Twelfth Night,
(or What You Will)
A comedy by
William
Shakespeare
Twelfth Night Goals
• Content Goal- We will read selections from Twelfth
Night, watch the movie version, and watch selections of
adaptations. We will focus on the poetry of language,
how it communicates emotions, and compare versions of
Shakespeare’s comedic work.
• Language Goal- We will use words to show emotions,
conflict, and sensory images.
“Without an understanding of this music, Shakespeare is
only the sense we can make of him; he is the wisdom
without the shapeliness, which is one half of the poem.”
Mary Oliver
Theme
• Twelfth Night is about illusion, deception,
disguises, madness, and the extraordinary
things that love will cause us to do—and to see.
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/twelfthnight/context.
html
• Two main themes are “love is suffering” and
the “costs of ambition.”
Elements of Theatrical Comedy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
disguises
mistaken identity
separation of lovers
family turmoil
clever servant and/or fool
separation & reunification
celebratory resolution of all conflict
Famous Quotation
“Be not afraid of
greatness: some are
born great, some
achieve greatness,
Some have greatness
thrust upon them.”
II.v Malvolio
She’s the Man = Twelfth Night
Adaptations remind us that Shakespeare’s storylines are classic stories on lasting themes.
Shakespearean Sonnet
Format and Meter
• 14 lines
– 3 quatrains and 1
couplet
• Iambic pentameter
– Soft…hard sounds
alternated 5 times
– Generally 10 syllables in
a line
Source: Mary Oliver Rules for the Dance
• Rhyme Scheme
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
Orsino’s Monologue I.i 1-15
If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
That strain again! it had a dying fall:
O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound,
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour! Enough; no more:
'Tis not so sweet now as it was before.
O spirit of love! how quick and fresh art thou,
That, notwithstanding thy capacity
Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there,
Of what validity and pitch soe'er,
But falls into abatement and low price,
Even in a minute: so full of shapes is fancy
That it alone is high fantastical.
Memorize me.
The No Fear Shakespeare Version
ORSINO If it's true that music makes people more in love,
keep playing. Give me too much of it, so I'll get sick of it
and stop loving. Play that part again! It sounded sad.
Oh, it sounded like a sweet breeze blowing gently over
a bank of violets, taking their scent with it. That's
enough. Stop. It doesn't sound as sweet as it did
before. Oh, love is so restless! It makes you want
everything, but it makes you sick of things a minute
later, no matter how good they are. Love is so vivid and
fantastical that nothing compares to it.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/twelfthnight/page_2.html
Famous or Memorable Quotations
Love sought is good, but giv'n unsought is better. III.i
Is it a world to hide virtues in? I.iii
We will draw the curtain and show you the picture. I.v
Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty. II.iii
He does it with a better grace, but I do it more natural. II.iii
This is very midsummer madness. III.iv
Out of the jaws of death. III.iv
English Nerd Joke
Twelfth Night Character Tracking Chart
Write notes on each
character (on petals) while
watching the film. Put
notes on setting around
the violet.
Literary Terms in Practice
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
dramatic irony
imagery
iambic pentameter
prose vs. verse
rhyme
metaphor
puns
bawdiness
oxymoron
Goals Day #2
• Content Goal- Shakespeare in Love is a movie
(screenplay by Tom Stoppard) that imagines a
relationship between Shakespeare and the
actress who secretly plays Juliet. At the end he
starts prewriting Twelfth Night. We’ll start the
movie at scene 25 “Opening Night” to get
acquainted with the play.
• Language Goal- We will focus on the author’s
mindset and purpose for writing Twelfth Night
while paying particular attention to the words he
chooses, rhythm, and rhyme to convey more
meaning.
Viola
(Cesario)
Olivia
Sebastian
Sir Toby
Belch
Twelfth Night Characters