EDUCATION TOUR COMPANION STUDY GUIDE & ACTIVITIES
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
TWELFTH NIGHT
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
This collection of resources was developed to
accompany our 2013 Education Tour production QUICK
DELIGHT TWELFTH NIGHT. It contains information and
activities you can use in your classroom to prepare your
students for the performance, and to follow up with
them afterwards.
The goal of all Festival education programs “In the
Schools” is to deepen our community’s appreciation
for and connection to Shakespeare, providing only the
highest quality theatre education to inspire people of
all ages - to creatively engage, explore, and delight
in the works of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s
poetry and plays are a primary element in any process
of lifelong learning. In the 2011-12 season, more
than 40,000 students in area schools and community
venues experienced Shakespeare through the Festival’s
education programs. We welcome as many as 66,000
people annually to our mainstage production in
Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park.
Through the Festival’s education programs, students are
challenged and engaged while enhancing their ability to
read, watch, and perform Shakespeare. We appreciate
this opportunity to Share the Shakespearience with
your students and faculty. Thank you for bringing the
Festival to your school!
CHRISTOPHER LIMBER
Education Director
Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sources & First Production.............................................1
Important to Know........................................................2
What’s In A Name?........................................................3
Character Descriptions.................................................3
Synopsis.......................................................................4
Women Who “Pulled a Viola”........................................5
Pre-Show & Post-Show Questions.................................6
Activities for Grades 4-8...............................................7
Activities for Grades 9-12.............................................9
Bullying Worksheet.....................................................11
Further Resources.......................................................12
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Christopher Limber
Elana Kepner
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
5715 Elizabeth Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
PHONE: (314) 531-9800 | FAX: (314) 531-9805
SFSTL.com
Rick Dildine, Executive Director: rdildine@sfstl.com
Christopher Limber, Education Director: climber@sfstl.com
Roze Wolownik, Assistant Director: rwolownik@sfstl.com
SFSTL EDUCATION TOUR 2013 SPONSORS
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MISSOURI ARTS COUNCIL ARTS & EDUCATION COUNCIL REGIONAL ARTS COMMISSION
SINQUEFIELD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION MONSANTO FUND
CENTENE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION DANA BROWN FOUNDATION
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
Connect to Shakespeare
Do you have some other specific information about Shakespeare I can use to prepare my students?
To begin fostering this life-long connection with Shakespeare, a general introduction is helpful for your students
before viewing the in-school performance of Quick
All theDelight
World's
a Stage…
Twelfth
Night. Our website offers materials which provide
a foundation about Shakespeare and his world in London:
Grades K-8 will enjoy the cross-curricular materials and hands-on activities in
Shake Hands With William Shakespeare: A Cross-Curricular Study Guide for Grades K-8
On Shakespeare & His Times: Biography, the Globe Theatre and More
and
On Shakespeare's Plays: Shakespeare's Works and Language
In addition to these, we have available guides for several other Shakespeare plays, including Macbeth, The Merry
Wives of Windsor, Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more.
Visit www.ShakespeareFestivalStLouis.org and click on Education / Resources / Study Guides.
To foster a life-long
connection with
Shakespeare, a general
introduction is helpful for
your students before
viewing
Quick
Delight a
All
the World’s
Stage...
Twelfth
Night.
Ensemble, SFSTL 2005 production of The Tempest. Photo © J. David Levy.
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
High school students will most appreciate reading and discussing the two study units called:
On All the World’s a Stage...
This guide includes activities and discussions which lead students to compare and contrast
Shakespeare's childhood experiences with their lives today.
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SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
SOURCES AND FIRST PRODUCTION
At the turn of the 17th century, Shakespeare wrote his greatest
tragedies, including Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony
and Cleopatra. During a window of nearly a decade, Shakespeare
wrote only one pure comedy: Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night was
most likely written between 1600 and 1601, but it was not until
1602 that a production was recorded. A lawyer named John
Manningham first mentions a performance of Twelfth Night in
his February 2, 1602 diary entry:
We can tell which part of the play Manningham found most interesting! Just as Manningham mentions,
Shakespeare probably drew from a number of sources to weave Twelfth Night. Menaechmi, by Roman playwright
Plautus, had already served Shakespeare well as the source for one of his earliest comedies, The Comedy of
Errors. This play tells the story of twins, separated a birth and reunited as adults after being mistaken for
each other. Manningham mentions another possible source, an Italian comedy of disguise, Inganni. This play
involves a brother and sister who are separated, but eventually reunited. The sister dresses as a boy and is
employed wooing a lady for a master she has fallen in love with. Twelfth Night was adapted and performed
throughout the Restoration Period. In 1662, Samuel Pepys, a theatre critic and diarist, called Twelfth Night, “a
silly play”, and yet he saw it at least three times over the next decade.
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
“At our feast we had a play called “Twelve Night, or What
You Will,” much like “The Comedy of Errors” or “Menaechmi”
in Plautus, but most like and near to that in Italian called
“Inganni.” A good practice in it to make the steward believe
his lady-widow was in love with him, by counterfeiting a
letter as from his lady, in general term telling him what she
liked best in him and prescribing his gesture in smiling, his
apparel, etc. and then, when he came to practice, making
him believe they took him for mad.”
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SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
IMPORTANT TO KNOW
• Although Twelfth Night is considered a comedy (it ends with a wedding after all), the play begins with the
death of Olivia’s brother and the presumed death of Viola’s brother. The women’s mourning and deep sense
of loss is important to the action of the play. The ultimate fate of Malvolio, embittered and vowing revenge,
is also unusual for a comedy. Shakespeare might have been preparing his audiences for a new kind of play:
a romance, where life and death, comedy and tragedy, are all mixed together, more like real life. His later
plays (The Tempest, Cymbeline, Pericles, The Winter’s Tale) fall into this genre.
• Twelfth Night is one of five Shakespeare plays where the female protagonist dresses as a man. The leading
ladies in As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Cymbeline, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona also dress as men,
but Viola spends more time in pants than Rosalind, Portia and Nerissa, Imogen, or Julia. After her first scene,
she is “Cesario” until the final moments of the play.
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
• Antonio is one of the most popular names in Shakespeare. Of the five major characters named Antonio in
Shakespeare’s plays, three of them are involved in shipwrecks (in Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice and
The Tempest). A bit of advice: Don’t get on a boat in a Shakespeare play if a guy named Antonio is around.
• Twelfth Night features a set of twins, a boy and a girl, the boy thought dead. Shakespeare’s 11 year old son
Hamnet died in 1596, leaving behind his twin sister Judith. The Shakespeare’s grief over the loss of his son
is evident in Viola’s reaction to her brother’s death.
• The title Twelfth Night makes reference to the
Festival of Epiphany, held on the twelfth night after
Christmas, January 6. The play may have premiered
on this date or been commissioned for Twelfth Night
festivities, although we have no record to validate
this theory. In Shakespeare’s time, Epiphany was even
more important than Christmas as it commemorated
not only the coming of the Magi, but also Christ’s
Baptism and the miracle at Cana. The title’s real
significance, however, lies in the Festival of Twelfth
Night’s ties to the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia. Saturnalia was celebrated by role reversal between
master and servant, role playing, and mask-wearing. By Shakespeare’s time, Twelfth Night was celebrated,
much to the chagrin of the church, by abandoning many of the normal rules of life, with singing, revelry, and
excessive eating and drinking.
• Twelfth Night is the only play that Shakespeare subtitled. “What You Will” may be an invitation to retitle the
play as the reader might choose, much in the spirit of the Festival of Twelfth Night. At the time of writing, the
word “will” meant “wish” or “inclination,” but could also mean “irrational desire” or “passion uncontrolled
by judgment.” Many of the characters in the play give over to their passions, both positive and negative.
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• Twelfth Night is set in the fictional kingdom of Illyria. Shakespeare mentions Illyria previously in Henry IV,
Part 2 as the home of an infamous pirate. Shakespeare may have been inspired by the play Menaechmi
by Roman playwright Plautus, which is also about twins and mistaken identities. Menaechmi was set in
Epidamnus, a city in the ancient Roman region of Illyria, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, covering
present-day Croatia and Albania.
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
VIOLA: a young noblewoman who is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria. Believing her twin brother, Sebastian, to have perished in the
shipwreck, Viola disguises herself as a boy and calls herself “Cesario” in order to obtain a position in Duke Orsino’s court.
ORISINO: the Duke of Illyria, who believes himself to be love with Olivia. He is actually in love with the idea of being in love, and
enjoys the heartache and anguish of pursing a woman who is not interested in him.
COUNTESS OLIVIA: a noblewoman of Illyria, in mourning for her brother. She is growing tired of
Orsino’s wooing, but the new suitor sent to her by the Duke piques her interest.
MALVOLIO: Olivia’s puritanical butler, who is secretly in love with her. Malvolio imagines that he is
superior to the other servants of the household, and even looks down on Sir Toby and Sir Andrew.
FESTE: a witty fool. He is allowed to poke fun at those of higher social status within the play. Feste sets
the established social order on its head, mirroring the celebration of the Festival of Twelfth Night.
SIR TOBY BELCH: Olivia’s uncle; a connoisseur of fun, practical jokes, wine and partying. Sir Toby
refuses to take any responsibility and defies societal conventions to woo Maria.
SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK: a friend of Sir Toby; a suitor to Olivia. Andrew is young, silly, gullible, and easily influenced by Sir Toby
and Maria. He is supposed to be wooing Olivia, but spends most of his time drinking and carousing with Sir Toby.
SEBASTIAN: Viola’s twin brother, rescued from the shipwreck by Antonio. He believes his sister is dead and comes to Illyria by
chance.
ANTONIO: Sebastian’s rescuer and friend. Antonio is a wanted man in Illyria.
A SEA CAPTAIN: the captain of the wrecked ship. The Captain helps Viola disguise herself as a man and find a position in Orsino’s
court.
FABIAN: a servant at Olivia’s estate. Has a bone to pick with Malvolio, and is glad to be a part of a plan to bring the butler down
a peg.
VALENTINE and CURIO: gentlemen serving in Orsino’s court.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
MARIA: a lady in waiting who serves as secretary, confidant, and lady’s maid to Olivia. She holds a
grudge against Malvolio because of his superior behavior and is ready to take revenge.
Many of the characters in Twelfth Night have names with double meanings.
MALVOLIO - with the root “mal,” meaning “bad” or “evil,” Malvolio’s name means “bad will or humor.”
ORSINO - the literal meaning of this name is “little bear,” but the Duke also shares the name of the Spanish ambassador to
England at the time the play was written. The English and Spanish were not on the best of terms, so Shakespeare may have
jumped at the chance to mock the ambassador by naming a foolish character after him, or he may have been trying to flatter the
ambassador with a tribute of sorts.
SIR TOBY BELCH - a “Toby jug” was a pottery beer mug made in the form of a seated person, and
“belch” is a synonym for “burp.” As a man who likes his beer, Sir Toby is very appropriately named.
FESTE - from the same root as “festival,” although Feste is more of a somber fool.
SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK - “Ague” means “fever” or “fit,” so essentially Sir Andrew is “Sir Andrew
Feverface.”
OLIVIA - First written in this spelling by Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. This name can relate to the
olive branch which is the symbol of peace, but Shakespeare might have been playing on the Latin
root “voli,” which means “will” or “wish.”
VIOLA - a small flower or a musical instrument, but also another take on “voli”.
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SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
SYNOPSIS
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
Twins Viola and Sebastian are separated when their ship capsizes. Each believes that the other has drowned.
Viola washes ashore on the coast of Illyria. To survive, she disguises herself as a man and assumes the name
“Cesario.” In her disguise, she can take a position in the court of the melancholy Duke Orsino, who is in love
with the Lady Olivia. Lady Olivia is in mourning for the deaths of her brother and father, and, as she is grieving,
refuses Orsino’s overstated attentions. Orsino, having already exhausted all other options, sends “Cesario” as
an emissary to Olivia. Viola (as “Cesario”), pleads of Orsino’s case to Olivia so poetically and fervently that
Olivia falls in love with “Cesario.” Of course, “Cesario,” really a woman, has fallen head over heels in love with
Orsino, and must keep her love a secret.
Visiting Olivia’s estate is the foppish knight Sir Andrew Aguecheek. He is rich and has been fooled into seeking
Olivia’s love by her cousin, Sir Toby Belch, who is freeloading at the estate. They drink, carouse, and defy the
atmosphere of grief in the house. With the help of Olivia’s trusted maid Maria, and the philosophical fool Feste,
a plot is made to embarrass the dour Malvolio, a steward with no tolerance for frivolity. They fool Malvolio
into thinking that Olivia desires him, and when he confesses his love (complete with yellow, cross-gartered
stockings), Olivia orders him imprisoned as a madman.
Meanwhile, Sebastian (Viola’s twin brother) was saved from the shipwreck by a pirate, Antonio, who is wanted
for treason in Illyria. Loyal to Sebastian, Antonio vows to stay and help him, and gives him money so Sebastian
can enjoy Illyria while Antonio stays hidden from the law. While Sebastian explores, he chances to meet
Olivia. The two quickly fall in love (all while Olivia believing Sebastian to be “Cesario”) and wed quickly and
secretly. Sir Toby and another sidekick, Fabian (who works on the estate) trick Sir Andrew and “Cesario” into
challenging each other to a hilarious duel over Olivia.
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The pirate Antonio is captured and brought to Orsino, who is at Olivia’s estate, where he encounters Viola as
“Cesario.” Soon the twins run into each other, and all are reunited. Malvolio is set free and vows revenge.
Once he leaves, all are paired with their true loves and are married: Orsino and Viola, Olivia and Sebastian,
and Maria and Sir Toby.
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
AWESOME WOMEN WHO “PULLED A VIOLA”
Throughout history, women have dressed as or even lived their entire lives as men for various reasons: to
pursue a career closed to women in their time, to protect themselves or their families, to enjoy freedom from a
repressive society, or simply because they identified more as men than women.
• HUA MULAN (Yes, she inspired the Disney movie) Mulan may or may not have been a real
woman who lived sometime during the fifth or sixth century in China. She posed as a man so
she could join the army in order to serve in the place of her aging father.
• CHARLEY PARKHURST (1812-1879) Mary Parkhurst grew up as an orphaned stable
hand, and started dressing as a boy early in life. Eventually she took the name Charley and
lived the rest of her life as a male. She became one of Wells Fargo’s top stagecoach drivers
and lost an eye in an accident. A “Charley Darkey Parkhurst” is listed on the Santa Cruz,
California official poll list for the 1868 election, so Charley might have been the first woman
to vote. Her gender was not discovered until her death.
• DOROTHY LAWRENCE (1896-1964) Dorothy was a British journalist who posed as a man
so she could join the army and report from the front lines of World War I. Fearing that her
gender would be discovered and endanger the men with whom she served, she turned herself
in to the military. She was interrogated as a spy and eventually was forced to sign an affidavit
swearing never to write about her experiences. Her account was eventually published.
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
• CATALINA DE ERAUSO (1592-1650) Catalina escaped from a convent in Spain, disguised
herself as a man, and ran off to the New World in search of adventure. She had a successful
career in the military. When it was discovered she was a woman, scandal broke out, but she
had served her country so bravely that she was granted special permission from the pope to
wear men’s clothing. She then changed her name to Antonio de Erauso and served in the army
until her death.
• BILLY TIPTON (1914-1989) Born as Dorothy Tipton, she distinguished herself as a jazz
musician, but was barred from joining bands because she was a woman. Encountering prejudice
at every turn, she decided to adopt a male persona to get gigs. Eventually, she became “Billy”
full-time and had a successful career as a jazz musician and bandleader. Besides Dorothy’s
birth family, no one, not even Billy’s five wives or adopted children suspected that Billy was
born female.
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SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS
POST-SHOW QUESTIONS
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
• What do you know about Shakespeare? Do you know •What did you think about the play? Was it what you
where he was from? Where he worked? Does anyone expected? Is there anything you particularly liked or
know his nickname?
disliked about the show?
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• Do you know what Shakespeare’s theater was called? •Did you relate strongly to any particular character?
Do you know what it looked like? Does anyone know Who? Why? Were there characters you didn’t
what a groundling is? Does anyone know what understand?
Shakespeare’s theater company was called?
•What did you think of the production aspects of
• What do you know about the play Twelfth Night? Do this show, such as the set, sound, and costumes?
Did they help you understand the show? Did they
you know any of the main characters?
distract from the action?
• Shakespeare wrote his plays in verse. Does anyone
know what this is? Have you ever heard of iambic •How was the language for you? Did you find it difficult
pentameter? Do you know what characterizes this to understand? Were there parts you understood
better than others? Can you explain what made the
type of meter?
difference?
• What is a comedy? What makes it different from a
tragedy? Can anyone think of other types of plays? •Do you think that Maria and Sir Toby were justified in
how they treated Malvolio? Do you think Maria and
• Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied
Sir Toby felt better when they got their revenge? Why
anyone?
or why not?
• Have you ever watched someone being bullied?
•Do you think Malvolio’s punishment is harsh, or do
What did you do?
you think he deserved what he got because of his
• How would you explain a villain to somebody who behavior?
has never heard that term?
•The actors in the tour play more than one role
• How about a hero? Do you know the literary terms for each. Was there any part of the doubling that was
interesting to you, or confusing? In Shakespeare’s
these characters?
day, all the roles were played by men. How did having
• Have you ever wanted to get back at someone who a woman play both Viola and Sebastian change the
was mean to you?
play, or change the way you thought about the play?
• What do you know about play themes? Can anyone •We talked about Shakespeare’s New Globe Theatre
give an example? From what you’ve heard of Twelfth before the play. How is the New Globe different from
Night what do you think the themes might be?
Shakespeare’s original? How is it similar? How do you
• Has anyone seen another Shakespeare play before? think the different spaces would impact the play?
Which one? What do you remember thinking about •How important is music in the play? What did the
that show?
music tell you about the play and the characters?
• Are you all excited for the show? Nervous? Any •Now that you’ve seen the play, what do you think
questions you want to ask before we all go to see are the major themes? Why? How do these themes
the play?
impact the main characters?
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
ACTIVITIES FOR GRADES 4-8
ACTIVITY 1 - PRE-SHOW RESEARCH (R.1.H)
team two provides the word while team one guesses.
Continue until all words have been used – the team
with the most points wins!
ACTIVITY 2 – SHAKESPEARE BEE (R.1.E)
Students will develop vocabulary skills using context
and the aid of the dictionary or other reference.
MATERIALS: Two copies of Twelfth Night, bookmarking
tabs, Shakespearean dictionary (if unavailable, you
can use a regular dictionary and a copy of the play
with the words defined in text).
another in prose. Remain available, as some students
may still have difficulty telling the difference. When
everyone has found these two passages, ask for
volunteers to read them out loud, so the students can
hear the difference. When the differences have been
established, let this turn into a discussion of why
Shakespeare did or did not use verse. Ask them which
of the characters spoke in verse and which did not.
Ask what the emotional and psychological differences
may have been between the two.
Divide the class into two groups, giving each half a
copy of Twelfth Night. Let each group come up with a
ACTIVITY 4: CHARACTER WORK
list of words found in the text that they don’t think the
other team will know. Each team should find as many Part 1) Journaling.
words as there are players on the other team. Have
them mark where these words are found in the text MATERIALS: Paper, writing utensils, art supplies.
with book-marking tabs.
As an actor, it’s really important to get to know who the
PLAYING THE GAME: team one gives one of their characters are, so you can better pretend to be that
words, which team two then has to attempt to define character. Now it’s your turn to try to understand one
or explain. The teacher should provide the ultimate of the characters in Twelfth Night. Pick your favorite
ruling on each word: if the guessing team has the right character from the play. Now, write a journal entry as
idea, they get one point. Then the teams switch, and if you were that person. It can be that character
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
Students will compare the text to the real world,
ACTIVITY 3 – VERSE VS. PROSE (R.2.B, LS.1.A)
examining how the historical period of the work
Students will analyze literature based using poetic
influenced the content.
sound devices (meter). Students will listen for a
MATERIALS: Note cards, computer/library access.
variety of purposes (distinction).
Before reading Twelfth Night, give each student a note MATERIALS: Copies of Twelfth Night.
card. Then, via library or computer, have them find
one unique fact about Shakespeare, Twelfth Night or Shakespeare wrote both in verse (a kind of rhymed
Elizabethan England. Have each student read theirs poetry that utilized the 10-syllable iambic pentameter)
aloud and then collectively, with the help of additional and prose (an unrhymed way of speaking which is
resource material, create a timeline across the room. more similar to everyday speech). An example of
For example, if a student’s fact is that Elizabeth I was iambic pentameter: “I don’t know why I like this play so
the Queen of England, her card goes before someone much.” Iambic pentameter is interesting because the
with Shakespeare’s birth date, which goes before flow of the words is supposedly similar to a heartbeat,
a card with the date Twelfth Night was written. If creating a familiar sound for the audience.
possible, leave this timeline up as a reference point INSTRUCTIONS: Give each student a copy of the play
while you study the rest of the text.
and instruct them to find one passage in verse and
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SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
before the play, during the play or even afterwards. Try to make up some details that you don’t already know.
What is your character’s favorite color? Who is their best friend? What is their favorite childhood memory?
Part 2) Improv
Split up into groups of three or four students. Now, pick a time and a place. As the characters you just wrote
about, create a scene that shows them interacting outside the play. When you are ready, perform this for the
rest of your class!
TEACHER NOTE: If you have younger students, scale down the activity. Instead of writing about their character,
let them draw pictures. And instead of creating a scene, let them have some supervised playtime, encouraging
them to pretend to be their characters.
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
ACTIVITY 5: TEXT WORK (R.2.C)
Students will examine a work and analyze the presentation of the characters. Before you begin to discuss the
play, write the names of the main characters on the board or on large sheets of paper: Viola, Olivia, Orsino,
Malvolio and Sebastian are the suggested characters to focus on. Ask students to list everything they know
about these characters based only on their reading before discussing the text. Encourage them to list how they
feel about the characters, as well as any factual information. As you discuss the text, add new discoveries
about the characters to the board, creating a list. When you’re done with the discussion, draw the student’s
attention back to their character lists. Have them add their final feelings and impressions about each one.
Note how they have changed as everyone discovered new information. How does this impact the understanding
of the play?
ACTIVITY 6: RETELLING THE STORY (R.1.H, R.2.C)
Students will compare text to world, examining how the historical period of the work influenced the content
(and how it changes in a different context). Students will analyze themes in a work. Shakespeare’s stories
are often retold using other artistic forms and set in other time periods. Now it’s your turn to recreate the story
behind Twelfth Night. The main themes in Twelfth Night are love, disguise, and misrule. Secondary themes
are bullying and status. Keeping these main points in mind, as well as the overall plot arc, retell the story of
Twelfth Night putting it in a modern context. Create it as if Twelfth Night was happening today. Feel free to
use whatever artistic medium you are most comfortable with. You could write a play, like Shakespeare, or if
you’re a dancer, you could imagine or choreograph a dance. You could write a story or a poem or you can draw
a picture of what Twelfth Night might look like today. If you like, you can even write an essay or a list of things
that would be different or similar if they happened today.
TEACHER NOTE: The idea behind this activity is to encourage students to think creatively. Provide a supportive
environment – hang the artwork of those who draw pictures, encourage those who write plays to stage them for
the class, or let other authors read their own writing or explain their thoughts on the matter. If students need
inspiration, have them go online to look up material that uses Twelfth Night in a non-traditional manner.
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SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
ACTIVITIES FOR GRADES 9-12
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
them? In one column, list some (if not all) of the puns used
throughout the play. In another column, have the students
record the meaning of the pun - why is it funny/important? For
ACTIVITY 1
example, in Act 1, Scene 1, Orsino and Curio have an exchange
WORD POWER: MOST IMPORTANT WORDS
about hunting a hart (a deer) and the heart. (For younger
(DESE: PP1.B) (Show-Me Goal 2.1)
students, you can identify and discuss them together; for older
Provide each student with the below passage from Twelfth students, have them do this on their own.)
Night. Have 22 students each take one line. Standing in a
ACTIVITY 3
circle, closed against the rest of the class, ask them to read
MUSIC VIDEO FOR FESTE’S SONGS
their lines in order. They should do it a second time, faster.
Now, ask them to choose one word from their line that they
(DESE-Interdisciplinary Connections 1.A)
feel is most important. The third read-through should be just
(Show-Me Goal 2.5)
the words deemed most important in each line. A fourth time
AUTHOR: Susan M. Kochman, Hempfield Area High School,
should be the same, only faster.
Greensburg, PA.
1. Where goes Cesario?
Songs are often overlooked in Shakespeare’s plays; this lack
2. After him I love
of attention will be addressed having students dramatize
one of Feste’s songs. Creating a choral reading, singing
3. More than I love these eyes, more than my life,
and performing the song, or staging a music video will help
4. More, by all mores, than e’er I shall love wife.
students recognize how music and lyrics contribute to the mood
5. If I do feign, you witnesses above
and meaning of a scene. The students’ creativity and active
participation in whatever form the lesson takes will make both
6. Punish my life for tainting of my love!
the song and scene more memorable. This lesson will take one
7. Ay me, detested! how am I beguiled!
to two class periods.
8. Who does beguile you? who does do you wrong?
INSTRUCTIONS
9. Hast thou forgot thyself? is it so long?
1. Ask students to recall any plays they have read or seen that
10. Call forth the holy father.
have songs or music in them. (If they can’t think of any
11. Come, away!
plays, resort to movies.) Discuss specific examples and
their responses to these songs or music, and note what
12. Whither, my lord? Cesario, husband, stay.
affects the songs produced on the audience.
13. Husband!
2. Tell students that they will create a performance of a song
14. Ay, husband: can he that deny?
in Twelfth Night.
15. Her husband, sirrah!
3. Divide students into groups of four or five and have them
16. No, my lord, not I.
prepare a dramatization of Feste’s song. Have each group
“script” the song, parceling out lines and phrases to
17. Alas, it is the baseness of thy fear
different students, or perhaps saying or singing certain
18. That makes thee strangle thy propriety:
lines all together. Each person in the group must contribute
19. Fear not, Cesario; take thy fortunes up;
either by reading, singing, acting out a part, or adding
sound effects. Encourage the students to be creative in
20. Be that thou know’st thou art, and then thou art
scripting their choral reading. They may also choose to set
21. As great as that thou fear’st.
the words to a modern tune or write their own music for
ACTIVITY 2 - PUNS (DESE-R2.B)
the song. You may ask which modern artist they think this
song would be fitting for.
A pun is play on words based on the similarity of sound between
two different words with different meanings. Puns are as 4. Each group will present its version of the song to the
common a source of jokes today as they were when Shakespeare
class. When all the groups have performed, discuss what
wrote Twelfth Night. Have the students keep a running list of
the students discovered throughout the process, noting
the puns they notice as they read Twelfth Night and who said
differences among groups in performance and interpretation,
them. What do the puns tell us about the characters who said
and determining what the song contributes to the scene.
9
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
ACTIVITY 4 - CHARACTERIZATION (DESE-R2.C)
Have students rewrite the play as a contemporary soap opera,
Through each character’s speech and actions, we learn about perhaps through a week of episodes. After the script has been
the character’s desires, intentions, motivations, and dreams. drafted, they might perform and record or film it. The recording or
Divide the class into groups and assign each group an act. film can be shown in class or placed in a classroom media library..
Allow the group to select one major character that frequently Have students stage an episode of a daytime talk show on
appears in that act. Have them analyze the speech and actions which Malvolio confronts Maria, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Olivia.
of the character and list what each speech and/or action tells Who appears and in which order? What is the headline for that
us about the character’s motivation and desires. They should day’s show? What questions does the host ask? What questions
divide the paper in half and list on the left, the lines or behavior do members of the audience ask?
in the act, and on the right list what the lines or behavior tells us Have students design, either by hand or on the computer,
about the character’s desires. After each group has completed costumes for each of the characters. The costumes should
this exercise, have them create an internal monologue based reveal knowledge of the historical period and analysis of the
on one or more of the speeches of the character in the selected personality of the character. These ‘sketches’ can be presented
act. In an internal monologue, the character speaks directly to the class or posted.
to the audience or him/herself about her/his desires and
motivations. The group then presents their internal monologue ACTIVITY 6 - MAPPING BULLYING IN TWELFTH NIGHT
to the class as a dramatic reading or recitation.
We all play one of three roles in any bullying situation:
Understanding the “minor” characters and the roles they play leads the TARGET of the bullying, the person BULLYING, or the
students to a clearer sense of how to analyze characters in general. BYSTANDER. Bystanders are disengaged or undecided about
The following exercise helps students think about the minor what to do, HENCHMEN who go along with and contribute to the
bullying, or DEFENDERS who step in to help the target. Match
characters and what they add to the understanding of the play.
the following characters to their role(s) in the bullying that
INSTRUCTIONS
takes place throughout the play:
• Choose one of the secondary characters—NOT Viola,
Malvolio
Target
Olivia, Orsino, or Malvolio.
Sir Toby
Bystander
• Write a journal entry in the voice of the minor character
Sir Andrew
Person Who Bullies
after s/he encounters one of the three main characters.
Maria
• Explain what happened in the encounter and how the
character feels about it. This should be based on what
you know about that character from the play. For example,
choose the scene in which Maria and Sir Toby plan their
revenge on Malvolio. As Maria, write about that encounter
in your diary.
• Ask and try to answer in the journal entry questions such
as: Why does Maria come up with such an elaborate plan?
What has Malvolio done to deserve this treatment? Use
only information from earlier in the play in your entry. Now
select a scene from later in the play to contrast or compare
with the earlier one. For example, write from Maria’s
perspective at the end of the play. How does her plan for
revenge turn out? Does she feel better? What makes her
take pity on Malvolio and let him go? Quote Maria’s lines
from the play in the entry, to support her belief.
10
ACTIVITY 5: CULTURAL CONTEXT
(DESE- R1.I; Product/Performance 1.A)
(DESE-PP1.C/Elements and Principles 1.C)
(DESE-Listening Skills 2.A)
Olivia
Do the characters play more than one role as the play progresses?
How does bullying lead to more bullying? Remember bulling can be
physical, verbal (including spreading rumors), social exclusion, or
online (cyber) bullying (or. as in Twelfth Night, via letter).
ACTIVITY 7 - BULLYING WORKSHEET
(adapted from Colorado Shakespeare Festival)
A bullying incident includes one person hurting another
intentionally and there is usually an imbalance of power. Take
a look at a few moments in the play and break down what is
happening using the bullying terminology listed below. Identify
the incident, the person who bullies, and the target. Then
propose an alternate solution that would have prevented the
incident.
EXAMPLE ON NEXT PAGE
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
ACTIVITY 7 - BULLYING WORKSHEET
INCIDENT
PERSON WHO BULLIES
TARGET
ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
Example: Feste visits Malvolio
while he is imprisoned and pretends to be “Sir Topaz”
Feste
Malvolio
Feste could have refused to play
along when Sir Toby pressured
him to be a part of the bullying,
or reported him to Olivia.
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
11
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
Resources
Written Source Material & DVDs
As you may know, not much exists about Shakespeare's
process. There was no autobiography, and little historical
material aside from the plays themselves. It is as if
Shakespeare wanted his work to tell his story and in many
ways it does. There are many biographies and recently a
wealth of very accessible critical writing which uses
exhaustive historical research to imagine and offer
theories about what Shakespeare might have been like
and why he made the artistic and business choices he did.
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
Ready to Use Activities for Teaching - "A Midsummer
Night's Dream" "Romeo and Juliet" "The Tempest"
"Twelfth Night" by John Wilson Swope. Center for
Applied Research in Education - 1997.
http://www.pearsonschool.com/
Shakespeare Set Free by Peggy
O'Brien. The Folger Library,
Washington Square Press - 1993.
www.SimonSays.com
Teaching Shakespeare --Yes You
Can! Grades 5 and up, by
Lorraine Hopping Egan.
Scholastic Professional Books.
Scholastic Inc, 2931 McCarthy
Street, Jefferson City, MO 65102
More wonderful resources can be ordered from:
www.writingco.com. Here's the Shakespeare Section -click on the play you want:
http://www.writingco.com/c/featuredproduct.html?subject@Shakespe
are+s@IIfn9ZRJrQiUg
Tales from Shakespeare
by Tina Packer. This
widely-praised winner of
a Parents Choice Award
retells ten plays.
Exquisite full-color
illustrations accompany
one-paragraph
introductions to the play's
situation, lists identifying
key characters, and the
retellings in which Packer
uses simple sentence
structures but a rich
vocabulary that includes direct, juicy quotes. Plays
12
The Complete Works of
William Shakespeare;
revised edition, edited by
Hardin Craig and David
Bevington; Scott, Foresman
and Co.
A Shakespeare Glossary,
C.T. Onions, Oxford at the
Clarendon Press.
The Shakespeare
Companion, Gareth and Barbara Lloyd Evens, Charles
Scribner's Sons, New York
The following works are out of print, but may be
available at the library:
Shake Hands With Shakespeare, Eight Plays for
Elementary School; Albert Cullum, Citation Press, New
York.
A Shakespeare for Children, Inez Specking, Vantage
Press, New York.
Shakespeare in Tale or Verse; Lois Grosvenor, The
Macmillan Company.
Shakespeare: The
Animated Tales. Now
available on DVD, this
internationally produced
series was conceived in
Wales, adapted in
England, animated in
Russia and Armenia,
and financed in Europe,
Japan, and the United
States. Featured
originally on HBO in the
USA and on BBC2 in
Great Britain in 1992,
these condensed,
animated renditions of Shakespeare's timeless tales are
designed to capture the interest and enthusiasm of young
students and make them Shakespeare fans for life.
Classroom Connections: Page 17
On All the World’s a Stage...
New books for young people include:
retold: As You Like It, Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, A
Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing,
Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, and Twelfth
Night. Grades 5-9. Scholastic. 192 pages. © 2004.
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS
library.thinkquest.org/23293
• Shakespeare Magazine:
www.shakespearemag.com
• Absolute Shakespeare:
absoluteshakespeare.com
• Everything Shakespeare:
www.field-of-themes.com/shakespeare/indexmain.html
• Ready to Use Activities for Teaching:
www.pearsonschool.com
• Shakespeare Curriculum Resources from The Center for
Learning:
www.centerforlearning.org/c-41-shakespeare.aspx
ONE MORE ACTIVITY
• Asimov, Isaac. Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare. Doubleday,
1978.
• Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare. HarperCollins, 2009.
• Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakespeare. Penguin Books,
1993.
• Gibson, Rex. Teaching Shakespeare. Cambridge University
Press, 1998.
• Kermode, Frank. Shakespeare’s Language. Allen Lane, The
Penguin Press, 2000.
• Linklater, Kristin. Freeing Shakespeare’s Voice. Theatre
Communications Group, 1992.
• Pritchard, R. E. Shakespeare’s England. Sutton Publishing
Limited, 1999.
• Papp, Joseph and Elizabeth Kirkland. Shakespeare Alive.
Bantam Books, 1988.
• Reynolds, P. Teaching Shakespeare. Oxford University Press,
1992.
SHAKESPEARE WEBSITES
• Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet:
www.shakespeare.palomar.edu
• The Shakespeare Resource Center:
www.bardweb.net
• Shakespeare’s Globe Center USA:
www.sgc.umd.edu
• Shakespeare: A Virtual Field Trip:
www.hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/Svtour.html
• Life in Elizabethan England:
elizabethan.org/compendium
• Shakespeare Birthplace Trust:
www.shakespeare.org.uk
• Shakespeare Lite:
Christopher Limber, Education Director
Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
5715 Elizabeth Ave.
St. Louis, MO, 63110
Email: climber@sfstl.com
STUDY GUIDE - TWELFTH NIGHT
BOOKS ON SHAKESPEARE AND
TEACHING SHAKESPEARE
Write and let me know your thoughts. YOU are the reason we do
what we do, and it’s your responses that
help us to provide theatre experiences that are exciting,
meaningful and educational. Write care of:
Cover Photo:
Daniel John Kelly in ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE (photo: J. David Levy)
Inside Cover:
Anna Blair*, Khnemu Menu-Ra*, Michael B. Perkins, Drew Pannebecker,
Laura Sexauer in CRUEL TO BE KIND? (photo: J. David Levy)
13