what does twelfth night refer to

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What makes 'Twelfth Night' a comedy?

Aspects of comedy: text overview - Twelfth Night

• Overview. Twelfth Night contains many classic aspects of dramatic comedy. ...
• Slapstick and physical comedy. ...
• Malvolio's downfall and schadenfreude. ...
• The role of fools – Feste and Sir Andrew. ...
• Wit and Wordplay. ...
• The Twelfth Night Festivities – a Topsy-Turvy world. ...
• Mocking courtly love and desire. ...
• Comic Resolution. ...

Is the Twelfth Night a Comedy or tragedy?

William Shakespeare wrote three types of play; tragedy, comedy and history. It is well known that “Twelfth Night” is a comedy, but why? It’s not a tragedy because nobody dies during it. It’s not a history because at the time it was not written in the past.

How does the title 'Twelfth Night' reflect the play?

You might have guessed that Twelfth Night, or What You Will (William Shakespeare's only play with an alternate title) has something to do with the popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Twelfth Night (January 6) marks the Feast of the Epiphany, a holiday in Western Christian theology that celebrates the day that the magi (a.k.a. three wise men) presented gifts to the newborn Jesus.

What is the plot summary of Twelfth Night?

Twelfth Night Summary. Viola, separated from her twin Sebastian, dresses as a boy and works for the Duke Orsino, whom she falls in love with. Orsino is in love with the Countess Olivia, and sends Viola to court her for him, but Olivia falls for Viola instead. Sebastian arrives, causing a flood of mistaken identity, and marries Olivia.

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What does Twelfth Night refer to Shakespeare?

The title of Twelfth Night refers to the twelfth night of Christmas, also referred to as the eve of Epiphany, a day that commemorates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus and is often celebrated with a temporary suspension of rules and social orders.

What does the title Twelfth Night refers to?

"Twelfth Night" is a reference to the twelfth night after Christmas Day, also called the Eve of the Feast of Epiphany. It was originally a Catholic holiday, and these were sometimes occasions for revelry, like other Christian feast days. Servants often dressed up as their masters, men as women, and so forth.

What is the conclusion of Twelfth Night?

The play ends as Orsino approves the union between Olivia and Sebastian. Realising his own attraction to 'Cesario', Orsino promises that once Viola is dressed as a woman again, they will be married as well.

How is Twelfth Night relevant today?

Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night reveals that these themes have not lost their meaning over the centuries. The topics of unrequited love, confusing romantic connections and gender issues are all too real in today's modern society and we are all likely to experience at least a couple of these issues in life.

What you will title meaning?

So 'what you will' simply means: 'Twelfth Night, a night when you can do what you like'. A second theory guesses that the alternative title is a nod to the audience: 'Here's my play, Twelfth Night - make of it What You Will. ' The third theory, and our favourite by far, is that it was a total afterthought.

Why is Twelfth Night called festive comedy?

Twelfth Night may be called a festive comedy primarily because of the occasion of its composition. The play took its name from a festival, which was celebrated annually in England on the 6th January, that is, on the twelfth day from Christmas.

Why is Twelfth Night set in Illyria?

Twelfth Night is set in the imaginary Dukedom of Illyria. Illyria happens to correspond to a place on the Adriatic coast, a place most Elizabethans knew nothing about and where most Londoners had never been. This distant and mysterious sounding place makes it a perfect setting for Shakespeare to stage his play.

What movie starring Amanda Bynes is based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?

She's the ManShe's the ManBased onTwelfth Night by William ShakespeareProduced byLauren Shuler Donner Tom Rosenberg Gary LucchesiStarringAmanda Bynes Channing Tatum Laura Ramsey Vinnie Jones Robert Hoffman Alex Breckenridge Julie Hagerty David CrossCinematographyGreg Gardiner14 more rows

When is the old twelfth night?

Old Twelfth Night. In some places, particularly South West England, Old Twelfth Night is still celebrated on 17 January. This continues the custom of the Apple Wassail on the date that corresponded to 6 January on the Julian calendar at the time of the change in calendars enacted by the Calendar Act of 1750.

When was the play Twelfth Night written?

The earliest known performance took place at Middle Temple Hall, one of the Inns of Court, on Candlemas night, 2 February 1602. The play has many elements that are reversed, in the tradition of Twelfth Night, such as a woman Viola dressing as a man, and a servant Malvolio imagining that he can become a nobleman.

What is the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas?

Twelve Days of Christmas. Christmastide. Epiphany. Epiphanytide. Twelfth Night (also known as Epiphany Eve) is a festival in some branches of Christianity that takes place on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas, marking the coming of the Epiphany.

What is the holiday of the 12th night?

Twelfth Night (holiday) This article is about the holiday. For Shakespeare's play, see Twelfth Night. For other uses, see Twelfth Night (disambiguation). Twelfth Night (also known as Epiphany Eve) is a festival in some branches of Christianity that takes place on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas, marking the coming of the Epiphany. ...

What is the tradition of Christmas after the 12th?

A superstition in some English-speaking countries suggests it unlucky to leave Christmas decorations hanging after Twelfth Night, a tradition also variously attached to the festivals of Candlemas (2 February), Good Friday, Shrove Tuesday, and Septuagesima.

What is the last part of Christmas to be removed in the Twelfth Night?

In parts of Kent, there is a tradition that an edible decoration would be the last part of Christmas to be removed in the Twelfth Night and shared amongst the family.

What is the last night of the 12 days?

On the last of the twelve days, called Twelfth Night, various cultures developed a wide range of additional special festivities. The variation extends even to the issue of how to count the days. If Christmas Day is the first of the twelve days, then Twelfth Night would be on January 5, the eve of Epiphany.

What is the significance of the play Twelfth Night?

Some argue that the play was written later, but even those who refute Hotson's argument acknowledge that the world of the play celebrates the spirit of Twelfth Night festivities. Twelfth Night, in Shakespeare’s day, was a holiday celebrated by a festival in which everything was turned upside down. Elizabethan communities often appointed young boys ...

What does the 12th night mean?

The key to the meaning of Twelfth Night is in the title. Twelfth Night is the only one of Shakespeare’s plays to have an alternative title: the play is actually called ‘Twelfth Night, or What You Will’. Critics are divided over what the two titles mean, but 'Twelfth Night' is usually considered to be a reference to Epiphany, or the twelfth night of the Christmas celebration (January 6), as in the popular song “Twelve Days of Christmas”. It marks the Feast of the Epiphany, a culmination of the Christmas period, a holiday in Western Christian theology that celebrates the day that the magi (a.k.a. the three wise men) presented gifts to the newborn Jesus. It represents the manifestation of Light, or Truth, to those who have enough understanding to perceive it. This revelation of Light, or Truth, is the subject of the play, with Viola eventually revealing her true identity as a woman.#N#Critics argue about whether or not the play was written specifically for the Twelfth Night. Leslie Hotson argues that Twelfth Night was performed for Queen Elizabeth and her guest, Count Don Virginio Orsino, on January 6, 1601 (Orsino, of course, is Viola's love interest in the play). Some argue that the play was written later, but even those who refute Hotson's argument acknowledge that the world of the play celebrates the spirit of Twelfth Night festivities. Twelfth Night, in Shakespeare’s day, was a holiday celebrated by a festival in which everything was turned upside down. Elizabethan communities often appointed young boys as "Lords of Misrule"; it was a chance to play king for a day - much like the upside-down, chaotic world of Illyria. This rebellious spirit is reflected in figures like Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, alongside Feste's singing and comedy.#N#Some theorize that the second part of the title was an afterthought: when someone asked the playwright "the name of the play, Shakespeare replied, "Urm, Twelfth Night, or what you will" (as in, "I don't know – whatever"). The second title seems to invite the audience to make "what [we] will" of the play – what it means, and why it matters (if it matters at all) - it is entirely subjective.#N#Some directors of the play have taken the title literally, paying close attention to the Elizabethan rituals related to Twelfth Night; others have disregarded it entirely, and set the play in the sunny Mediterranean, where the historical "Illyria" is located or, as we have done, in 1920s England.

What is the 12th night of Christmas?

Critics are divided over what the two titles mean, but 'Twelfth Night' is usually considered to be a reference to Epiphany, or the twelfth night of the Christmas celebration (January 6), as in the popular song “Twelve Days of Christmas”. It marks the Feast of the Epiphany, a culmination of the Christmas period, ...

What is the significance of the feast of the Epiphany?

the three wise men) presented gifts to the newborn Jesus. It represents the manifestation of Light, or Truth, to those who have enough understanding to perceive it.

Where is the play "Illyria" set?

Some directors of the play have taken the title literally, paying close attention to the Elizabethan rituals related to Twelfth Night; others have disregarded it entirely, and set the play in the sunny Mediterranean, where the historical "Illyria" is located or, as we have done, in 1920s England. 13 Comments.

Answer

A festival celebrated during the Middle Ages on the 12th night after Christmas

New questions in English

In the sentence below, the highlighted coordinating conjunction ("FANBOYS'') is Ochaco Uraraka can play the guitar or mandolin in your bluegrass band. …

What are the words in the opening scene of Twelfth Night?

In the opening scenes of Twelfth Night, for example, you will find the words coistrel (i.e., a low-born contemptible fellow), gust (i.e., taste), an (i.e., if), barful (i.e., filled with obstacles or barriers), and indue (i.e., endow, bestow upon). Words of this kind will become familiar the more of Shakespeare’s plays you read.

Who wrote the poem "Twelfth Night"?

Twelfth Night. By Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine. Editors of the Folger Shakespeare Library Editions. For many people today, reading Shakespeare’s language can be a problem—but it is a problem that can be solved. Those who have studied Latin (or even French or German or Spanish) and those who are used to reading poetry will have little difficulty ...

What language does Shakespeare use in the 12th Night?

In Twelfth Night, within the larger world that Shakespeare calls Illyria, he uses one set of words to create the court of Duke Orsino and a second to create the estate of the Lady Olivia. The language that constructs Orsino’s world is the language of romantic love as seen in religious and mythological terms.

What are some examples of inversions in Shakespeare's language?

(Again, this is often done to create a particular rhythm or to stress a particular word.) Take, for example, Orsino’s “when liver, brain, and heart, / These sovereign thrones, are all supplied, and filled / Her sweet perfections with one self king”; here the phrase “These sovereign thrones” separates the subject (“liver, brain, and heart”) from its verb (“are”), and the phrase “Her sweet perfections” interrupts the phrase “filled with.” Or take the Captain’s lines: “And then ’twas fresh in murmur (as, you know, / What great ones do the less will prattle of) / That he did seek the love of fair Olivia,” where the normal construction “ ’twas fresh in murmur that he did seek the love of fair Olivia” is interrupted by the insertion of the parenthetical “as, you know, what great ones do the less will prattle of.” In order to create for yourself sentences that seem more like the English of everyday speech, you may wish to rearrange the words, putting together the word clusters (“liver, brain, and heart are,” “Her sweet perfections filled with,” “ ’twas fresh in murmur that”). You will usually find that the sentence will gain in clarity but will lose its rhythm or shift its emphasis.

Why does Shakespeare shift his sentences away from normal English?

Shakespeare frequently shifts his sentences away from “normal” English arrangements—often to create the rhythm he seeks, sometimes to use a line’s poetic rhythm to emphasize a particular word, sometimes to give a character his or her own speech patterns or to allow the character to speak in a special way.

What is the meaning of the word validity in the opening scene of Twelfth Night?

In the opening scenes of Twelfth Night, for example, the word validity has the meaning of “worth,” pitch is used where we would say “excellence,” fell is used where we would say “fierce” ...

How do metaphors help in Shakespeare's plays?

In most of Shakespeare’s plays, metaphors are most often used when the idea being conveyed seems hard to express, and the speaker is thus given language that helps to carry the idea or the feeling to his or her listener —and to the audience. In Romeo and Juliet, for example, Romeo’s metaphors of Juliet-as-saint and Juliet-as-light employ images from the poetic tradition that seem designed to portray a lover struggling to express the overpowering feelings that come with being in love. In Twelfth Night one senses that metaphors are to be heard not so much as sincere attempts to express deep feelings as they are a playing with language, a deliberate heightening of emotion for self-indulgence or for display.

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