EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RESOURCE GUIDE
January 26–February 26, 2017 Directed by Ted Pappas Sponsored by Highmark
Student matinees for Twelfth Night are part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
Twelfth Night All of Illyria is mad with merry mix-ups in Shakespeare’s beloved comedy. After a ship wreck, outspoken Viola washes ashore and disguises herself as a boy, setting in motion a series of romantic entanglements and comedic confusions. With some of Shakespeare’s most famous characters and memorable moments, Twelfth Night is a delightful theatrical valentine.
From the director The Public is committed to introducing the works of Shakespeare to students of all ages. Our special student matinees and study guides, our summer Shakespeare Intensive, and most uniquely, our annual Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest, have been exuberant reminders that Shakespeare speaks to all of us, and that the humanity, beauty and truth of his writing is “not of an age, but for all time.” Ted Pappas Producing Artistic Director
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Theater Etiquette......................................................................................... 4 Twelfth Night: An Introduction and Synopsis……………………………..…………….5 About the Author..........................................................................................6 Cast of Characters……………...........................................................................8 Vocabulary………………………………………………………………………………...…..….…...9 Scene-by-scene Summary….........................................................................17 Background Information and Context…………………………………………..…………21 Themes…………………………………………………………………………………………………..25 Discussion Questions……………………………………………………………………………...26 Shakespeare’s Verse……………………………………………………………………………….27 Verse and Prose Activity Ideas……………………………………………………………..…29 Other Work by Shakespeare……………………………………………………………………31 Pennsylvania Academic Standards……………………………………………………..…..32 Further Study & References.........................................................................35 We hope that this resource guide will help you prepare for Twelfth Night and also provide opportunities to continue discussion even after the show. However, this is just a sampling of the educational resources available for Twelfth Night and Shakespeare for both students and teachers. Check out the “Further Study” section for more recommendations. Pittsburgh Public Theater’s education and outreach programs are generously supported by BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Additional funding is provided by the Grable Foundation.
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THEATER ETIQUETTE Know before you go! Attending a live theater performance is different than watching TV or a movie. The actions of the audience can either help or hinder the cast on stage, live in front of you. Check out these reminders that will help you and your fellow audience members enjoy the show.
Turn off all cell phones, beepers, watches etc. (This means no texting!) Do not take pictures or record anything during the performance. Do not eat or drink in the theater. Do not place things on the stage or walk on the stage. Do not leave your seat during the performance unless it is an emergency. o If you do need to leave for an emergency, leave as quietly as possible and know that you might not be able to get back in until after intermission. Do clap and laugh when appropriate—let the actors know you are enjoying yourself! Do enjoy the show and have fun watching the actors. Do tell other people about your experience and be sure to ask questions and discuss the performance. But please wait until intermission and after the performance to do so. Even whispering during the show is distracting to the cast and audience!
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AN INTRODUCTION AND SYNOPSIS A beloved comedy by the most famous and influential playwright of all time, Twelfth Night was written sometime between 1599 and 1602, first performed during the first few years of the seventeenth century, and published in 1923 in the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays. A carnival of mistaken identities, mischief and love, it has been adapted for the stage and screen numerous times, and its themes and insights remain as relevant as ever in the modern age. Twelfth Night begins with Orsino, Duke of Illyria, speaking of his love for the countess Olivia. Meanwhile on the coast of Illyria, two twins of noble birth, Viola and Sebastian, have been shipwrecked in a terrible storm. Both survive but think the other has drowned. Viola, in order to survive, dresses as a male named Cesario and joins Orsino’s court as a page. Sebastian befriends a solider named Antonio who saved him from the storm. The love triangle starts when Cesario goes to Olivia’s court to profess Orsino’s love to her, only for Olivia to fall in love with Cesario instead. Viola, on the other hand, falls in love with Orsino. At the same time, Olivia’s cousin Sir Toby Belch, his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Olivia’s lady-in-waiting Maria hatch a plot to humiliate Malvolio, Olivia’s pompous and puritanical head butler, by tricking him into thinking that Olivia is in love with him. Things only become more confusing as mistaken identities and misunderstandings intertwine and tempers rise; eventually, however, everyone’s true self is discovered and the play ends in a whirlwind of revelation and marriage.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR William Shakespeare was born in Stratfordupon-Avon in Warwickshire and was baptised a few days later on 26 April 1564. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove maker and wool merchant and his mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a well-todo landowner from Wilmcote, South Warwickshire. It is likely Shakespeare was educated at the local King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. MARRIAGE The next documented event in Shakespeare’s life is his marriage at the age of 18 to Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a local farmer, on November 28, 1582. She was eight years older than him and their first child, Susanna, was born six months after their wedding. Two years later, the couple had twins, Hamnet and Judith, but their son died when he was 11 years old. Again, a gap in the records leads some scholars to refer to Shakespeare’s life between 1585 and 1592 as “the lost years”. By the time he reappears again, mentioned in a London pamphlet, Shakespeare has made his way to London without his family and is already working in the theatre. ACTING CAREER Having gained recognition as an actor and playwright Shakespeare had clearly ruffled a few feathers along the way – contemporary critic, Robert Green, described him in the 1592 pamphlet as an, "upstart Crow." As well as belonging to its pool of actors and playwrights, Shakespeare Pittsburgh Public Theater
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was one of the managing partners of the Lord Chamberlain's Company (renamed the King's Company when James succeeded to the throne), whose actors included the famous Richard Burbage. The company acquired interests in two theatres in the Southwark area of London near the banks of the Thames - the Globe and the Blackfriars. In 1593 and 1594, Shakespeare’s first poems, “Venus and Adonis” and “The Rape of Lucrec,”, were published and he dedicated them to his patron, Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton. It is thought Shakespeare also wrote most of his sonnets at this time. PLAYWRIGHT Shakespeare was prolific, with records of his first plays beginning to appear in 1594, from which time he produced roughly two a year until around 1611. His hard work quickly paid off, with signs that he was beginning to prosper emerging soon after the publication of his first plays. By 1596 Shakespeare’s father, John had been granted a coat of arms and it’s probable that Shakespeare had commissioned them, paying the fees himself. A year later he bought New Place, a large house in Stratford.
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His earlier plays were mainly histories and comedies such as Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, and Richard II. The tragedy Romeo and Juliet was also published in this period. By the last years of Elizabeth I's reign Shakespeare was well established as a famous poet and playwright and was called upon to perform several of his plays before the Queen at court. In 1598 the author Francis Meres described Shakespeare as England’s greatest writer in comedy and tragedy. In 1602 Shakespeare's continuing success enabled him to move to upmarket Silver Street, near where the Barbican is now situated, and he was living here when he wrote some of his greatest tragedies such as Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. FINAL YEARS Shakespeare spent the last five years of his life in New Place in Stratford. He died on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. He left his property to the male heirs of his eldest daughter, Susanna. He also bequeathed his “second-best bed” to his wife. It is not known what significance this gesture had, although the couple had lived primarily apart for 20 years of their marriage. The first collected edition of his works was published in 1623 and is known as the First Folio. i
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TRENDING NOW: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 2016 marks 400 years since Shakespeare’s death in April 1616. The man often considered the greatest writer in the English language remains as relevant as ever to contemporary culture – here are a few examples… Broadway’s Something Rotten: Set in 1595, this 2015 musical comedy follows Nick and Nigel Bottom, two brothers who are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of William Shakespeare, until a hilarious series of events leads them to create the first musical. House of Cards: This Netflix drama, starring Kevin Spacey, is heavily influenced by Shakespeare’s Richard III. Rap and hip-hop: English rapper Akala gave a TED Talk in 2011 in about the linguistic connections between Shakespeare and hip-hop, which can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS btkLA3GrY Not to mention that Shakespeare is estimated to have invented around 2,000 new words, many of which are still in common use today. Our vocabulary would be much poorer without sanctimonious, bedazzled, gloomy, grovel, new-fangled, swagger, and so many more.
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CAST OF CHARACTERS Viola, a lady of the Kingdom of Messaline, shipwrecked in Illyria. She is the sister of Sebastian. To survive she disguises herself as a man named Cesario, who becomes Orsino’s servant and falls in love with him. Sebastian, a lord of Messaline, brother of Viola, also shipwrecked in Illyria Olivia, an Illyrian countess, falls in love with Cesario Orsino, Duke of Illyria, in love with Olivia Sir Toby Belch, Olivia’s cousin Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Sir Toby’s friend who pursues Olivia Fabian, a gentleman in Olivia’s household ii
Imogen Stubbs, Helena Bonham Carter and Toby Stephens in Trevor Nunn’s 1996 movie Twelfth Night
Antonio, Sebastian’s friend, war enemy of Orsino
Maria, Olivia’s lady-in-waiting, tricks Malvolio Malvolio, Olivia’s head butler, tricked into thinking that Olivia is in love with him Feste, a jester in Olivia’s household
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VOCABULARY Act 1 Surfeiting - to eat or drink to an excessive amount, to suffer from the affects of over indulgence (1.1.2) Soe’er - at all; in any case; of any kind; in any way (1.1.12) The Hart - a male deer (1.1.18) Abatement - suppression, termination, reduction, decrease, alleviation (1.1.13) Pestilence - a deadly epidemic disease, something evil or harmful (1.1.21) Cloistress - a nun (1.1.30) Brine - salt water (1.1.32) Bowers - a leafy shelter/cottage (1.1.43) Elysium - heaven, paradise, state of perfect happiness (1.2.4) Arion - a Greek poet who was saved from drowning by a dolphin (1.2.16) Prattle - to talk in a foolish way, chatter, babble (1.2.34) Prithee - pray thee (1.2.55) Eunuch - a castrated man (1.2.59) Quaffing - to drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one, copiously and with heavy enjoyment (1.3.14) Tall - a slang word for brave (1.3.20) Ducats - a slang word for money/cash (1.3.22) Prodigal - a reference to the prodigal son, someone who is loose with money, a spendthrift (1.2.24) Viol -de -gamboys - a violin (1.3.25) Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Allay - to rest, to calm, to quite, to alleviate (1.3.31) Substractor - a person who subtracts or takes away (1.3.34) Coistrel - a scoundrel (1.3.40) Castiliano Vulgo - to use discrete language (1.3.42) Shrew - a woman of violent temper and speech (1.3.46) Accost - to confront boldly (1.3.48) Troth - truth, faithfulness, fidelity (1.3.57) Canary - sweet wine (1.3.80) Pourquoi - “why?” in French (1.3.91) Bearbaiting - A common entertainment in Elizabethan England. A bear would be attached to a stake and attacked by dogs. There was a Bearbaiting arena right next door to the Globe, which is cause for Shakespeare’s famous stage direction from A Winter’s Tale, “exit pursued by bear”(1.3.93) Flax - the thin straight seeds extracted from the flaxseed (1.3.100) Masques - elaborate plays and spectacles performed only once for nobility (1.3.111) Huswife - housewife or a woman who would spin a distaff to the strings off a flaxseed Revels - boisterous merriment or festivity (1.3.112) Kickshawses - something showy but without value (1.3.112) Galliard - A spiritual dance for two dancers in triple rhythm (1.3.17) Cut a caper - to perform a dance (1.3.118) Dun - colored - brown colored (1.3.132) Nuncio - a diplomatic representative, equal to that of an ambassador (1.4.30) Belie - refute, disprove, misrepresent (1.4.33) Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Barful - presenting difficulties of obstacles (1.4.45) Bristle -coarse animal hair (1.5.2) Lenten - meager or religious, holy suitable for lent (1.5.9) Gaskins - Pants (1.5.25) Quinapalus - made up name to highlight the fool’s character (1.5.33) Botcher - someone who is clumsy, a mess, disorderly, confused (1.5.44) Syllogism - a subtle, sophisticated or deceptive argument ( 1.5.47) Cuckold - the husband of an unfaithful wife (1.5.49) Calamity - a great misfortune or disaster (1.5.49) Motley - exhibiting a great diversity of elements (1.5.55) Dexteriously - having mental skill, someone who is clever (1.5.58) Catechize - to instruct orally by means of questions and answers, especially in Christian doctrine, to question in reference to belief, to question closely (1.5.60) Barren - unproductive, unfruitful (1.5.82) Fie - an interjection to express mild disgust, annoyance (1.5.106) Jove - Jupiter (1.5.112). Pia Mater - the membrane forming the inner most coverings of the brain and the spinal cord (1.5.114) Lechery - unrestrained or excessive indulgence of desire (1.5.125) Codling - un-ripe, half-grown apple (1.5.157) Usurp - to seize and hold a position by force or without legal right (1.5.185) Swabber - a person who uses a giant mop to swab the deck (1.5.201) Mollification - to pacify someone, appease to soften in feeling or temper (1.5.202) Nonpareil - having no equal, peerless (1.5.255) Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Cantons - songs (1.5.273) Flint - a very hard stone (1.5.291) Fervor - great warmth and earnestness of feeling or intense heat (1.5.292) Blazon - to set forth publicly, on display to proclaim (1.5.299) Act 2 Recompense - to repay (2.1. 7) Sooth - truth, reality or fact (2.1.10) Estimable - worthy of esteem, deserving of respect or admiration (2.1.26) Churlish - rude, mean, difficult (2.2.23) Fadge - to argue, to succeed (2.2.33) Diluculo surgere - to rise at dawn is most healthy (2.3.2) Leman - sweetheart, girlfriend (2.3.25) Impeticos - a contagious skin disease (2.3.27) Whipstock - the handle of a whip (2.3.28) Mellifluous - flowing with honey (2.3.54) Dulcet - pleasant to the ear, melodious, sweet to the taste or smell (2.3.57) Welkin - the sky - the vault of heaven (2.3.58) Dog - expert (2.3.63) Knave - unprincipled, untrustworthy, dishonest person (2.3.65) Caterwaul - to utter long wailing cries as cats rutting time, to howl or screech (2.3.73) Consanguineous - having the same ancestry or descent; related by blood (2.3 78) Tillyvally - an exclamation of contempt (2.3.79) Beshrew - to curse; invoke evil upon (2.3. 81) Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Tinker - a gypsy, a wanderer, beggar or clumsy worker (2.3.89) Sneck - the latch or catch of a door or gate (2.3.94) Gull - to deceive, trick or cheat (2.3.134) Swaths - pretentious displays (2.3.148) Epistles - a formal letter (2.3.154) Penthesilea - an Amazonian warrior queen (2.3.154) Damask - the pink color of a damask rose (2.4.124) Niggardly - reluctant to give or spend; stingy; miserly (2.5.4) Overweening - conceited, overconfident or proud (2.5.28) Turkeycock - a strutting, pompous, conceited person (2.5.30) Yeoman - a farmer who cultivates his own land (in the context of the play, a wardrobe manager) (2.5.39) Jezebel - a wicked shameless woman (2.5.40) Demure - reserved, shy, modest (2.5.52) Scab - a slang word for rascal or scoundrel (2.5.74) Sinew - The source of strength, power, vigor (2.5.75) Woodcock - a simpleton (2.5.85) Impressure - impression (2.5.95) Lucrece - a Roman woman whose suicide led to the expulsion of the Tarquins and the establishment of the Roman republic (2.5.95) Brock - a European badger ( 2.5.106) Fustian - inflated or pompous language (2.5.111) Sowter - a name of a kind of dog (2.5.127) Cur - a mongrel dog, a worthless and unfriendly dog, or a cowardly person (2.5.132) Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Slough - a condition of degradation despair or helplessness (2.5.154) Surly – rude, unfriendly, hostile, dismal, menacing, threatening (2.5.154) Sophy - any of the Safavid rulers of Persia (2.5.185) Aqua Vitae - alcohol (2.5.200) Act 3 Tabor - a small drum (3.1.2) Pilchers - a sheath for a sword (3.1.35) Vouchsafed - to grant or give, as by favor graciousness or condensation (3.1.91) Whet - to make keen or eager, stimulate (3.1.107) Grize - a step (3.1.107) Maugre - in spite of (3.1.159) Lief - gladly, willingly (3.2.31) Brownist - a person who supported the principals of church government, associated with puritan values (3.2.31) Manikin - (present day English - mannequin) or a little man, dwarf (3.2.52) Visage - appearance, features expression of a face (3.2.63) Presage - something that foreshadows an even, omen (3.2.64) Wren - a songbird (3.2.65) Pedant - a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning or a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense (3.2.73) Augmentation - to make larger, enlarge in size, number, strength, increase (3.2.78) Chide - to harass, nag, scold, reproach (3.3.3) Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Dowry - the money, goods, estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage (3.4.121) Bawcock- a fine fellow (3.4.121) Minx - an impudent, or flirtatious girl (3.4.129) Twanged - to give out a sharp vibrating sound (3.4.188) Clodpoll - a stupid person; blockhead (3.4.198) Cockatrices - a legendary monster with a deadly glance (3.4.204) Unchary - not choosey, cautious of careful (3.4.210) Yare - quick agile lively (3.4.232) Rapier - a long, heavy sword used for slashing and thrusting in the 16th and 17th centuries (3.4.424) Sepulcher - a tomb, grave or burial place (3.4.248) Mettle - courage or fortitude (3.4.283) Firago - hero, fighter (3.4.285) Pedition - a state of spiritual ruin, loss of the soul, damnation (3.4.300) Upbraid - to find fault with or reproach severely (3.4.368) Venerable - commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignigty (3.4.389) Saw - a proverb (3.4.389) Paltry - utterly worthless (3.4.405) Act 4 Malapert - unbecomingly bold or saucy (4.1.45) Curate - priest or clergyman (4.2.2) Hyperbolical - exaggerated (4.2.27) Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Barricado - a stone barricade (4.2.39) Clerestory - high windows that allow natural light (4.2.39) Grandam - a Grandmother (4.2.54) Knavery - unprincipled, untrustworthy (4.2.71) Chantry -a chapel (4.3.25) Act 5 Vulcan - The Roman god of fire and metalworking (5.1.49) Jocund - Cheerful, merry (5.1.135) Beguile - charm someone, sometimes in a deceptive way (5.1.144) Vox – voice (5.1.310) Whirligig - a spinning top (5.1.399)
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SCENE-BY-SCENE SUMMARY Adapted from The Oxford School Edition of Twelfth Night, ed. Roma Gill
Act 1 Scene 1
Orsino, the Duke of Illyria, can think of nothing but his love for Olivia; however, the lady is mourning the death of her brother and refuses to listen to the Duke’s messenger.
Scene 2
A ship has been wrecked off the coast of Illyria. Viola and her twin brother Sebastian were passengers on the ship, and although Viola has survived, there is no news of Sebastian. Alone, and a stranger in Illyria, Viola decides to dress as a boy and offer her services to Orsino.
Scene 3
Sir Toby Belch, Olivia’s kinsman, has take up residence in her house with his friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Their riotous conduct is disturbing the entire household, and Maria advises Sir Toby to mend his ways. Sir Andrew arrives and tries to flirt with Maria, but his real ambition is to marry Olivia.
Scene 4
Viola (disguised as a boy and calling herself “Cesario”) has obtained service with Orsino, and has already earned her master’s favor. Orsino has told her of his love for Olivia, and sends his new page (Cesario) to woo his mistress. But Viola herself has fallen in love!
Scene 5
Feste the jester tries to entertain the depressed Olivia, but her steward Malvolio is not amused. Viola/Cesario arrives as Orsino’s messenger and speaks eloquently of Orsino’s love. But Olivia finds
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the messenger most attractive; refusing to hear Orsino’s pleas, she sends Malvolio with a ring to give to “Cesario”.
Act 2 Scene 1
Now it is Sebastian’s turn to lament the loss of his sister, his identical twin, who must have been drowned. Sebastian has found a friend in the captain, Antonio, who accompanies him despite the personal danger that he is in.
Scene 2
Malvolio gives Olivia’s ring to Viola/Cesario, who realizes the full implications of the love triangle situation.
Scene 3
Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste and drinking and singing loudly, until Maria comes to warn them of Olivia’s displeasure. They take no notice, and when Malvolio appears he scolds Maria alongside the men. But Maria has a plan to trick Malvolio and make a fool of him: she will let him find a letter which seems like a declaration of love from Olivia.
Scene 4
Orsino explains the nature of love to Viola/Cesario; and Viola indirectly confesses her own feelings towards him. Once again, however, she is sent to court Olivia on Orsino’s behalf.
Scene 5
Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Fabian and Maria watch as Malvolio, who already believes that Olivia has some special affection for him, discovers Maria’s letter. Overjoyed by his good fortune, he hurries off to obey certain instructions in the letter.
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Act 3 Scene 1
On the way to Olivia’s house, Viola/Cesario encounters first Feste and then Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. Olivia declares her love for Cesario.
Scene 2
Sir Andrew suspects that Olivia is in love with Viola/Cesario, and is ready to give up his hopeless quest for Olivia’s love, but Sir Toby persuades him to challenge Viola/Cesario to a duel. Maria calls Sir Toby to witness the result that her letter has produced on Malvolio.
Scene 3
Antonio dare not accompany Sebastian on his sight-seeing tour of Orsino’s city, but insists on lending him money.
Scene 4
Malvolio appears before Olivia, dressed and behaving according to the directions given in Maria’s letter. Olivia believes Malvolio is a madman and puts him in the care of Sir Toby, who is busy making sure that Viola knows about Sir Andrew’s challenge and that the two duelists are terrified of one another. Just as the duel is about to begin, Antonio appears and steps in to defend Viola/Cesario, mistaking her for Sebastian. Antonio is arrested and asks for the return of the money he lent Sebastian. Viola begins to wonder whether Sebastian might be alive.
Act 4 Scene 1
Feste, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew mistake Sebastian for his twin, but their attempt to renew the duel is interrupted by Olivia, who invites
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the man whom she calls “Cesario” to come home with her. Sebastian accepts her invitation. Scene 2
Malvolio is locked in a dark room and treated like a madman by Feste, but Sir Toby is ready to put an end to the joke. Feste agrees to give Olivia a letter from Malvolio.
Scene 3
Sebastian is astonished when Olivia demands that he should marry her immediately.
Act 5 Scene 1
Antonio is brought before Orsino and explains how he has risked his life to search for the young man who now rejects him. Olivia arrives to look for Viola/Cesario, and does not understand why their marriage seems to have been forgotten. Orsino is jealous and angry when Olivia’s priest confirms the marriage. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew have both been wounded by Sebastian, who then appears; he and Viola slowly identify each other. Viola and Orsino decide to marry, and Feste delivers Malvolio’s letter to Olivia, who releases him from his prison.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND CONTEXT Influences for Twelfth Night
Why Twelfth Night?
One of Shakespeare’s inspirations for
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is
Twelfth Night is believed to have
categorized as a Festive Comedy,
been Gl’Ingannati (The Deceived
intended to be performed during an
One), an Italian comedy first
Elizabethan holiday or to enchant the
published in 1537 whose author is
audience into a festive state of mind.
unknown. As in Twelfth Night, the
“Twelfth Night” is a reference to the
story of Gl’Ingannati concerns male
Twelfth Night of Christmas, a holiday
and female twins and mistaken
held on January 6th which in the
identities. Another probable source
Christian tradition celebrates the
with a similar plot is the short story
Epiphany, the day when the Magi
“Apolonius and Silla” (1581), by the
came to bring the newly born Christ
British writer Barnaby Rich, in which
gifts of gold silver and frankincense. It
the eponymous twins become
is the final day of the period of
separated during a shipwreck. Silla,
Christmas festivities. Although we
the female twin, not only dresses as a
cannot know for sure, scholars have
man but also uses her brother’s
suggested that Shakespeare’s Twelfth
name. Twins were also important to
Night received its title because it was
Shakespeare personally: in 1585, his
first performed during Twelfth Night
wife Anne gave birth to twins named
celebrations, in the first few years of
Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died in
the seventeenth century.
1596.
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Shakespeare capitalizes on the public
important element of which was the
knowledge of the festive nature of
temporary disturbance of the usual
the night to set the tone of his
social hierarchies. Twelfth Night was
comedy.
the Lord of Misrule’s last day as an authority figure, and his last night was the most festive, filled with music, food, dancing and fire displays. Puritans Shakespeare’s exact birthday is unknown, but we know that he was
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Middle Temple Hall in London, the site of the
first recorded performance of Twelfth Night in 1602
baptized in 1564, less than a decade after the beginning of the Puritan movement in England. This was the
The Lord of Misrule
same ideology that influenced the
A figure known as the Lord of Misrule
Puritans who traveled to America in
presided over the winter festivities in
the 1630s. Puritans believed that the
Shakespeare’s time, which began on
Church of England, which had broken
All Hallows Eve (now known as
away from Catholicism earlier in the
Halloween) and ended on Twelfth
sixteenth century, still retained too
Night. The Lord of Misrule was a
many elements of Catholicism, which
person chosen to be the leader of the
they objected to because of its
festivities and revels that occurred
emphasis on ceremonies and
throughout the festive period, an
elaborate clothes and art. The
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Puritans believed in a more “pure”
“The Clown” and The Kill-Joy,”
practice of Christianity, and this belief
represented by the characters of
extended to a disapproval of festivals,
Feste and Malvolio respectively.
theatre and entertainment in
Feste has arguably the most thought
general. The Puritan movement was
provoking lines of any character in
particularly strong in the urban
Twelfth Night, creating the common
setting of London, where the
Shakespearean paradox of a “wise
importance of festivals that followed
fool.” He speaks in riddles and word
the agricultural calendar, such as
play. Viola comments on this when
harvest, winter and spring
she says “This Fellow is wise enough
celebrations, was diminished.
to play the Fool/ and to do that well
Shakespeare would have been very
craves a kind of wit” (3.1.64-65).
much aware of the Puritans’ beliefs and their desire to close London’s theaters. Stock Characters Stock characters are characters that appear repeatedly in literary works of the same genre. Stock characters may differ in name and other details from play to play, but they always have the same essential set of characteristics.
iv
Stephen Fry as Malvolio and Mark Rylance as Olivia in The Globe Theatre’s 2013 production of Twelfth Night
The two most prominent comedic
In contrast, Malvolio is a satirical
stock characters in Twelfth Night are
representation of Puritan values, and
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is made a fool of for his attitude. But
Illyria was an ancient name for an
at the end of the play, Olivia has
area on the coast of the modern
sympathy for her servant who “hath
Adriatic Sea, but the lack of any
been most notoriously abus’d”
historical or geographical detail in the
(5.1.373) and Malvolio leaves
play suggests that Shakespeare is
swearing vengeance against the
using the name Illyria to create a
other characters. Shakespeare
romantic and intriguing atmosphere
therefore complicates these two
rather than to refer to a specific
stock characters, while
place. Note that some characters
simultaneously maintaining the stock
have Italian names (Viola, Antonio),
types that were recognizable to his
whereas others are distinctly English
audience.
(Toby Belch, Andrew Aguecheek). Scholars have also suggested that
Setting
‘Illyria’ sounds similar to ‘Elysium,’
Twelfth Night takes place in a country
the Ancient Greek equivalent of
named Illyria. In Shakespeare’s time,
heaven.
v
Shakespeare was most likely imaging Illyria as somewhere similar to Dubrovnik in modern-day Croatia
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THEMES Servants and Masters Relationships between servants and masters/mistresses are central to Twelfth Night. Viola, as ‘Cesario’, works as a page for Orsino, which brings about the Viola/Orsino/Olivia love triangle. Olivia’s maid Maria schemes against Malvolio, the chief servant in their household, and humiliates him in front of Olivia, whom Malvolio ambitiously believes he has a chance of marrying despite their differing social statuses. Cross-Dressing Viola’s decision to disguise herself as ‘Cesario’ puts the plot of Twelfth Night into motion. Female characters who dress as men appear in several other Shakespeare plays, notably As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice, and several men in The Merry Wives of Windsor cross-dress as women. As with social class, in Renaissance England the gender into which someone was born dictated a great deal about his or her life. Men held almost all the important and powerful roles in public and private life (Queen Elizabeth I being a notable exception), and women had little personal freedom. This affected the theatrical world, too: women were not allowed to appear on stage, so Viola would have been played by a man playing a woman pretending to be a man! The Role of Women While working-class woman might work out of necessity in Shakespeare’s time, upper-class women like Viola were expected to stay at home until the time came Pittsburgh Public Theater
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for them to marry and start a family. Viola chooses to dress as a man because, as a woman alone in Illyria, she has no other option. She expresses a desire to work for Olivia, but is told that Olivia refuses to see anyone. As the other female protagonist, Olivia’s role in the world of the play is also worth considering. She has decided not to marry for seven years while she mourns her brother, but is nonetheless pursued by two unwanted suitors. Androgyny and Sexuality Love and attraction in Twelfth Night do not function in conventional, purely heterosexual ways. Olivia falls in love with Cesario, who is a woman disguised as a man, and then marries Sebastian thinking that he is Cesario. Viola, as Cesario, tells Orsino that she might love him if she were a woman (2.4.109-110). When Viola’s true identity is revealed and she and Orsino decide to marry, he still calls her “boy” (5.1.261) and addresses her as “Cesario” (5.1.379) – and she is still dressed in men’s clothes. Finally, Antonio states several times that he loves or adores Sebastian; it is never made clear whether he means this platonically or romantically. Discussion questions • Does Malvolio deserve the treatment he receives? • Are the female characters in the play at any disadvantage to the male characters? • Can you think of a situation in our society where a person might dress as someone of the opposite gender? • When Olivia and Orsino fall in love with Cesario, are they in love with a man or a woman? • Who is the most admirable character in the play? • Who is the least admirable? Pittsburgh Public Theater
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SHAKESPEARE’S VERSE In Twelfth Night, you will find three different forms of writing: prose, rhymed verse and blank verse. Prose is simply normal, unrhymed, unmetered language; it is the same form of language you would find in a novel. Verse is language written in a meter (more on this in a moment). Most of the verse in Twelfth Night is blank verse, which means that the lines do not rhyme with one another. Sometimes Shakespeare uses rhymed verse, usually in rhyming couplets (pairs of rhyming lines): “Yet come again: for thou perhaps mayst move That heart which now abhors, to like his love.” 3.1.162-163. In a literary context, a meter is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables within a line of verse. The most famous meter, and the one you will almost always find in Shakespeare’s verse, is iambic pentameter. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry: understanding meter is a lot easier than it sounds! We’ll use the first line of Twelfth Night, one of the most famous lines ever written in iambic pentameter, to help us understand: “If music be the food of love, play on” 1.1.1 The best way to start is by counting the number of metric feet in the line. One metric foot is simply two syllables next to each other. So the first foot of this line is “If mu-”, and since there are ten syllables in the line, there are five metric feet: “If mu | sic be | the food | of love,| play on”
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This is where the pentameter part of iambic pentameter comes from: each line has five metric feet. Penta is a prefix derived from the Ancient Greek word for five, as in pentagon. The next thing to do is to understand the rhythm of the line: which syllables are stressed, or emphasized, when the line is spoken aloud, and which are unstressed. This is called scansion, and it has a code with which the rhythm can be marked. Stressed syllables are marked with a /, and unstressed with a U. Say the line “If music be the food of love, play on” out loud and think about which syllables sound ‘longer’ and which sound ‘shorter’. You should find that the five metric feet in this line are each made up of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one. U/|U / |U / | U / | U / “If music be the food of love, play on” This type of foot is called an iamb. Interestingly, a common theory is that people are naturally drawn to iambic verse because the unstressed-stressed pattern of syllables mirrors the unstressed-stressed rhythm of human heartbeats! Thus, since it has five iambic feet, we can say that “If music be the food of love, play on” is a line written in iambic pentameter. You might come across other forms of meter in your studies. For example, a common alternative to pentameter is tetrameter, which is a line made up of four metric feet, and an common alternative to an iamb is a trochee, which is a foot with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. A line written like this is would be called trochaic tetrameter. However, iambic pentameter is by far the most common meter in English verse drama and poetry. N.B. Although Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter in the majority of his verse, he sometimes deviates from it in individual lines in order to achieve a certain effect. The second activity described below will help you understand these moments in Twelfth Night. Pittsburgh Public Theater
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VERSE AND PROSE ACTIVITY IDEAS ACTIVITY ONE: THINKING ABOUT VERSE, PROSE AND RHYME The scenes listed below do interesting things with prose and blank and rhymed verse. Choose one of the scenes, read it carefully, making sure you understand the context of the scene, and take note of the following things: • Are the characters speaking in verse or prose? • Do any characters switch between verse and prose during the scene? • Are there any rhyming couplets (these are less common and most likely to be found at the end of verse speeches)? Once you have answered these questions, think about why Shakespeare might have made these writing choices: • What is different for you about reading or speaking lines written
in rhymed verse, blank verse or prose? • Does Shakespeare’s choice of rhymed verse, blank verse or prose affect how you feel about what is being said by the characters? • Does a character’s social status seem to make a difference to whether they tend to speak in prose or verse? • If there are characters in the scene who switch between verse and prose, why do you think they do this? For example, is it because of who they are talking to, or what they are talking about? Act 1, Scene 4 Act 1, Scene 5 (lines 166-end) Act 2, Scene 1 Act 2, Scene 2 Act 3, Scene 1 (lines 84-end) Act 3, Scene 4 (lines 308-end) Act 4, Scene 1 Act 5, Scene 1 (this can be split into lines 1-183, and 184-end).
ACTIVITY TWO: DISRUPTED IAMBIC PENTAMETER You might have noticed that, although Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter whenever characters in Twelfth Night speak in verse, you will sometimes come across lines that are not perfect iambic pentameter. Sometimes a line will have nine or eleven syllables, or will not follow the pattern of each foot containing an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable. Sometimes a character will interrupt a line of iambic pentameter – either their own or someone else’s – and either finish it in the same meter or disrupt the meter. For example U / |U / | U / |U / |U / “And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, U / | U / |U E’er since pursue me. Enter Valentine U / | U / | U / How now? What news from her?” 1.1.22-23 U / |U /|U /|U /|U / “It gives a very echo to the seat U / |U / Where love is thron’d. U / | U / |U / Thou dost speak masterly.” 2.4.21-22 Take a look at the context of these two quotations and think about why Shakespeare might have chosen to disrupt the iambic pentameter here. Then try to find more examples of your own!
OTHER WORK BY SHAKESPEARE All's Well That Ends Well (1602) Antony and Cleopatra (1606) As You Like It (1599) Comedy of Errors (1589) Coriolanus (1607) Cymbeline (1609) Hamlet (1600) Henry IV, Part I (1597) Henry IV, Part II (1597) Henry V (1598) Henry VI, Part I (1591) Henry VI, Part II (1590) Henry VI, Part III (1590) Henry VIII (1612) Julius Caesar (1599) King John (1596) King Lear (1605) Love's Labour's Lost (1594) Macbeth (1605) Measure for Measure (1604) Merchant of Venice (1596) Merry Wives of Windsor (1600) Midsummer Night's Dream (1595) Much Ado about Nothing (1598) Othello (1604) Pericles (1608) Richard II (1595) Richard III (1592) Romeo and Juliet (1594) The Taming of the Shrew (1593) The Tempest (1611) Timon of Athens (1607) Titus Andronicus (1593) Troilus and Cressida (1601) Twelfth Night (1599) Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594) The Winter’s Tale (1610) Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Twelfth Night
The second Globe Theatre, built in 1614
HAVE YOU SEEN OR READ ANY OF SHAKESPEARE’S OTHER PLAYS? If so, did they help you understand Twelfth Night? What are some similarities and differences between Twelfth Night and other Shakespeare plays you have seen or read?
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PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMIC STANDARDS The plays of Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 2016-2017 season are a wonderful celebration of some of the greatest works in theatrical history, with rich benefits for school students. The 2015-2016 lineup features renowned composers and playwrights that hold a special place in any theater enthusiast’s heart. This will provide examples of the wittiest dialogue, the sharpest characters, and the most captivating scores. Applicable to All Plays and Productions: Arts and Humanities Standards and Reading-WritingSpeaking-Listening Standards Attendance and participation by students at any play produced by Pittsburgh Public Theater bears direct applicability to the PA Education Standards in Arts and Humanities and ReadingWriting-Speaking-Listening (RWSL). These applicable standards are summarized first. Then, each play for Season 42 is taken in turn, and its relevance to standards in other Academic Content Areas is cited. All standards are summarized by conceptual description, since similar concepts operate across all the grade levels served by The Public’s Education-Outreach programs (Grades 4 through 12); the principal progressive difference is from basics such as Know, Describe and Explain, moving through grade levels towards more mature activities such as Demonstrate, Incorporate, Compare-Contrast, Analyze and Interpret. 1.0: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening • Make inferences and/or draw conclusions based on information from text. • Cite evidence from text to support generalizations. • Identify the author’s intended purpose of text. • Summarize the key details and events of a fictional text as a whole. • Identify and apply meaning of content specific words used in text. • Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate character actions, motives, dialogue, emotions/feelings, traits, and relationships among characters within fictional and literary nonfictional text. • Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate: o The relationship between characters and other components of text. o The setting of fiction or literary nonfiction. o Elements of the plot (conflict, rising action, climax and/or resolution). o Relationship between the theme and other components of text. 9.1: Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts Elements • Scenario • script/text • set design • stage productions • read and write scripts • improvise • interpret a role • design sets • direct.
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Principles • Balance • collaboration • discipline • emphasis • focus • intention • movement • rhythm • style • voice. • Comprehensive vocabulary within each of the arts forms. • Communicate a unifying theme or point of view through the production of works in the arts. • Explain works of others within each art form through performance or exhibition. • Know where arts events, performances and exhibitions occur and how to gain admission 9.2: Historical and Cultural Contexts • The historical, cultural and social context of an individual work in the arts. • Works in the arts related chronologically to historical events, and to varying styles and genres, and to the periods in which they were created. • Analyze a work of art from its historical and cultural perspective, and according to its geographic region of origin. • Analyze how historical events and culture impact forms, techniques and purposes of works in the arts. • Philosophical beliefs as they relate to works in the arts. 9.3: Critical Response •
Know and use the critical process of the examination of works in the arts and humanities. o Compare and contrast o Analyze o Interpret o Form and test hypotheses o Evaluate/form judgments
• Analyze and interpret specific characteristics of works in the arts within each art form • Identify and classify styles, forms, types and genre within art forms (e.g., modern dance and the ethnic dance, a ballad and a patriotic song). • Evaluate works in the arts and humanities using a complex vocabulary of critical response. • Interpret and use various types of critical analysis in the arts and humanities. • Contextual criticism. • Formal criticism. • Intuitive criticism. • Apply the process of criticism to identify characteristics among works in the arts. • Compare and contrast critical positions or opinions about selected works in the arts and humanities (e.g., critic’s review and comparison of Alvin Ailey’s Revelations to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake). 9.4: Aesthetic Response • Compare and contrast examples of group and individual philosophical meanings of works in the arts and humanities (e.g., group discussions on musical theatre versus the individual’s concept of musical theatre). • Compare and contrast informed individual opinions about the meaning of works in the arts to others (e.g., debate philosophical opinions within a listserv or at an artist’s website). • Describe how the attributes of the audience’s environment influence aesthetic responses (e.g., the ambiance of the theatre in a performance of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Cats). • Describe to what purpose philosophical ideas generated by artists can be conveyed through works in the arts and humanities (e.g., T. Ganson’s Destructive Periods in Pittsburgh Public Theater
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Russia During Stalin’s and Deniken’s Leadership conveys her memories and emotions of a specific incident). Application of Pennsylvania Academic Standards to Twelfth Night 1.0 Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening • Interpret the effect of various literary devices (e.g., personification, simile, alliteration, symbolism, metaphor, and imagery). • Understand literary devices in fictional and nonfictional text. • Identify, interpret, and describe figurative language in fiction and nonfiction. • Identify and/or apply a synonym or antonym of a word used in text. • Define and/or apply how the meaning of words or phrases changes when using context clues given in explanatory sentences. • Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate the setting of fiction or literary nonfiction. • Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate elements of the plot (conflict, rising action, climax and/or resolution). • Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate the theme of fiction or literary nonfiction. • Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate character actions, motives, dialogue, emotions/feelings, traits, and relationships among characters within fictional or literary nonfictional text. •
8.0 History • Evaluate patterns of continuity and rates of change over time, applying context of events. • Evaluate how continuity and change have impacted the world today. o Belief systems and religions o Commerce and industry o Technology o Politics and government o Physical and human geography o Social organization 16.0 Student Interpersonal Skills • Analyze impact of a variety of personal traits on relationships and achievement throughout life. • Analyze internal and external factors that influence relationships. • Analyze factors that impact communication. • Analyze various types of conflict and determine appropriate resolutions.
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FURTHER STUDY AND REFERENCES Teachers: Looking for more Shakespeare? There is a wealth of information and ideas for further study and incorporating Shakespeare into the classroom. Check out the following, as a start: How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood Shakespeare’s Scribe by Gary Blackwood The British Library’s Shakespeare teaching resources, which can be found at: www.bl.uk/shakespeare/teaching-resources Bibliography Barber, C.L. Shakespeare’s Festive Comedy. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton UP, 1959. Print. "Dictionary.com - The World's Favorite Online English Dictionary!" Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Accessed 06 July 2016. Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. Edited by Roma Gill, Oxford UP, 1986. Print. i
“William Shakespeare.” BBC History, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/william_Shakespeare. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016. ii “Twelfth Night.” The Film Space: Shakespeare on Film, www.thefilmspace.org/shakespeare-onfilm/resources/twelfth-night/. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016. iii Dixon, Henry. “Photograph of Middle Temple Hall, the location for the first recorded performance of Twelfth Night.” The British Library, London. British Library, www.bl.uk/collection-items/photograph-of-middletemple-hall-the-location-for-the-first-recorded-performance-of-twelfth-night. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016. iv “Stephen Fry wearing the stockings and garters, with Mark Rylance.” Shakespeare Solved, shakespearesolved.blogspot.com/2014/12/shakespeare-twelfth-nights-malvolio.html. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016. v en.aegeanair.com/discover/destinations/dubrovnik/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2016. vi Wenceslas Hollar. Detail from Hollar’s View of London. 1647. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_Theatre. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016.
Contributions to the Resource Guide were made by Margie Romero, Communications Manager, Katie Conaway, Director of Education & Outreach, and interns Anna Béar and Maddie Sieber.
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Pittsburgh Public Theater Education programs are supported by: BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania, EQT Foundation, The Grable Foundation, A. Sanford Levy and Hasele Deutsch Levy Fund and Helen M. Knepper Memorial Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Additional support provided by: Henry C. Frick Educational Fund of The Buhl Foundation, Jack Buncher Foundation, McKinney Charitable Foundation, Richard W. Moriarty, M.D., Richard Rauh, American Eagle Outfitters, Bayer Healthcare, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group Inc., Hefren-Tillotson, Inc., Kinder Morgan Foundation, Levin Furniture, UPMC Health Plan, Vision Benefits of America.
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