Abstract
This review looks at several passages from Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" to critique Shakespeare's topsy-turvy presentation of the battle between the sexes. The writer of the paper argues tha,t at face value, it may seem like a play that is not meant to be taken seriously, but in actuality, it has a very serious underlying message. The writer explores love, passion and similar subjects in this humorous play, and asks the readers to look deeper at the nature of love.

From the Paper
"Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy that on the surface looks like it's not meant to be taken terribly seriously. After all it takes place in a country called Illyria which is pretty close to Deliria. A strange madness reigns, especially concerning the subjects of love and gender. The things that happen in this play are so farfetched that it doesn't seem we are meant to believe them at all. The title itself suggests a celebration of merry misrule which is apparently what the Elizabethan celebration of Twelfth Night was like. The What you Will part of the title is like saying, "whatever," or "anything goes." Everything is crazy and unbelievable--the business of the twins, a woman masquerading as a man, and the craziness of ending with Sebastian marrying Olivia, a woman he doesn't even know and of Olivia, instantly loving the brother of the woman disguised as a man who she thought she was in love with just a few minutes ago. It's a world turned upside down, especially where romance is concerned."

Tags:What you will, Malvolio, Olivia, Sebastian, Orsino, twins, sexual identity

Abstract
This paper studies Viola, the protagonist in William Shakespeare's comedy "Twelfth Night". The paper examines Viola's disguise as Cesario, focusing on the themes of self indulgence, disguise, self deception and identity. The paper also looks at how Shakespeare uses the comedic vehicles of disguise and mistaken identity to make Viola an even more intricate character.

From the Paper
"Viola is a young woman born into aristocracy whose ship is wrecked in a storm, causing her to wash up on the shore of Illyria. Believing that her brother, Sebastian, is dead, Viola disguises herself as a young man who she names "Cesario" and becomes a page to Duke Orsino. Viola falls in love with Orsino, while Olivia, the woman Orsino is courting, falls in love with Cesario. Hence, Viola finds that her clever disguise has trapped her, as she is unable to tell Orsino that she loves him, and she is also unable to tell Olivia why she, as Cesario, does not and cannot love her. Viola's predicament is the central conflict in the play."

Tags:comedy, identity, literature, play, tragedy, Cesario, Orsino

Abstract
The paper notes that the 2006 film "She's the Man" clearly pays homage to Shakespeare's comedy "Twelfth Night" in the names of its main characters and the bare-bones outline of its cross-dressing plot, however, the paper points out many differences. The paper discusses how in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", his Viola disguises herself as a boy because of grief, not out of a love of sports, and, Shakespeare's comedy is more fundamentally based upon emotion, character, and even social class than physical difference. The paper continues by noting that Shakespeare's Viola is both a sadder and more vulnerable character throughout "Twelfth Night", in contrast to the more tomboyish Viola in the modern film who can fend for herself. Finally, the paper relates that the very sinister 'madness plot' and the characters of Toby and Andrew in "Twelfth Night" are toned down in "She's the Man".

From the Paper
"The main character, Viola Hastings, is abandoned by her brother Sebastian when the young man leaves for a music career in London, dropping out of the second prep school he has been forced to attend by their parents. Viola leaves Cornwall Prep and pretends to be a boy so she can play soccer disguised as Sebastian at Illyria Prep. However, in Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, his Viola disguises herself as a boy because of grief, not out of a love of sports. Viola finds herself unwillingly rather than willingly in the land of Illyria after a shipwreck. She mistakenly fears that her brother Sebastian has died."

Tags:Viola, Sebastian, Cornwall, Prep, gender, identity

Abstract
This paper examines William Shakespeare's comedy "Twelfth Night" and comments on the social context of Elizabethan society and the degree to which revenge is taken upon Malvolio. It looks at how Shakespeare makes fun of the Puritans, whose Christianity opposed the festivities so loved in Elizabethan society in "Twelfth Night" through Malvolio, the stuck-up steward that is totally opposed to fun as festivity. It analyzes the various forms of revenge as devised by Maria, Olivia and Sir Toby and discusses whether their actions do indeed go too far.

From the Paper
"Madness is a continuing theme throughout the play of Twelfth Night. Maria, Sir Toby and Fabian try to trap Malvolio in madness by acting in such a way as to convince him that they are right. Olivia, already distressed by Malvolio's actions towards her, believes that this might be true. In Elizabethan times, it was thought that to cure a mad person, they should be shut in a dark room until their sanity returned to them, and this is exactly what the plotters do in Act 4, scene 2. They treat Malvolio as though he is actually mad, and Feste joins the scheme, disguising himself as curate Sir Topas to torment Malvolio with his quick-witted tongue."

Tags:olivia, sir, toby, maria, revenge, letter, puritan

Abstract
This paper examines love as a primary theme in literature, and Shakespeare gave particular attention to love and its various aspects in his comedies. "Twelfth Night" is such a comedy and explores the idea of true love and its possibility as well as suggesting how much of love is an illusion. The characters play these ideas out in a setting where women often pretend to be men and so complicate matters even more.

From the Paper
"Love is a primary theme in literature, and Shakespeare gave particular attention to love and its various aspects in his comedies. Twelfth Night is such a comedy and explores the idea of true love and its possibility as well as suggesting how much of love is an illusion. Twelfth Night is a play based on mistaken identities and grand passions. True love in this play becomes enmeshed in a series of errors, mistaken identities, misplaced affections, and a general social confusion that actually begins when Sebastian and Viola are separated in a shipwreck. The confusions are compounded by having Viola dress as a boy, a device often used by Shakespeare and one that creates a particularly rocky road for..."

Tags:love, shakespeare, play

Abstract
In this article, the writer maintains that in "Twelfth Night", William Shakespeare was clearly concerned to teach several lessons about the nature of love and of human relationships. In this essay, the writer discusses that Shakespeare uses the element of comedy to portray these lessons through different characters and that this was more effective than if the information had just been put across in an instructional manner.

From the Paper
"In this essay it will be argued that the lessons are made more accessible due to being conveyed by characters and actions in a romantic comedy, frequently in a comic way, than they would have been if the lessons were simply stated in a didactic way. In Shakespeare's time, his plays provided entertainment and often comedy to people who had far less access to entertainment than we do in our time, with our highly commercialized and ubiquitous entertainment industry."

Tags:twelfth, night, Shakespeare

Abstract
This paper compares the various themes in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and "Hamlet", further noting that they are two entirely different plays, with the former a light comedy, and the other a tragedy which has inspired awe and admiration for hundreds of years. However, the paper contends that what they have in common is that both deal with the theme of madness. Unsurprisingly, these two very different plays deal with this theme in very different ways.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' and 'Hamlet' are two entirely different plays, with the former a light comedy, and the other a tragedy which has inspired awe and admiration for hundreds of years. However, what they have in common is that both deal with the theme of madness. Unsurprisingly, these two very different plays deal with this theme in very different ways. This paper will compare the treatment of madness in these two plays. Most people are well aware that Hamlet deals with madness, as the play is so strongly associated with the tormented, insane figure of Ophelia; as..."

Tags:hamlet, twelfth, night

Abstract
In this article, the writer points out that many scholarly articles and studies of 'Twelfth Night' tend to downplay the literary importance of the play by categorizing it as a genial and charming play. The writer maintains that there is not anything inherently abominable about being either genial or charming, but these two words do not do justice to Shakespeare's deceptively "light" play. 'Twelfth Night' is not a tragedy, but this does not prevent Shakespeare from exploring, through comedy, several fundamental themes of human existence: love, grief, and desire. This paper analyzes Shakespeare's exploration of these existential themes as they appear in 'Twelfth Night' and argues that the playwright, through comedy, unveils the ludicrousness and inappropriateness of extravagant and sentimental emotion.

From the Paper
"The question and the man who asks it barely register in Orsino's mind, but he is quick to pull out his readily available stock of conventional wisdom as soon as he breaks his reverie, and responds to Curio's question with a trite metaphor on love and hunting. No wonder, then, that the servants show signs of impatience and restlessness: their master is luxuriating in a state of complete self-absorption, and the outside world (or the beings that inhabit it) have ceased to exist. Of course, this matters not at all to the extravagant Orsino, as he is completely clueless as to what transpires around him and simply lacks the energy (in the manner of all love-sick gentleman) to engage in hunting or other depleting physical activities.
"Olivia, too, embodies these same characteristics, and it is perhaps unfortunate that the two do not make their own happy ending. Similarly to her determined pursuer, Olivia's emotional "disorder" reveals itself through her conversations with Cesario. The reader knows, before even encountering Olivia, that she is in mourning for a beloved brother. "

Tags:character, play, comedy, behavior

Abstract
In this paper, the use of disguise in Twelfth Night and King Lear are similar in their usage of various behaviors, costumes, and gender roles that are exchanged to discover the real truth through hidden identity. The paper discusses The Earl of Kent's use of disguise of Caius; contrasting with elements of disguise in Twelfth Night that offer a comedic gender role reversal for the men and women involved in love intrigue.

From the Paper
"In this drama study one can compare and contrast the various uses of disguise that arise within Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and King Lear. By realizing the depth and scope of romantic love within the comedic Twelfth Night, Shakespeare intertwines various aspects of relationships that are disguised through gender roles. In contrast to Shakespeare's comedies, King Lear offers a tragic point of view through disguise, which involves the role of power and leadership, which drives King Lear to madness. In essence, by comparing and contrasting the theme of disguise in both tragedy and comedy, one can evaluate how Shakespeare enacts these crucial factors within a textual analysis."

Tags:lear, night, comedy

Abstract
The paper suggests that Orsinio's speech in William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" is an important factor because the disorder in the play must be resolved by the conclusion. The author discusses three major issues in the play--the audience's conflicting feelings about the character of Malvolio, Orsino's feelings towards Olivia, and Orsino's love for Viola who has been dressed as a man to help Orsino Win Olivia's favor--and concludes by explaining how each of these major issues are resolved by the end of the play.

From the Paper
"When the play opens, Malvolio is treated like an antagonist. This is not due to any malevolence on his part, but is actually attributable to the fact that he seems determined to prevent any of the other characters from engaging in any type of revelry. This immediately sets Malvolio up as the antagonist, because the play's title is "Twelfth Night", which would have given an Elizabethan audience the expectation that the play was going to feature a certain amount of Bacchanalian wild abandonment. Malvolio argues for sobriety and temperance. In response, some of the other characters make him the victim of their practical jokes. This ill-will results in a practical problem for Viola. At the play's beginning, she is accompanied by a captain. When she learns that Orsino, whom she does not know, has been unsuccessful in his pursuit of Olivia, Viola decides to dress like a boy and help Orsino press his suit. However, only the captain is privy to Olivia's plans, and Malvolio has had him arrested and imprisoned. Therefore, in order to verify Viola's claims, and to free him, Orsino has to find out where the captain is and why he has been imprisoned. When Malvolio leaves, Olivia notes that he has been abused. (Twelfth Night, V.i., 379). In response, Orsino addresses Olivia, asking her to "Pursue him, and entreat him to a peace; He hath not told us of the captain yet." (Twelfth Night, Vi., 380-381). This line makes the reader understand that, while the main characters may not like Malvolio, they acknowledge that he has been mistreated and that they must make amends to him in order for the play to reach its resolution. "

Tags:play, comedy, malvolio, olivia, viola