Twelfth Night William Shakespeare

The play was also titled “What You Will” and is categorized as a romantic comedy. It was written approximately in 1601 or 1602 to be staged on the Christmas day. The play is about the twins, “Sebastian” and “Viola”, separated during a storm when their ship is wrecked. “Viola”, disguising as “Cesario”, loves “Duke Orsino”. The Duke, on the other hand, loves “Olivia”. The publication of this play is stated to have been delayed until the first folio in 1623.

In “Twelfth Night”, “Viola”, as a rational character in an insane world, controls much of the play’s point of view through expanded dialogue and direct address to the audience, causing the audience to sympathize most with her perspective. In contrast, the dialogue of “Malvolio”- and thus his point of view – is limited within the play, causing the audience to enjoy jokes at his expense.

“Twelfth Night” is the climax of the Shakespearean early achievement in comedy. The effects and values of the earlier comedies are here subtly embodied in the most complex structure which “Shakespeare” had yet created. But the play also looks forward: the pressure to dis-solve the comedy, to realize and finally abandon the burden of laughter, is an intrinsic part of its ‘perfection.’ The clear- eyed and affirmative vision of “Viola” of her own and of the world’s rationality is a triumph and we desire it; yet we realize its vulnerability, and we come to realize that virtue in disguise is only totally triumphant when evil is not in disguise-is not truly present at all. Having solved magnificently the problems of this particular form of comedy, “Shakespeare” was evidently not tempted to repeat his triumph. After “Twelfth Night” the so-called comedies required for their happy resolutions more radical characters and devices-omniscient and omnipresent Dukes, magic, and resurrection. More obvious miracles are needed for comedy to exist in a world in which evil also exists, not merely incipiently but with power.