THE AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER
2010 Actors’ Renaissance Season
Study Guides
Twelfth Night
The following materials were compiled by the Education and Research Department of the American Shakespeare Center. Special acknowledgement to:
Sarah Enloe, Director of Education and Research; Ralph Cohen, ASC Founding Executive Director and Director of Mission; Jim Warren, ASC Artistic
Director; Jay McClure, Associate Artistic Director; Christina Sayer, Group Sales and Academic Relations Manager; Sarah Henley, Former Academic
Programs Manager; Linda Nicholson and Audrey Guengerich-Baylor, Henrico County Schools;
ASC Actors and Staff; and David Techman, ASC Intern
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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
BACKGROUND AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
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•
Based on baptismal records, most biographers agree that William Shakespeare was born on April 23,
1564, in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
•
William, the son of wealthy shop owner John Shakespeare, received a traditional education: up to ten
hours a day studying grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. Later in his
schooling, Shakespeare also studied Greek and Latin on a daily basis. Although we have little proof of
Shakespeare’s academic career, the plays are evidence enough that Shakespeare was well versed in the
language passed down from the ancient classicists.
•
In 1582, when he was eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. He had three children: Susanna
and twins Judith and Hamnet. Although no conclusive documentation remains about his whereabouts
between 1582 and 1594, we do know that by 1590 Shakespeare had left his family in Stratford and was
living in London.
•
Throughout history, theatre companies have seldom enjoyed a good reputation. In early 16th Century
England, actors and their companies were thought of as lazy and dishonest:
o lazy because plays were performed during the day, which meant that a percentage of those
attending were “absent without leave” from work;
o dishonest because an actor on stage was pretending to be someone he was not, which meant that
he was lying.
•
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, however, there was a growing interest in play-going, so actors
were given the right to organize themselves into troupes under the protection of a royal patron or
sponsor. Shakespeare’s troupe secured the patronage of the Lord Chamberlain, therefore they became
known as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
•
Patronage changed after the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland became King
James I of England. During the reign of James I, and continuing to 1642 when the Puritans closed the
theatres, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were recognized favorites of the crown and known as The King’s
Men.
•
Shakespeare often visited Stratford and bought a house there for his family. His son Hamnet died in
1596 at the age of eleven, possibly of the plague. At the age of 47 in 1611, Shakespeare retired to
Stratford, ending his tenure as a resident writer and actor with the company he helped form. William
Shakespeare died on his birthday on April 23, 1616. His wife, Anne, lived until the age of sixty-seven.
His two surviving children, Susanna and Judith, both married but left no family.
•
Although Shakespeare’s family tree ended, his plays continue to carry his memory, and will do so well
into the future. Shakespeare wrote 37-39 plays, 154 sonnets, and contributed over 2,000 words to the
English language. Today his plays are performed in many languages including German, Russian,
French, and Japanese. As Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare once wrote, “…he was not for an
age, but for all time!”
YOUR ROLE AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER
1. In Shakespeare’s day, attending a play was an exciting community event. While waiting for the play to begin
and during intermission, audiences would eat, drink, visit with friends, and enjoy specialty acts featuring jugglers,
clowns, dancers, and musicians.
At the Blackfriars today, we offer the same kind of experience during our pre-show and intermission
entertainments. If you want to join in the pre-show fun, arrive up to a half hour early. During
intermission there will be more entertainment, but this is also the time when you can stretch your legs,
use the restroom, and purchase souvenirs and refreshments (no outside food or drink allowed). At most
modern theatres you are asked not to bring food or drink back in the theatre with you, but this is
permitted at the Blackfriars.
2. In Shakespeare’s day, plays were performed in the middle of the afternoon either outdoors under the afternoon
sun or indoors under candlelight. This means that the actors could see the audience, the audience could see the
actors, and the members of the audience could see each other.
At the Blackfriars today, we perform with the lights on. As an audience member, you feel like you are
in the same room with the actors—like you are actually part of the play. This is very different from seeing
something at the cinema or in a theatre where the actors are lit and the audience sits in the dark. You get
the feeling that at any moment the actors might start talking with you, and sometimes they will.
3. In Shakespeare’s day, there wasn’t such a pronounced division between the actors and the audience. The
theatres were small, and audience members sat close to the stage. Sometimes, in theatres like the Globe, they
stood around the stage in the pit. At other theatres they could sit on the stage itself.
At the Blackfriars today, there are many different places to sit (for some performances this means
different prices). Wherever you sit, let the action of the play draw you in. We have cushioned benches
that can be occupied as is or, for comfort, can include seat backs. There are Lord’s Chairs and on-stage
Gallant Stools very close to the action, and upper balcony seating which may require you to lean forward
to look over the rail. Do be considerate, however, of others who are also trying to see.
4. In Shakespeare’s day, there were no electronic devices.
At the Blackfriars today, no electronic devices should be used by the audience during the performance.
Please don’t take pictures during the show. If you have cell phones, video games, CD players, walkmans,
or MP3 players please turn them off so that they don’t distract the other audience members or the actors.
No text messaging during the performance. Remember, this is a live event, so don’t be a distraction. Part
of your role as an audience member is to make sure that seeing a play is an enjoyable community event
for everyone in attendance.
5. In Shakespeare’s day, the audience often changed seats, mingled, and walked in and out of the theatre (much
like a modern sporting event), but they always knew what was going on in the play—they knew the score. Who’d
want to miss the best part? The swordfight, the kiss, the bawdy joke…a new word that Shakespeare invented.
At the Blackfriars today, you may leave the theatre during intermissions and interlude entertainments.
Return to your seat before the play resumes--you don’t want to miss the best part (or perhaps the part that
might be on your exam). Unless it is an emergency, do not leave the theatre during the play itself.
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6. In Shakespeare’s day, plays were meant to be seen and heard rather than read. In comparison to today,
Elizabethans spent more time speaking and listening to language rather than reading and writing language.
Figures of speech, for example, were more than a dramatic writing tool; they were meant to be spoken.
At the Blackfriars today, actors create stories through speaking words and embodying actions.
Attending a play is different than reading a play. We invite you to experience the play through listening,
seeing, feeling, thinking and imagining. Even if you know you are going to have to write a paper or take a
test about the play, don’t take notes and stay in your brain. If you do, you really haven’t experienced what
it’s like to attend a play.
7. In Shakespeare’s day, audiences were asked to use their imagination. There certainly were theatrical events that
used elaborate and expensive technical elements, but Shakespeare’s plays keep scenery, props, costumes, lighting
and special effects to a minimum. Instead of a cast of thousands, Shakespeare’s actors played multiple roles—
including young men playing all the female parts.
At the Blackfriars today, you will also need to use your imagination. Shakespeare’s words are as
powerful today as they were four hundred years ago. They tell stories that engage and challenge all of the
senses. We limit technical elements so Shakespeare’s words can shine. Music and sound effects are
always created live and in the moment of the action. Actors play multiple roles and often those roles are
cross-gender cast.
8. In Shakespeare’s day, people loved talking about where they’d been, what they’d seen, who they saw, and what
they thought about the plays—they voiced their likes and dislikes about the story and the actors.
At the Blackfriars today, you will have an opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes. After the show
you can talk with the actors about the story of the play, the characters, the actor’s process, and anything
else you might want to know about theatre, Shakespeare, or the American Shakespeare Center.
“The Laughing Audience”
by William Hogarth, 1733.
Note the lighted sconces
that permit socializing and
a more communal response
to the show. The man at the
far right on the second row,
for example, appears to be
laughing at the laughter of
his fellow audience members,
while the gentleman in the
row above is clearly annoyed
with the shenanigans going
on behind him.
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STAUNTON’S BLACKFRIARS PLAYHOUSE
In 2001 the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s original indoor
theatre, opened its doors to the public. To commemorate this historic occasion, Shenandoah Shakespeare (now the
American Shakespeare Center) published Blackfriars Playhouse, a series of short essays by internationally renowned
scholars about the history, construction, and function of the London and Staunton Blackfriars, as well as the
companies that called them home. The following excerpt by Andrew Gurr, Professor of English at the University of
Reading in England and former Director of Research at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, is from that collection:
LONDON’S BLACKFRIARS PLAYHOUSE
The story of the original Blackfriars is a chapter—or rather a book—of accidents, a large volume that tells us about
the evolution of London’s first theatres. It is a story that runs alongside and ahead of Shakespeare’s Globe. The
Blackfriars was built in 1596, three years earlier than the Globe, and if Shakespeare’s company had been allowed to
use the Playhouse immediately, they would never have bothered to build the open-air theatre. Despite the depiction in
Shakespeare In Love of Queen Elizabeth attending the Rose Theatre, it was the Blackfriars that received the first-ever
visit by a reigning queen; Henrietta Maria, Charles I’s French spouse, went four times to see a play at the
Blackfriars.
By the 1620s and 1630s the Blackfriars had become the place for England’s high and mighty to see the best plays, in
the best society, complete with sea-coal braziers in the boxes alongside the stage to keep them warm. The Lord
Chamberlain himself, the Privy Councillor responsible for plays and court entertainment, had a personal key to one
of the boxes beside the Blackfriars stage.
After the long closure of theatres between 1642 and the restoration of a king in 1660, it was the idea of the indoor
Blackfriars that lived on rather than Shakespeare’s Globe. The Blackfriars’s chief imitator, the Cockpit, even
reopened briefly during the Restoration for use as a playhouse, but by then the need for the French type of theatre—
with a proscenium arch and a picture-frame stage—made the new players close off the boxes and tiers above the
stage, leaving the theatre’s capacity so small that it could not thrive. Only now, 405 years after it was first created,
and 392 years since Shakespeare’s company first started to use it, can the original Blackfriars once again come into
its own, as the best playhouse of Shakespeare’s time.
--Andrew Gurr
ACTOR TALKBACK SESSIONS AT THE BLACKFRIARS
At the end of each school matinee performance at the Blackfriars Playhouse, the audience will have the opportunity to
meet a few of the actors and ask questions. During this twenty minute session, actors will be glad to discuss a range of
topics. They enjoy sharing their ideas about plot points and character relationships. You can also ask them about
costumes, props, or other elements that might not be in the written script, yet are important to the performance.
Perhaps you would like to know about the rehearsal process or how an individual actor made a specific choice about a
character. You may ask behind-the-scenes questions and discover how a quick change of clothes was handled or a
sound effect was made. Curious about the life of an actor? Go ahead and ask about how they got their start, where
they studied, or what other roles they’ve played. This is your time to find out anything you want to know about the
play, the actors, theatre, and the Blackfriars.
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The ASC and “Shakespeare’s Staging Conditions”
By following the basic principles of Renaissance theatrical production, the American Shakespeare Center gives its
audiences some of the pleasures that an Elizabethan playgoer would have enjoyed.
Universal Lighting
Shakespeare's actors could see their audience; ASC actors can see you. When an actor can see an audience, they can
engage with an audience. And audience members can play the roles that Shakespeare wrote for them-Cleopatra's court,
Henry V's army, or simply the butt of innumerable jokes. Leaving an audience in the dark can literally obscure a vital part
of the drama as Shakespeare designed it.
Doubling
Shakespeare's Macbeth has more than forty parts; Shakespeare's traveling troupe may have had fewer than fifteen actors.
Like the Renaissance acting companies, the ASC doubles parts, with one actor playing as many as seven roles in a single
show. Watching actors play more than one role, an audience can experience another aspect of Elizabethan playgoing - the
delight of watching a favorite actor assume multiple roles.
Gender
Because women didn't take to the English stage until after the Restoration (1660), all the women in Shakespeare's plays
were originally played by young boys or men. Shakespeare had a great deal of fun with this convention. In a production of
As You Like It in 1600, a boy would have played Rosalind, who disguises herself as a boy, then pretends to be a woman.
Let's review: that's a boy playing a woman disguised as a boy pretending to be a woman. Because we are committed to the
idea that Shakespeare is about everyone - male and female – the ASC is not an all-male company, but we try to re-create
some of the fun of gender confusions by casting women as men and men as women.
Length
We cannot know the precise running time of a Shakespeare play in the Renaissance, but the Chorus in Romeo and Juliet
promises "two hours' traffic of our stage." The ASC tries to fulfill this promise through brisk pacing and a continuous flow
of dramatic action, often without an intermission.
Sets
Shakespeare's company performed on a large wooden platform unadorned by fixed sets or scenery. A few large pieces thrones, tombs, tables - were occasionally used to ornament a scene. The ASC will sometimes use set pieces to indicate
location and, like Shakespeare's company, we use these items to spark the audience's imagination to "piece out our
imperfections.”
Costuming
Costuming was important to the theatre companies of Shakespeare's day for three reasons. First, the frequently lavish
costumes provided fresh color and designs for the theatres, which otherwise did not change from show to show. Second,
costumes made it easy to use one actor in a variety of roles. Third, as they do now, costumes helped an audience "read"
the play quickly by showing them at a glance who was rich or poor, royalty or peasantry, priest or cobbler, ready for bed
or ready to party. Costumes are important to the ASC in the same way. But costumes were NOT important to Shakespeare
and his fellows as a way of showing what life used to be like in a particular historical period. "They probably performed
Titus Andronicus, for example, in primarily Elizabethan garb with Romanesque pieces thrown on top. Sometimes
we'll uses contemporary costumes, sometimes Elizabethan, and sometimes a mix of everything in between."
Music
Shakespeare had a soundtrack. Above the stage, musicians played an assortment of string, wind, and percussion
instruments before, during, and after the play. The plays are sprinkled with songs for which lyrics, but not much of the
music, survive. The ASC sets many of these songs in contemporary style. The result is emblematic of our approach - a
commitment to Shakespeare's text and to the mission of connecting that text to modern audiences
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STUDY GUIDE INDEX
This study guide packet has been created to accompany the productions in the current season at The American
Shakespeare Center. Each play has its own separate guide with a number of resources, activities, and assignments created
specifically for that play, offering a broad range of materials for you to choose from as you plan your classes. Please feel
free to reproduce these pages as needed. Some activities and assignments can be completed after reading the text of the
play while others are based on specific choices in the ASC productions. Most activities can be adapted to serve either
individual or group assignments. Answer keys appear at the end of each guide. The following is a list of the materials you
will find in the study guide for each play.
Stuff That Happens In the Play
This is a description of the major events in the play to help guide students through general plot points.
Who’s Who
This is a list of the characters in the play, along with a short description of who they are and what they do.
Director’s Notes
This is a short essay written by the director of each ASC production for the season program, in which they give their
thoughts on the play.
Discovery Space Scavenger Hunt
These simple questions are to be used in conjunction with the ASC performance. Before attending the play, teachers
should assign each student one of the twenty questions to help them become more active viewers at the performance.
Rhetoric and Figures of Speech
This section focuses on the use of language in the play. Examples of a particular rhetorical device or linguistic feature in
the text are followed by an activity that relates to the particular rhetorical device or figure of speech.
Viewpoints
This section of the guide contains activities and information built around a particular aspect of each play. A short
examination of a theme or topic is followed with a related assignment.
ShakesFEAR Activity
These classroom teaching ploys are excerpts from ASC Co-founder and Executive Director Ralph Alan Cohen’s book
ShakesFEAR and How to Cure It. Cohen developed these activities to help students overcome feelings of intimidation
when confronting Shakespeare plays.
ABC’s
This is a fill-in-the-blank assignment that tests students’ knowledge of the text. Answers can be drawn from a word bank
containing twenty-six words related to the play, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet.
Staging Challenges
This section will help students to examine how technical aspects of the production tell the story of the play, and prompts
them to consider what unique challenges they might face if they were to stage an original practices production of the play.
Crossing the Curriculum
These activities will help students examine various aspects of the play as they pertain to non-theatre and non-language
standards.
Quizzes and Essay Questions
Each study guide contains one or more quizzes that teachers can use to test their students knowledge of the play, as well
as prompts for essays in response to the production and the text.
Answer Keys are available to teachers through emailing christina@americanshakespearecenter.com
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TWELFTH NIGHT
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TWELFTH NIGHT
Miriam Donald and Gregory Jon Phelps in 2009 Actors’ Renaissance Season production of A Midsummer Night’s
Dream. Photo Credit: Tommy Thompson
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TWELFTH NIGHT
CAST and ARTISTIC TEAM
SHIPWRECKED FROM MESSINA
Viola, later disguised as Cesario Miriam Donald
Sebastian, her twin brother Tyler Moss*
ORSINO'S HOUSEHOLD
Orsino, Duke of Illyria Gregory Jon Phelps
Curio, a gentleman Denice Burbach
Valentine, a gentleman Tyler Moss*
OLIVIA'S HOUSEHOLD
Olivia, a countess
Maria, a gentlewoman
Malovlio, Olivia's steward
Feste, Olivia's fool
Sir Toby Belch, Olivia's kinsman
Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Sir Toby's companion
Fabian, a gentleman
Sarah Fallon*
Allison Glenzer*
Daniel Kennedy
John Harrell
Benjamin Curns*
Chris Johnston
Denice Burbach
Sea Captain, befriends Viola René Thornton, Jr.*
Antonio, a captain, befriends Sebastian René Thornton, Jr.*
Priest Johnny Adkins (intern)
Officer Allison Glenzer*
Officer Johnny Adkins (intern)
Prompter/Stage Manager Aaron Hochhalter
Dramaturg Justin Schneider
Understudies Emily Gibson
Aaron Hochalter
Katie Crandol
Paul Rycik
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in
the United States.
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TWELFTH NIGHT
WHO’S WHO
Orsino – The Duke of Illyria, in love with Olivia, master of Viola, old enemy of Antonio. Orsino’s
unrequited love for Olivia has sent him into melancholic brooding.
Olivia - A countess. Olivia mourns for her late brother. She rejects both Orsino’s and Andrew
Aguecheek’s advances and is entirely uninterested in love until she meets Cesario.
Viola - young Messaline noblewoman and twin sister of Sebastian. Rescued after a shipwreck, Viola
enters the Duke’s service, disguised as Cesario. She quickly falls in love with her master, while her
master’s love interest – Olivia - falls in love with her.
Cesario - the name of Viola’s alter ego.
Feste - Olivia’s fool, who also performs for Orsino. Feste is a jester and performs several songs. He
later joins in the plot against Malvolio, disguised as Sir Topaz.
Sir Toby Belch - Olivia’s uncle. Olivia is obliged to keep this drunkard uncle as a member of her
household.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek - A knight and temporary member of Olivia’s household. He is visiting at Sir
Toby’s invitation to court Olivia.
Maria (pronounced “Mariah”): Olivia’s lady-in-waiting. She concocts the plot to teach Malvolio a
lesson.
Malvolio - Olivia’s steward. He becomes a target for the rest of Olivia's household to trick him into
believing Olivia loves him and they torment him when they can.
Fabian - servant to Olivia. He joins in on the fun of baiting Malvolio.
Sebastian - Viola’s twin brother and close friend to Antonio, who rescued him from the shipwreck.
When he arrives in Illyria later in the play, he is confused for Cesario.
Antonio - A sea captain. He rescues Sebastian after the wreck and becomes his close friend. He is
wanted for fighting against the Duke in a naval battle.
A Sea Captain rescues Viola and helps her find a position in Orsino’s court.
Curio and Valentine: two gentlemen in Orsino’s court.
Officers, Servants and a Priest
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TWELFTH NIGHT
STUFF THAT HAPPENS…
Stuff that happens in the play...
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•
Orsino, Duke of Illyria, expresses his love for the mourning Lady Olivia, who is not admitting
the Duke’s men sent to woo for him.
•
Viola arrives in Illyria after a shipwreck, which seems to have killed her twin brother. She
decides to disguise herself as a man and serve the Duke.
•
Olivia’s gentlewoman, Maria, chides Olivia’s kinsman, Sir Toby Belch, for staying out too
late, for drinking too much, and for bringing in a foolish knight, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, to
woo Olivia.
•
The Duke sends his new servant, Cesario (the disguised Viola), to woo Olivia for him.
Cesario/Viola confesses “whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife.”
•
Maria, Olivia, and Malvolio all chide the Clown for being absent from Olivia’s household. The
Clown regains the favor of Olivia while earning the scorn of Malvolio.
•
Cesario arrives to woo Olivia for the Duke; Olivia says she cannot love the Duke; when
Cesario leaves, Olivia confesses affection for Cesario.
•
Olivia then pretends that Cesario gave her a ring from the Duke and sends Malvolio to run after
Cesario and return the ring.
•
Malvolio “returns” the ring and Cesario/Viola realizes Olivia is in love with him/her.
•
Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian, is still alive and tells the man who saved him, Antonio, that his
sister is drowned and that he must leave Antonio and go to Orsino’s court.
•
After Sebastian departs, Antonio confesses he has enemies in Orsino’s court, but he will follow
Sebastian anyway.
•
Toby, Andrew, and the Clown stay up late singing and drinking. Maria advises them to be
quieter; Malvolio then breaks up the party and threatens to report them all to Olivia.
•
Maria devises a plan to put Malvolio in his place.
•
Cesario/Viola falls more deeply in love with the Duke.
•
Olivia falls more deeply in love with Cesario/Viola.
•
Sebastian arrives in Illyria.
•
Yellow stockings, dark rooms, challenges, and marriage proposals ensue.
TWELFTH NIGHT
NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MISSION
Dr. Ralph’s Brief: Twelfth Night
TEN THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW:
1.
When was the play first performed?
As early as 1600
2.
Where was the play first performed?
We know for certain that the Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed the play for the Queen on 2
February 1602 at Middle Temple Hall. Before that it would probably have been performed at
the Globe.
3.
How does this play fit into Shakespeare’s career?
This play, coming after Hamlet, is at the pinnacle of Shakespeare’s career (the long lasting
pinnacle) and – if we discount the “problem plays” – is the last of his great comedies.
4.
How is this play like Shakespeare’s other plays?
Shipwreck, girl in boy’s clothing, sad clowns, lovesickness, twins – it’s all there.
5.
How is this play unlike other Shakespeare plays?
The mixture of light and dark in this play is always present, not sudden and unexpected as in
Much Ado or attached to one part of the story as in Merchant of Venice. This play is also the
most ensemble piece Shakespeare ever wrote: every role is substantial.
6.
What do scholars think about this play?
As Stephen Booth says, the play is “universally admired.” He thinks one reason is that it
“creates a music of ideas…that makes us superior to the limitations of syntax and logic”
(Precious Nonsense 121). That’s good enough for me.
7.
Is there any controversy surrounding the work?
No. There is some debate about whether or not an audience should feel bad about the treatment
of Malvolio.
8.
What characters should I especially look for?
As I suggest above, the play’s characters are all substantial and each has his or her own claim
of your attention, but the three characters that are always most memorable to me are Malvolio,
the play’s scapegoat; Andrew Aguecheek, the play’s lovable dope; and Feste, the Fool who
seems to be an escapee from the world of Hamlet.
9.
What scenes should I especially look for?
The gulling of Malvolio with the letter forged by Maria is always a crowd favorite, as is the
resulting yellow stocking scene. I love the first meeting of Viola (Cesario) and Olivia and its
mirror, the first meeting of Sebastian and Olivia.
10.
What is the language like?
Magic. As opaque as air, as clear as steel.
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TWELFTH NIGHT
DISCOVERY SPACE
Discovery Space [di-skuhv-uh-ree speys], n. 1. The curtained area at the
upstage center portion of an Elizabethan stage where something is revealed to or
discovered by characters or audiences.
Instructions to Teacher: Shortly before attending the ASC performance of Twelfth Night, assign each
student one question from the following list. They will discover the answer as they watch the
production.
1. How does the pre-show relate to the rest of the play?
2. What does the placement of Duke Orsino’s musician at the start of the show indicate about his
relationship to the Duke?
3. In ASC’s production, three male characters are played by female actors. How does this affect
your perception of Viola’s cross-dressing?
4. What does Feste’s clothing before he puts on his Clown costume say about his personality
when he is not at work?
5. Do Olivia’s and Maria’s disguises fool Cesario/Viola? Why or why not?
6. How do the costume choices indicate which two characters are twins?
7. What does Malvolio’s method of giving Cesario/Viola the ring from Olivia say about his
personality?
8. What does Feste’s musical style for “O Mistress Mine” reveal about his personality?
9. Where are Fabian, Sir Toby and Andrew hidden when Malvolio finds the letter? Where else
onstage could they have hidden?
10. Where does Malvolio find the letter? How does this choice relate to Original Practices staging?
11. Besides his suitcase, what type of bag does Sir Andrew have when he threatens to leave? What
does this reveal about his character?
12. What weapons do Aguecheek and Cesario/Viola use to fight with against each other? How do
these weapons enforce or deny what you know about the characters?
13. How does the staging allow the audience to see Malvolio while he is held captive?
14. How do you know that Olivia has finished mourning her brother once she has fallen in love
with Sebastian? Does this change work onstage?
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TWELFTH NIGHT
RHETORIC AND FIGURES OF SPEECH
Rhetoric [ret-er-ik], n. 1. The art or science of all
specialized literary uses of language in prose or
verse, including the figures of speech. 2. The study
of the effective use of language. 3. The ability to
use language effectively.
Through the use of rhetorical devices (or figures of speech), Shakespeare provides a map to help an
actor figure out how to play a character and communicate the story of the play to the audience.
Shakespeare uses periphrasis, a rhetorical figure of naming, to hint at characters’ personalities before
he writes a single word of dialogue.
Periphrasis - (per-if'-ra-sis) - The substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name. Also
the replacement of descriptive qualities with a proper name associated with those qualities.
Example
Toby
How now my Metal of India?
Act II, scene 5
“Metal of India” simply means gold. Sir Toby replaces Maria’s name with this description to tell her
how priceless she is. Many of the characters in Twelfth Night have very unique and meaningful names.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Sir Toby Belch’s names accurately describe their characters. The mere
mention of the name Aguecheek (“ague” meaning chills and fever caused by malaria) summons mental
images of a sickly, meek man. Sir Andrew’s arrival approximately 25 lines after his name is first
mentioned, does not disappoint. Sir Andrew proves, time and time again, that he is a less-than-lusty
occupant of a more manic Illyria. Little needs to be said about the correlation between Sir Toby
Belch’s name and his gluttonous disposition.
Feste
Good madonna, why mournest thou?
Act I, scene 5
Maria
Viola
Will you hoist sail, sir? here lies your way.
No, good swabber; I am to hull here a little
longer.
Act I, scene 5
Question
This rhetorical device of naming a character after his traits is known as periphrasis and is frequently
used throughout fables and children’s stories. Why would a writer choose to reveal a character’s
personality in their name? Why does Shakespeare make this choice in Twelfth Night?
Activity 1
Go through the text and find instances (like the one above by Sir Toby) when a character refers to
another character as an object or an animal. Perform the scene in which that reference is spoken, and
have the referred to character act as if they are literally the thing they are described as being like. Is
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TWELFTH NIGHT
the description of the character accurate to how we see them throughout the play or are they described
as something unlike their usual self?
Activity 2
Periphrasis can work in the opposite direction as well. Instead of naming a character based on his or
her quality, a writer can refer to a character a by the proper name of another person who seems to
inhabit the same qualities. For instance, Sir Toby bids Maria goodnight, saying “Good night,
Penthesilea.”
Rename each of the following characters from Twelfth Night. First,
decide on a quality that you associate with each character. Then,
choose a figure – living, historical or fictional – who also embodies
those qualities.
CHARACTER
Feste
DESCRIPTION
High energy, comedian, over-thetop
In case you were wondering
Penthesilea was an Amazonian figure
in Greek mythology who joined in the
Trojan War.
RE-NAME
Jim Carrey
Viola
Olivia
Malvolio
Orsino
Sir Toby
Sir Andrew
Sebastian
Did you know…?
Shakespeare makes use of anagrams in naming many characters from Twelfth Night. Olivia, Viola and Malvolio all – in
some arrangement – share the same root: “vol”. “Volo” in Latin means “will” – which is appropriate because the full title
of the play is Twelfth Night, or What You Will. The addition of the Latin “mal(e)” in Malvolio is also interesting, because
“mal(e)” is Latin for “wicked” or “ill”. Cesario and Orsino are also near-anagrams of one another.
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TWELFTH NIGHT
VIEWPOINTS
Cross dressing – then and now
In Twelfth Night, Viola’s simple act of taking on the dress of a young man to disguise her true identity creates complex
issues for both original and modern audiences and performers. Below are some facts about cross-dressing throughout the
ages. After reading the details, complete the questions that follow.
Cross Dressing in the 16th and 17th centuries
• During Shakespeare’s lifetime, it was illegal for women to appear onstage. Instead, boys and men portrayed all
female characters.
•
Several of Shakespeare’s plays include women who dress as men: As You Like It, Two
Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice (all 3 women wear men’s clothing) and,
of course, Twelfth Night.
•
Young boys would wear skirts until a point between ages 3-7 when they received their
first pair of pants. This was a big event; a coming-of-age celebrated with a party and
known as breeching. The tradition of boys wearing dresses during their infancy
continued on in Europe through the early 20th century. The portrait to the right depicts a
mother (Lady Pope) and her three children, two boys and one girl. Although the young
girl (dressed in white) is attired in a miniature version of clothing at the height of that
day’s fashion, it is undeniable that the boys are also wearing dresses.
•
There are many documented examples of famous cross-dressing women throughout
history. Joan of Arc was one notable example, as was Elizabeth I, who dressed in armor
to address her armies on the battlefield.
•
Women in the Elizabethan era would sometimes wear men’s clothing – from hats to doublets (akin to a suit jacket)
to breeches. This trend, of course, inspired much debate.
Hic Mulier
•
A pamphlet speaking against women wearing men’s attire was
published in 1620 called “Hic Mulier” which was similar in
meaning to “He-Woman”.1
•
To convince the reader, the author of “Hic Mulier” does not
begin by simply attacking women who wear men’s clothing. He
praises the fine qualities of women who do not cross-dress:
o
1
“You, oh you women, you good women, you that are in
the fullness of perfection, you that are the crowns of
nature's work, … you that maintain the world, support
mankind, and give life to society; you … that are
helpers most trusty, Sentinels most careful, signs
deceitless, plain ways fail-less, true guides dangerless,
Balms that instantly cure, and honors that never perish
… You are Seneca's Graces, women, good women,
modest women, true women -- ever young because ever
virtuous, ever chaste, ever glorious.”
•
It isn’t until later in the writing that the writer’s tone becomes
stronger, calling the cross-dressing women “hermaphrodites” and
their activities, “deformities”.
•
The anonymous writer not only states that it is wrong for women
to wear men’s clothing, but it also changes their demeanor: “man
The texts of Hic Mulier and Haec Vir can be found online at www.english.ucsb.edu/teaching/resources/reading_lists/renaissance/
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TWELFTH NIGHT
in body by attire, man in behavior by rude complement, man in nature by aptness to anger, man in action by
pursuing revenge, man in wearing weapons, man in using weapons, and, in brief, so much man in all things that
they are neither men nor women, but just good for nothing.”
Haec Vir
•
In answer to “Hic Mulier” came “Haec Vir”, which, as one would
imagine, meant “She-Man”.
•
The writer of “Haec Vir” forms his argument as a dialogue. The
characters Hic and Haec – respond to one another. Haec is the
supposed author of the “Hic Mulier” and Hic is the woman whom
he condemns.
•
“Now for me to follow change according to the limitation of mine
own will and pleasure, there cannot be a greater freedom … there is
nothing but change, which doth surround and mix with all our
Fortunes. And will you have poor woman such a fixed Star that she
shall not so much as move or twinkle in her own Sphere? That were
true Slavery indeed and a Baseness beyond the chains of the worst
servitude! … shall only woman, excellent woman, so much better
in that she is something purer, be only deprived of this benefit?
Shall she be the Bondslave of Time, the Handmaid of opinion, or
the strict observer of every frosty or cold benumbed imagination?”
•
“I might instance in a thousand things that only Custom and not
Reason hath approved. To conclude, Custom is an Idiot, and
whosoever dependeth wholly upon him without the discourse of
Reason will take from him his pied coat and become a slave indeed
to contempt and censure.”
Questions
1.
Why does Shakespeare continue to reuse the theme of women dressing as men in his plays?
2.
Cross-dressing is still a popular theme in entertainment today. Name some movies that address cross-dressing on
some level.
3.
Why do you think that plays (or – in the case of number 3 – movies) that include themes of cross-dressing tend to
be comic in nature? Name an example from an entertainment medium where cross-dressing is not treated
comically?
4.
How has the view of cross-dressing changed through the years? Has it?
5.
Breeching was a coming-of-age event. Name a modern coming-of-age celebration that either has a “uniform” or
places special importance on clothing.
6.
One reason that Viola disguises herself as a man is to get a job. How do people present or dress themselves in
today’s workforce or scholastic community to gain opportunities? (This is not limited to physical disguise.)
Activity
Create your own pamphlet. You may choose to either chastise Viola for her choice to dress as a man or
you may speak as Viola (or her advocate) in defense of her actions and choices. Early pamphlets such
as “Hic Mulier” were not the small sheet of paper that we are accustomed to today – they were often
several pages in length (Hic Mulier was approximately 20 pages). While your pamphlet does not need
to be so lengthy – a single page is fine – be sure to craft a detailed and specific argument. You may
choose to follow either Hic Mulier’s example of a single-voiced plea or Haec Vir’s example of a
dialogue between two ideals.
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TWELFTH NIGHT
DR. RALPH’S “SHAKESFEAR” ACTIVITY
(adapted from Ralph Alan Cohen’s book, ShakesFEAR and How to Cure It)
Party on the Pooper
Shakespeare is never more difficult for modern readers than in the play’s colloquial moments, especially
when he stages a party. We feel like sober latecomers at a wild party of strangers; the characters just look
silly to us. That’s the feeling most students have in reading Act Two, scene three, where Sir Toby, Andrew,
and Feste wake Malvolio; and that feeling is likely to make them sympathetic to Malvolio. On the one
hand, this reaction may be exactly what Shakespeare wanted: a normal reaction to forced hilarity. On the
other hand, the problem could be that this scene was funny at the Globe because it included the original
audience by means of topical tunes and references.
To help your students understand the party pooper in Malvolio, give them an opportunity to be party
animals by staging Act Two, scene three, from Sir Toby’s suggestion that they sing a catch (a round) to
Malvolio’s exit (53-113). The entire song, which is not in the text, is
Hold thy peace
And I prithee hold thy peace
Thou knave
Hold thy peace.
Your students will enjoy the bawdy aspects of this as much as Shakespeare’s original audience. But, if you
prefer, you can make the invention of this catch part of the assignment as long as the first line is “Hold they
peace, thou knave.”
1. At least a week in advance find three teams of four, whose job it will be to work up a party (you
may need to help them with the meaning of words such as “consanguineous”).
2. As the handiest authority figure, you should play Malvolio, a piece of casting that will delight your
class when the four other characters chase you away.
3. You can encourage but need not require your volunteers to memorize their lines.
4. Make it clear that you are looking not for acting but for partying talent. Their job is to have the best
party possible and to get the best of you as Malvolio.
5. The rest of the class is to decide which of the three parties they are most disappointed to see
interrupted. (If the teams hand out printed copies of their ditties, the rest of the class may also sing
along.) Since this exercise requires time and effort, you may wish to sweeten the pot and heighten
the occasion by offering prizes (have T-shirts made, for example, that say “Shakespeare Party
Animals”).
In addition to releasing a lot of energy in your class, this exercise should go a long way toward helping
your students get past the colloquialism of the scene to its basic festive dynamic, and that in turn should
make clear Malvolio’s weight in the play. As usual, push your students hard for their responses. You might
want to remark upon the importance of Maria in this scene. After all, she comes in on the same mission as
Malvolio – to get the threesome to quiet down – but by the end of the scene she tells Malvolio, “go shake
your ears.” What turns her around? What happens to a production if the tipsy trio is really irritating?
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TWELFTH NIGHT
ABC’S
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Andrew and Toby both own the title of _____.
_____-kissing is one aspect of Malvolio’s odd behavior.
The play takes place in ______.
_________saves Sebastian.
Feste’s final song includes the refrain: “Hey, ho, the ______ and the rain.”
Sebastian has a sister named ______.
Olivia’s steward, _______, hopes to marry his mistress.
The saying, “Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit,” Feste attributes to this imaginary
philosopher. ______
9. Curio and Valentine answer to Duke ______.
10. Olivia “abhors” the color ______ and “detests” the fashion of _____.
11. Orsino is the ______ of the region.
12. Feste is a fool or _______ by profession.
13. Olivia sends a ______ after Viola.
14. ____th Night
15. The ______ performs a wedding ceremony.
16. Olivia mistakes ______ for Cesario.
17. Malvolio finds a ______ on the ground.
18. Maria, Toby, Fabian, Andrew and Feste _____, or taunt, Malvolio. (HINT: Also a type of bird.)
19. Olivia hates it when men wear their stockings in this fashion.
20. Toby’s last name is ______.
21. Malvolio examines Olivia’s supposed handwriting, commenting especially on the way she
writes “her very C’s, her _____’s and her _____’s.”
22. Antonio once fought the duke in a ______ battle.
23. According to Malvolio in Act I, scene 5, wise men who laugh at clowns are “the fools’
______.” (HINT: A plural term for clowns; also means crazy or silly.)
24. At first Viola laments that her brother is in ________, the Greek term for heaven.
25. This character was originally under Olivia’s father’s employ. ______
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
Antonio
Belch
Cross-gartering
Duke
Elysium
Feste
Gull
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
Hand
Illyria
Jester
Knight
Letter
Malvolio
Naval
O.
P.
Q.
R.
S.
T.
U.
Orsino
Priest
Quinapalus
Ring
Sebastian
T
U
V. Viola
W. Wind
X. XII
Y. Yellow
Z. Zanies
In case you were wondering
The term “zany” comes from an Italian
Renaissance style of theatre called
Commedia Dell’Arte. One stock character
of Commedia was called “Zanni” and
functioned as a clownish servant.
20
TWELFTH NIGHT
STAGING CHALLENGES
Hiding on the Blackfriars Stage
In Act II, scene 5 of Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Fabian hide so
that they may watch and hear while Malvolio reads the forged letter that Maria wrote.
Maria
Get ye all three into the box-tree. Malvolio’s coming down this walk. He has been yonder
i’the sun practicing behavior to his own shadow this half hour. Observe him, for the love of
mockery, for I know this letter will make a contemplative idiot of him. Close, in the name of
jesting! [the men hide]
On the Blackfriars stage (and in the Elizabethan classroom), there are no set pieces to hide
behind, so the actors must find places in the space where they can conceal themselves (or they
can employ hand props). Furthermore, the lights shine equally on all the actors and also on the
audience, so there are no shadows to shrink into. Also, the actors playing Toby, Andrew, and
Fabian have lines in response to Malvolio’s reading of the letter, so the audience must be able to
see and hear them.
Activity 1
1. Stage the scene by hiding three students
playing Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian
somewhere in the classroom. Run the scene
with another student playing Malvolio.
Whenever one of the three hiders has an
interjection, they should pop out of their
hiding place, say their line, and then return to
hiding. See how this works for the characters
and how the audience reacts.
2. Run the scene a second time, switching actors if desired, but have Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and
Fabian fully visible on the stage this time. Malvolio should not reveal that he can see the
other actors at all, but fully believe that he is alone. The other actors can move freely around
the stage as long as they remain outside of Malvolio’s “line of sight.” See how this affects
the character and how the audience reacts.
Note: A great way to find your actors for Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian is to hold a game of
hide and seek in the classroom. Have half the students vie for the roles at a time and the other
half of the class can vote for who has found the best hiding place.
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TWELFTH NIGHT
CROSSING THE CURRICULUM
A Fool’s Logic
Feste’s many notoriously complex lines are may be overlooked by a reader, however an actor
must understand Feste’s thought processes before attempting to memorizing his lines. An
examination of Feste’s speech patterns reveals that Feste uses complex logic in his speech. Even
if his logic is convoluted, his statements are often phrased like equations.
Activity 1
In a discussion with Orsino in Act V, scene 1, Feste attempts to reason that his enemies make
better friends than his friends do.
“So that conclusions to be as kisses, if your foure negatives make your two affirmatives,
why then the better for my foes and the worse for my friends.”
This line shows that Feste understands how to follow the train of logic, or not follow it, if that
gets him where he wants to be. In this case, the classic double negative makes a positive, so:
NO + NO = YES and NO + NO = YES. Feste argues correctly – four negatives does in fact
make two affirmatives.
Feste understands that, by creating the right links, he can turn
something into what it does not rationally appear to be. The clearest
example of Feste’s use of this ploy is in his exchange with Olivia in
Act 1, scene 5, where Feste uses a series of questions and
statements to “prove” that Olivia is a fool.
Feste:
Olivia:
Feste:
Olivia:
Feste:
In case you were
wondering
Rhetorically speaking, this
form of logic can be called
sorites.
Good madonna, why mournest thou?
Good fool, for my brother's death.
I think his soul is in hell, madonna.
I know his soul is in heaven, fool.
The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul being in heaven.
Take away the fool, gentlemen.
Activity 1
It could be argued that some of Feste’s logic is downright lawyerly. With Feste as the lawyer for
the defense, put Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Fabian, and Maria on trial for the trick they played on
Malvolio. Olivia and Viola can serve as witnesses while Sebastian, Orsino, and Curio can be the
jury. You, of course, preside as the judge. Apply some of Feste’s lines to his defending of the
accused parties or, at least, follow the same systems of logic that he uses. At the end of the trial,
determine whether Malvolio should be revenged and, if so, what punishment fits the crime.
Activity 2
Create your own string of logic. Pass a judgment on one character from Twelfth Night; this will
be your end statement. Using at least six steps, explain why this is logically, scientifically, or
mathematically so (as opposed to simply your opinion).
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TWELFTH NIGHT
QUIZ
Directions: Select the BEST multiple choice answer.
1. Initially, Olivia says she has no interest in Orsino’s
suit because
a. He is too melancholic.
b. She has another suitor.
c. She is in mourning for her brother.
d. She intends to join a convent.
2. Why is Antonio arrested?
a. For keeping Sebastian shut up in his house.
b. He stole the money he gave Sebastian.
c. He and Orsino were rivals in courting Olivia.
d. He fought in a naval battle against the city.
3. Olivia asks Malvolio to “return” this item to Cesario.
a. A ring
b. A letter from the duke
c. His hat
d. A coin purse
4. Sir Topaz is really
a. Malvolio
b. Fabian
c. Feste
d. Curio
5. Olivia is NOT courted by ____ at some point in the
play.
a. Orsino
b. Malvolio
c. Andrew
d. Fabian
6.
Olivia starts allowing Orsino’s messages because
a. She falls in love with the messenger.
b. She explains in a soliloquy that she will try
reverse psychology.
c. She decides her lamentation has gone on long
enough.
d. She realizes he truly loves her.
7. Sebastian beats Sir Andrew
a. To avenge his sister
b. Because Sir Andrew attacks him first.
c. In an effort to save Antonio
d. Because Sir Andrew has been courting his wife.
8. What does Malvolio do that concerns Olivia?
a. Tells her he found a letter that she wrote
b. Wears yellow stockings
c. Smiles and kisses his hand
d. All of the above
9. Malvolio has the famous line, “Some are born ____,
some achieve _____-ness, and some have _____-ness
thrust upon them.” (HINT: one word completes all
blanks)
a. Rich
b. Cheerful
c. Base
d. Great
10. Which character does NOT get a happy ending?
a. Orsino
b. Sebastian
c. Malvolio
d. Viola
Essay
Choose two characters from Twelfth Night and examine both admirable qualities and
inappropriate actions for each character.
23