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Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night. o r, What You Will. William Shakespeare. Little is known of his life Wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long narrative poems His work is translated into almost every language and is still performed and studied. William Shakespeare. Hometown: Stratford-Upon-Avon, near London

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Twelfth Night

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  1. Twelfth Night or, What You Will

  2. William Shakespeare • Little is known of his life • Wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long narrative poems • His work is translated into almost every language and is still performed and studied

  3. William Shakespeare • Hometown: Stratford-Upon-Avon, near London • No University education; only grammar school • 1582: Married Anne Hathaway

  4. The Lost Years • No record of him from 1585-92 • On the run from the law? • A hired hand looking after horses? • A teacher? • Reappears in a drama review: an “upstart crow”

  5. Elizabethan England • Elizabeth I was queen from 1558-1603 • A golden age for England: • Flourishing poetry, literature and theatre • Relative peace and prosperity

  6. Elizabethan London: Cleanliness • Upper class bathed once every couple of weeks; lower class, only a few times a year. • Nature calling? Go in a chamber pot and empty it out your window! • No sewer systems meant horse poop in streets had no way of being washed away.

  7. Elizabethan London: Clothing • Never washed; didn’t want to lose colour. • Puffy sleeves and breeches. • Men and women wore high heeled shoes. • Both sexes used wigs and cosmetics, including white powder for the face. • Children dressed as mini-adults.

  8. Elizabethan London: Clothing • Fabric and colour indicated status. • Nobility: silk, satin, velvet; deep, rich shades • Lower Classes: wool, linen, sheepskin; natural colours (grey, brown, etc.)

  9. Elizabethan London: Food • Mainly meat and bread. Lots of scurvy from lack of vitamins. • No refrigeration. Lots of spices to cover the smell. • Poor cooking of meat led to tapeworms and ringworms. • Unclean water meant people drank a lot of ale or beer; richer people had wine.

  10. Elizabethan London:Entertainment • Archery, bowling, hammer throwing, staff duels and wrestling too slow for you? • Bear baiting • Bull baiting • Dog fights • Cock fights • Hunting and Hawking (upper class)

  11. There were also public executions! The heads of the condemned were put on London Bridge for all to see!

  12. Elizabethan London: Women • Largely uneducated. • No important jobs. • No voting. • Often not given fair trials; some falsely accused of prostitution or witchcraft! • Often used in marriages to solidify ties between families (a symbol of exchange b/w men)

  13. Original Title WHAT YOU WILL Will = want; please; desire What you will = as you desire A play about pursuing desires and having fun

  14. What is Twelfth Night? • …of Christmas; Feast of the Epiphany • Written to be performed for Twelfth Night entertainment • A topsy-turvy time: peasants become kings • A crazy play, full of reversals

  15. Themes • Love • Idealistic vs. rational • Male vs. female • Romantic vs. platonic • Fickle vs. lasting • Over-indulgence of emotions and desires • The folly of thinking too highly of one’s self • Ambition • Appearance vs. Reality • Wisdom vs. Foolishness • Justice, fairness, and revenge • Bullying • Nature of Humanity: Good vs. Evil

  16. Shakespearean Comedy • Young lovers overcoming obstacles • Mistaken identity • Clever plot twists

  17. Shakespearean Comedy • Puns and double entendres • Stock characters • Happy endings

  18. Why Study Shakespeare? • Universal themes • Persistent Human Nature • Good Challenge • Amazing use of English language • Intertextual Connections

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