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Trevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night. Instructor: Audrey Tinkham. Characterization. Malvolio What kind of man is Malvolio? II.iii.113-15 II.iii.139-52 V.i.378 How does Nunn’s Malvolio compare to your Malvolio?. Characterization. Viola/Cesario
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Trevor Nunn’sTwelfth Night Instructor: Audrey Tinkham
Characterization Malvolio • What kind of man is Malvolio? • II.iii.113-15 • II.iii.139-52 • V.i.378 • How does Nunn’s Malvolio compare to your Malvolio?
Characterization Viola/Cesario • How necessary is the “willing suspension of disbelief” for Stubbs’ gender bending to work?
Characterization Viola/Cesario • Sexual ambiguity • Gender as performance • Female masculinity & male femininity • What does the play’s sub-title refer to?
Characterization Feste • How does Ben Kingsley’s portrayal of Feste emphasize the “sage fool” theme? • Is the relationship between Feste and Olivia different in Nunn’s film than in the text? • Kingsley’s Indian accent: are we supposed to be reminded of his Ghandi role? (a challenge to the colonial hegemony?)
Characterization Is Maria too serious?
Staging Viola + Orsino + Olivia • Smoking cigars • Playing snooker • Riding astride • What does Orsino learn from Viola/Cesario? • What does Olivia learn from Viola/Cesario?
Props • Moustaches • Toupes • Clothing • Disguises • Malvolio’s reading material
Props • Orsino’s sling • Military uniforms
Props • Olivia’s mourning • Olivia’s youth • Olivia’s sexuality
Props • In Nunn’s film, we literally get to see Viola in her “woman’s weeds.” Why don’t we get to “see” her in the text? V.i.273-7
Staging Ending Scenes • How does Nunn’s ending compare to your ending? • Is the “twins” scene effective? • Is the “discovery” scene effective?
Staging Ending Scenes • What about all the characters “leaving” the country house at the end? • Feste • Malvolio • Sir Toby & Maria • Sir Andrew
Sources Coursen, H. R. “Disguise in Trevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night.” Shakespeare in Performance. Ed. Frank Occhiogrosso. Newark: U of Delaware P, 2003. Hale, David G. “The End of Twelfth Night: Two Recent Performances on Film.” Shakespeare Bulletin 20.2 (2002): 42-4. McGuinn, Rex A. “Shakespeare on Film: Ben Kingsley’s Feste.” Shakespeare Bulletin 20.4 (2002): 35-7.