Literature in the Renaissance Period: An Analysis of Twelfth Night (ca. 1601) by William Shakespeare
Bibliographic Description
Shakespeare, W. (2010). Twelfth Night. Broadview Press.
Initial Reaction I enjoyed reading the play Twelfth Night or What You Will by William Shakespeare. Similar to his other works, the tone was cheerful and comedic, with elements of melodrama and suspense. The setting was a mythical kingdom, Illyria, and was based on the drama surrounding a love triangle. The play climaxed when Viola, the protagonist, and Sebastian, Viola’s twin brother were reunited. Sebastian was originally thought to be dead as a result of a shipwreck. Viola who disguised herself, and initially perceived to be a man was revealed as a woman. The interesting part of the drama was the spectacle surrounding the love triangle; Viola loved Duke, Duke loved Olivia, and Olivia loved Viola, disguised as Cesario. Malvolio, the antagonist of the story and Olivia’s household Steward also loved Olivia. Although it ended well for most characters, finding their love reciprocated somehow, Malvolio was arrested. Albeit interesting dialogues among characters and their well-defined traits, I was a little confused by the mistaken identities. Also, the play was secular and had little religious relevance to Christmas, despite it being performed during the period.
Analysis
The play was performed during the Renaissance period, also known as ‘the rebirth’. This period which occurred between the
Melisa Pierre-Louis Professor Brett English 10 December 2nd, 2016 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Annotated essay. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is a comedy that contains a lot of aspects. They communicate in one way or another to the audience, depending on how we (the audience) analyze what Shakespeare is trying to convey.
The audience may understand the concept of love and romance flowing within the characters because it was to portrayed that way but the critics would argue the fact that some of the characters like Beatrice and Benedick were made to fall in love with each other through deception. As simple as the characters were, the situations arousing in the play became more complexed as scenes passed by. What led to the trouble and chaos in the play also led to the solution in the end, when Claudio and Don Pedro were deceived into thinking by Don John that Hero was unfaithful. That very same idea also solved the problem in the end when Leonato, Hero’s father, deceived Claudio by making him believe that she is dead and that it is his duty to clear Hero’s name by reading out on her tomb and marrying the said niece who looks just like Hero. Again the plotting against own is present where the said niece turns out to be Hero and she comes back to life again.
While in the play her reason was to stay safe, in “She’s the Man” Viola wanted to prove a point by playing on the soccer team. A few other differences are that in the play Sebastian is with a sailor named Antonio and Viola does not know that he is alive while in the movie Sebastian is in London, and Viola knows that. Also, both Sebastians had no idea what their sisters did. The love triangle is the same in both and is resolved in the same manner.
As the curtain closes, the audience is struck with a newfound love, and because of the excellent use of literary devices, Shakespeare’s writings continue to live to this
TDA Shakespeare and Bradstreet Authors William Shakespeare and Anne Bradstreet claim a unique love through their works of literature. It is ironic that the two authors are juxtaposed for their boasting of knowing true love because one is a man of the theatre and the other is a Puritan housewife. They both have remarkable and one-of-a-kind styles of writing. To My Dear and Loving Husband and Sonnet 18 both share a theme of time. These works of literature have become well-known and classic for their strong professions of love.
William Shakespeare’s works, written primarily from the late eighteen hundreds to the very early sixteen hundreds, have long been the subject of academic debates and analysis. Potent with double entendres, metaphors, and social commentary, it is easy to apply queer theory to Shakespeare’s plays, notably Twelfth Night, written in 1601. Though Twelfth Night’s ending pushes its characters into traditional heterosexual romances and binary gender roles to satisfy the genre and placate conservative Elizabethan audiences, the characters in the comedy defy tradition by exploring homosexual love and expression of gender. The most apparent homosexual themes are present in the relationship between Antonio and Sebastian.
Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream film adaptation creates a fantastical spin on the well-known Shakespeare play. The director is able to create an effective dream-like setting with the use of projections, lighting, and puppetry. From the beginning, there is a sense of wonder created, as without word or introduction, Puck, played by Kathryn Hunter, glides onto stage and lays down on a mattress supported by branches. Puck is then lifted into the air and a large white sheet consumes the stage. Even for those familiar with the play, such as myself, it immediately commands your mind to travel to the dream world Taymor has created.
Viola liking duke Orsino but duke Orsino liked liked Olivia and Olivia liked Sebastian. Nobody seemed to like the right person until the
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare entertains the audience through use of character, language and drama. The plot focuses on the theme of conflict and consequences, using deep characterisation, descriptive language and high drama to entertain. Act 3 Scene 1 focuses on a brutal feud between two enemies and Act 3 Scene 5 follows the patriarchal society’s approach to women marriage and societal expectations. Shakespeare forces the audience to engage with the idea of conflict and what it must have been like to live through this time. Shakespeare cleverly utilises a changing atmosphere in Act 3 Scene 1 to expertly entertain his audience.
However, love vanquishes vanity. Illyria 's Duke Orsino and Countess Olivia are vain, that is, empty, till epiphanies prepare them to love someone beyond themselves. In this manner, epiphanies resolve Twelfth Night characters ' barriers to the altar, enabling them to recognize, experience, and respond to outwardly directed love.
The love between two teens, the drama, and tragedy is a strong plot for Romeo and Juliet. The new start of a girl who thought she lost her brother, the romance, and the happy ending doesn’t have a plot that connects a reader because it’s something that everyone expects. The reasons between the two will have evidence on plot, theme, and symbol to show how Romeo and Juliet a Shakespeare story shows more emotion than Twelfth night. The plot summary for Romeo and Juliet Stresses the accidental.
Shakespeare was a famous author and poet that wrote extremely well-known texts, such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet.” Shakespeare lived during the Renaissance when art and science advanced and he was one of the major contributors to this historical period. “Shakespeare Influences the way we speak now” by Hephzibah Anderson, “William Shakespeare’s Impact on Theatre” by Octane, and “How Outrage Built Over a Shakespearean Depiction of Trump” by Sara Krulwich suggest that Shakespeare had a great influence on many aspects of society, such as the phrases we use, style of theater, and is a figure of inspiration to many people. Shakespeare has contributed to many well-known phrases that are still used to this day, showing his significance in history.
Shakespeare’s renowned play Twelfth Night centers around love, both in platonic and romantic instances. Characters display elements of self, brotherly, amorous, and friendly love towards one another; however, of the relationships portrayed, the strongest ones are those between men. In contrast, relationships between men and women lack depth and sincerity due to the lapse of communication between the opposing genders. Men are able to express their feelings to one another more freely, which gives their bonds strength that heterosexual relationships fail to display.
It is even possible that her vow to retreat from society fueled her lack of interest in the duke who pursues her called Orsino. Olivia and Viola both have lost a brother, although Viola fortunately eventually finds her brother. Still, due to the fact both characters believe their brothers to be dead for the majority of the play, their attitudes are affected by this. Olivia in particular attempts to keep a good opinion of
Shakespeare uses Viola (Cesario) as an example of a mechanism that can throw internal conflicts into temporary chaos. Viola willingly faces whatever comes in her way. Her love for Duke Orsino seems too constant and true, unlike the other characters in the play. The temporary chaos of the play is when Viola falls in love with Orsino, who falls in love with Olivia, who on the other hand falls in love with Viola’s disguise, Cesario. This love triangle is very complicated as none of them realize that Cesario is a woman, making this an internal conflict for Viola, as she cannot ‘truly’ love whom she wants.