Wit and Humor in Shakespeares Twelfth Night free essay sample

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare is a romantic comedy set in Illyria during the Christmas season. The article analysis is a critique on the elements of folly and foolery in Shakespeare’s twelfth night. We will write a custom essay sample on Wit and Humor in Shakespeares Twelfth Night or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As defined in the critique, a fool can be â€Å"a silly or foolish person† or â€Å"one who professionally counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others, a jester, a clown†. In the analysis of the subject in twelfth night, the writer highlights that although Feste is the only professional fool in the play, many others are also subject to foolery. He then goes on to discuss the importance of Feste as a figure of comedic truth in the play and his relationships with the other characters such as: Malvolio who is seen as his antagonist, Maria who is described as his companion and Sir Toby Belch like Feste has a tendency to encourage mischief. The writer’s intention in the piece was to evaluate the idea of there being more than one fool in Shakespeare’s twelfth night. It is as a result of their combined humour and wit why the play works. He sees that during the festive season in Illyria most of the main characters are subject to foolery. Critic Stephanie Chidester in her article Twelfth Night: Motley Medley agrees with the critic as she says that â€Å"The actions and words of almost all the play’s characters fit the recognized behavior of a fool†. In my opinion the author makes a logical deduction as using his definitions of a fool I could classify all the main characters as being foolish or subjects to folly. Other than the four characters highlighted by the writer in the analysis Orsino, Viola, Olivia and Sir Andrew are all fools in some way or another. For example Orsino is foolish in his pursuit of Olivia appearing to be more in love with love itself than the woman he claims to be in love with. He does not know her, has never met her yet he declares his deep love for her. He is in love with the idea of her. Viola is foolish because of the situation her cross dressing has gotten her in as she finds herself in love with a man that she cannot tell she loves due to her disguise. Olivia like Orsino is also proven to be foolish as her promise to mourn a dead brother for seven years is excessive and abnormal. Sir Andrew Aguecheek also qualifies as the only natural fool in the play, which is seen through his slow-witted speech and foolish behavior. An example of this is seen in Act 1 scene 3 where Sir Andrew bemoans his lack of wit by saying maybe it’s because he eats too much beef. However, the writer of the analysis fails to explore all the other characters in the play that were subject to foolery instead he focuses mainly on Feste who most critics refer to as the easy and obvious fool and therefore missed the opportunity to justify his point thereby spoiling its effectiveness. In the critical piece the writer makes some valid points although most of them lack supporting evidence. In the first paragraph he makes the point that â€Å"Feste and the other characters in the play combine their silly acts and wits to invade other characters that evade reality or rather realize a dream. † This establishes one of the playwright’s main theme appearance vs. reality as when characters try to escape from reality it is up to the other characters in the play to correct this by bringing them back to reality. An example of this is found in Act 2 scene 3 where Sir Toby, a nobleman, scolds Malvolio and reminds him he is just a servant when Malvolio rebukes Sir Toby a nobleman for his unruly behavior. This shows Sir Toby brings Malvolio down from his â€Å"dream† of acting above his station, reminding him of the status quo and gives him a reality check by reminding him that he is simply a servant. However it is my belief that Shakespeare uses the disorderly, uncivil drunkard Sir Toby as a foil to Malvolio who represents self discipline and Moderation. While his foil Sir Toby represents self indulgence and excess and Shakespeare shows the downsides of both qualities through Malvolio and Sir Toby. According to critic Lauren Stranahan â€Å"Shakespeare uses the contrasting characters of Sir Toby and Malvolio to display the battle between excess and restraint, ending with the final idea that leaning too far to either direction will eventually end in displeasure† Shakespeare shows in Twelfth Night that being too restrain like Malvolio can lead to a individual being loathed by his companions like Malvolio who was loathed by the other servants. While being to indulgent, like Sir Toby, can cause out of control situations where someone gets hurt. For example Sir Andrew who was injured after being goaded into fighting Cesario by Sir Toby. In his third paragraph the critic makes the point that Feste is â€Å"the comic truth of the comedy† In my opinion this is indeed a logical statement as Feste is the one who is able to revel the truth of their actions to the characters in a humorous way. According to Alan S. Downer â€Å"Feste is allowed to speak freely and peel away the pretenses of the characters. The critic uses the example in Act 1 Scene 5 to prove his point where Feste reveals to Olivia the foolishness behind her decision to mourn her brother for seven years while her beauty fades. Feste believes that since Olivia thinks her brother’s soul is in heaven she should mourn no more. Feste is also the first person that suspects viola of her disguise and makes her aware of his suspicions. Based on the definitions given by the writer, Feste in my opinion is not the â€Å"stereotypical fool† or what you would expect a fool to be he is in fact a wise character. He is a source of laughter but not at his own expense, he amuses the audience at the expense of the other characters. Conventionally he reflects the role of the fool in the Elizabethan period. Feste is sensitive of his profession and is always aware of the circumstances he is in and the appropriateness of his folly. An example of this is seen in Act 2 scene 4, where we see Feste using his wit to subtly insult Duke Orsino who fitting the profile of a fool, lacks the intellect to realize he has been insulted. Feste reveals to both the audience and Duke Orsino that he is inconsistent in his thought, though Orsino does not realize this. This is an example of Feste bridging the gap between the audience and the characters in the play as although he is in the scene and plays a character is able to look on and comment as if he were actually in audience observing the other characters. With Feste’s help, we are able to attain a better understanding of the other characters in the play as he reveals their true personalities, which are ambiguous, not only to us, the audience, but also to the characters themselves. Therefore bridging the gap between the audience and the characters in the play and also breaking the barriers of class and convention. The writer’s comment that Malvolio is â€Å"Feste’s worst nightmare† is an unclear and unsupported statement and this gives the reader the impression that Malvolio has a personal vendetta against Feste. Malvolio is the prototypical puritan who threatens to wipe out folly altogether, in himself and in everyone else; he represents the â€Å"rationale man† who is unable to understand the fool that he has made himself out to be. The writer’s comment about Malvolio being the only character to experience â€Å"dignity reversed† is unproven in the text as the writer has not taken into consideration Olivia who threw herself at Cesario a servant and Orsino who continue to pursue Olivia despite her obvious message of not being interested. The writer doesn’t even begin to describe Sir Andrew Aguecheek who is the only natural fool in the play. Shakespeare uses these characters to symbolize the essence of twelfth Night as a time where the rules and normality of the society are cast to the wind. The critic accuses Maria of being an â€Å"undercover fool† who uses others to do her bidding. While Maria did get Feste, Fabian and Sir Toby in her plan she was not just a bystander since it was her forged letters that played I a key role in the prank. However if Maria is considered a fool because of these actions then why isn’t Viola whose disguise causes the confusion and the love triangle in the play not also considered a fool or Olivia who forgets her dignity and pursues a servant when a duke is trying to woo her. The writer gives the impression that the play resolves around the prank when in reality the prank is apart of the subplot. In my opinion not only does Shakespeare use Maria to bring out a key aspect of humor in the play with the prank but he also uses Maria as a balancing character. Maria is able to not only chastise Sir Toby and Sir Andrew for their drunken behavior but also to take part in their festivity. She is able to show the reader the balance between excess and moderation. The writer illogically concludes that at the end of the play â€Å"No harm is done as reviewers of this text we know that at the end of the play Antonio and Malvolio do not receive their happy ending. As Antonio is arrested in the end and Malvolio is ridiculed by the entire household. However, in true Shakespearean style the overall structure of the play as a comedy remains constant as Malvolio and Antonio’s unhappiness is overshadowed by the fact that Orsino and viola are married as well as Olivia and Sebastian are married. Despite the validity of several of the writers points his lack of supporting evidence lead to the points losing their effectiveness. Also, despite his in-depth analysis of Feste he doesn’t discuss the characters use of wit or what was humorous about the characters actions that according to him â€Å"made the comedy work† he could gave justified his point by using examples such as the witty word play between viola and Feste or Sir Toby’s coarse humor. However, in my opinion the success of the play is brought about by the humorous situations the characters find themselves in for example the love triangle that forms as a result of viola’s disguise. This is a common plot element in most of Shakespeare’s plays the characters must overcome the obstacles and situations that are stopping them from reaching their dreams. Shakespeare under the guise of humorous language and witty characterization is able to present the dangers of human shortcomings, relationships and love in an Illyrian setting where characters are free to reveal their true selves without normal social limitations. He is able to present the dangers of self indulgence through the characters Olivia and Orsino. He is able to warn about the folly of ambition through Malvolio. It is Shakespeare’s ability as a creative genius to use humorous language and complex witty characters to create a romantic comedy that also reveals dark truths about society that makes the play a success. In Twelfth Night most of the characters are subjected to some level of foolery. In an Analysis of fools the writer explores the way the play is controlled through comedic actions by the so called â€Å"fools† of the play. The writer’s evaluation of folly and foolery in the play is somewhat logical and sound. Twelfth Night takes the routine of ordinary life and moves it to the realm of folly. As Feste said â€Å"Foolery, Sir, does walk about the orb, like the sun, it shines everywhere† and we the reader see this all throughout twelfth night.