

16. William Shakespeare –Twelfth Night - Study/Essay Questions • Viola dons a male disguise to get a job. Do people today sometimes disguise themselves–figuratively or literally–to gain employment? ....What other extra measures do women sometimes take to succeed in male-dominated workplaces?  • Who is the most practical, level-headed character in the play? Explain your answer.  • Shakespeare pokes fun at the Puritans, represented by the character Malvolio. Who were the Puritans? What were their beliefs and ....their goals? When a person uses the word puritanical today, what does he or she usually mean?  • In what ways does Twelfth Night resemble a modern TV situation comedy? In what ways is it unlike a TV comedy?  • Write an essay describing how dramatic irony enhances the comic situations in Twelfth Night. Dramatic irony occurs when a character ....does not see or understand what is obvious to the audience. Source: http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xTwelfth.html#Names

17. William Shakespeare – 1601Twelfth Night or What You Will • Writing Assignment: Journal – Shakespeare uses tonal shifts in his comedies, explain how this design elevates the character and plot of the story. Compare and contrast the play to the modern teen film adaptations of Twelfth Night with respect theme and tone. • Secondary Text: “Reviving Viola: Comic and Tragic, Teen Film Adaptations of Twelfth Night • Classroom Activity: She’s the Man and Just One of the Guys (film adaptations based on Twelfth Night).

18. Using a Secondary Text-Close Reading • Collaborative Groups – discuss Secondary text, “Reviving Viola: Comic and Tragic, Teen Film Adaptations of Twelfth Night” by Elizabeth Klett • Identify and discuss the theme of the article • List two points the Klett uses to support her thesis • What did you like/dislike about the article? Was the article useful?

19. William Shakespeare –Twelfth Night or What You Will • Secondary Text: “Reviving Viola: Comic and Tragic, Teen Film Adaptations of Twelfth Night • Classroom Activity: She’s the Man and Just One of the Guys (film adaptations based on Twelfth Night).

20. William Shakespeare – 1601Twelfth Night or What You Will • Response Paper #2- Jane Eyre – Reflection Essay on novel • Journal: 28 October 2010 – Twelfth Night • Prompt Selections – provide evidence from the text to support your answer: • Viola dons a male disguise to get a job. Do people today sometimes disguise themselves—figuratively or literally—to gain employment? What other extra measures do women sometimes take to succeed in male-dominated workplaces? • Who is the most practical, level-headed character in the play? Explain your answer. (MLA Format with Work Cited Page)

21. The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare (1601-2) • Costumes and stages decorated colorfully and eloquently • Audiences expected variety of entertainment: Dialogue, Music, and Singing • Othello is from the Shakespeare’s Tragedy series: • Hamlet 1600 – 1601 • Othello 1601 – 1602 • King Lear 1605 • Macbeth 1605 – 1606 • Anthony & Cleopatra 1606 – 7

22. The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare (1601-2) • Themes: • Love/hate • Fate/freedom • Interracial marriage • Disobedience/abandonment • Innocence/guilt • Loyalty/Trust/Guilt/Denial • Revenge • Death

23. Map of Italy (1600’s) http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00generallinks/munster/italy/aa_italy.html

24. Italy: Venice 1600’s http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00generallinks/munster/italy/aa_italy.html

25. Florence 1600’s http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00generallinks/munster/italy/aa_italy.html

26. The Tragedy of Othello – William Shakespeare • AP/Writing Assignment: • Journal – Examine the cultural and social views of interracial relationships in the play. Explain what conflicts take place and describe how characters are used against one another to achieve one man’s act of revenge. • Response Paper #4, Reflection Essay, Due: 20 October

27. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte • Reading Assignment: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte • Journal – Why was Jane Eyre subjected to such a harsh life? Explain how she overcomes every obstacle in her life. What factors/conflicts determine her plight in life? 4 Jan 2010 - • Jane Eyre - Essay • What AP Readers Long to See, Handout

28. Jane Eyre by Charlotte BronteClassroom Activity • Read the passage carefully and discuss Bronte’s use of diction, word choice, motivation, character point of view, and tone to reveal the narrator’s attitude toward the character. List examples of each literary device. • Passage bottom of page (68) – “You see she is yet young: you observe she possesses the ordinary form of childhood…this girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut—this girl is—a liar!” (68-69).

29. Jane Eyre by Charlotte BronteClassroom Activity • Judging without provocation • Orphan/outcast • Demon • deformity, marked character, evil one, found a servant or agent in her, castaway, not a member of the true flock, interloper, alien • Be on your guard against her, you must shun her, avoid her company, exclude her from your sports, shut her out from your converse, watch her, scrutinize her actions, punish her body to save her soul…

30. Jane Eyre by Charlotte BronteClassroom Activity • Throughout the novel the narrator (1st person) addresses the reader-find instances of this and explain the significance of this technique.