The history of the Twelfth Night is very interesting. Shakespeare may have been inspired to write this play based on Gl’Ingannati, an Italian play written in the 1530s. The play also consisted of a love triangle, similar to the one in the Twelfth Night. Interestingly, The Twelfth Night also would have only been played by men during Shakespeare’s time. So Viola would have had to be a man pretending to be a woman, pretending to be a man. I think this element would have added to the silliness of the play when it was performed during Shakespeare’s time. I also thought the title says a lot about this play seeing as it is based on a holiday of festivities. During the festivals, people would eat, drink, dance, and a young boy was often chosen to play king for the day. The title also lends itself to the tone of the play. The tone is very unstable in this piece, unlike most of Shakespeare’s work we’ve read so far. Where as the fool brings light to the play along with Toby Belch, the biggest fan of the party atmosphere, there is also a great amount of sadness, and moodiness involved in the various love affairs and triangles.
Gender definitely plays an important role throughout the play and contributes to the confusion and unstableness between many of the characters as well. Specifically, the love between Duke Orsino and Viola comes into question at the end. For example, in Act 5, scene 1, Orsino says:
“‘Cesario,’” come;
For so you shall be while you are a man;
But when in other habits you are seen,
Orsino’s mistress and his fancy queen” (Shakespeare 5.1.30).
Even after Viola’s identity is revealed, Orsino still calls Viola “Cesario.” For me, this brought up the question of whom Orisno is really attracted to. If he really is attracted to the Cesario Viola, what does that say about his character?
Overall, The Twelfth Night is a very fun play. By watching She’s The Man again, I was able to have more fun reading the last few acts of the play. I think it is also interesting that Shakespeare’s work can still be used in popular media today. His themes are universal, and his work is enjoyed by many people, even when they don’t realize his influence. I had never known that She’s The Man was influenced by the Twelfth Night, but knowing this now I realize I loved the movie because the play is so interesting. I have seen other works such as “Taming of The Shrew” made into “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Hamlet” into “The Lion King,” and even “Romeo and Juliet” into “West Side Story.” Even with the complex language Shakespeare uses in his plays, elements of his work can be pulled to make a few excellent, popular movies.
Word Count: 446
“Twelfth Night: Entire Play.” Twelfth Night: Entire Play. MIT, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
The Business of Shakespeare 
I really like how you structure your analysis and the depth you dig into regarding the play the Twelfth Night. And in your title audience can find out the topics you will cover in your analysis. In the first stage, you talk about the history of the Twelfth Night, which is new for me and good to know. You clarified the reason behind the disguise of Viola. The play would have only been played by men during Shakespeare’s time, so Viola would have had to be a man pretending to be a woman. And I totally agree with you at the point that this element would have added to the silliness of the play when it was performed during Shakespeare’s time. In the second paragraph, you illustrated the essential role of gender plays in the whole play. The reasoning is convincing. In the last stage, you compared the play with the film She’s The Man, which is pretty precise.
WC: 155
LikeLike