Name:

Brooke Dixon

Bio:

William Shakespeare: the name feared by all young students, revered by cardigan-wearing English teachers, and an obstacle to young thespians everywhere. Yet, in 1564, he was just a baby born into a middle-class family of glove makers in a town that no one really cared about called Stratford-on-Avon. The great bard himself only attended grammar school up until he was fifteen before marrying Anne Hathaway only three years later and was quickly expecting his first-born child. When he was around twenty-one years old and Anne was twenty-nine, the couple had twins, but Shakespeare left his family in Stratford-on-Avon to begin his theatre career in London circa 1592. While in London and throughout his career, Shakespeare wrote plays, poems, and sonnets ranging from tragedy to comedy (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust). Everyone has heard of Romeo and Juliet, but depending on personal preference, the comedy Shakespeare wrote in 1601 could be considered one of his best. What You Will, or Twelfth Night as it is better known, has earned its spot beside the other comedic greats such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and can be compared to tragedies like Macbeth.

Summary:

Twelfth Night is a comedy set in Illyria, that follows twins Sebastian and Viola after their shipwrecks. Both presume the other to have died at sea. Viola, knowing she cannot get anywhere as a woman, disguises herself as a eunuch. She dons the name Cesario and goes to Duke Orsino’s house where she discovers the love-struck Duke and ends up involved in his attempts to woo Lady Olivia. Cesario (Viola) becomes Orsino’s page to try to convince Olivia to love Orsino; however, Olivia ends up falling in love with Cesario instead while Viola falls in love with Orsino. Olivia’s household also contains other characters such as Malvolio (the steward who is also in love with Olivia), Maria (the maid), Sir Toby Belch (her uncle), and Sir Andrew (Sir Toby’s friend who just so happens to also be in love with Olivia). Throughout the play, all of Olivia’s potential suitors attempt to win her love with often embarrassing shenanigans, but Cesario tries on Orsino’s behalf.                   

Sebastian, also believing his sister to be dead, is rescued by Antonio, who begrudgingly agrees to take him into Illyria. Antonio is often depicted to be in love with Sebastian because he is willing to risk his life to help his new companion. Once Sebastian and Antonio arrive at the heart of the action, Olivia mistakes Sebastian for Cesario and marries him. Sebastian ends up in a fight with Sir Toby and Sir Andrew while Orsino arrives with Cesario, angry at his servant for betraying him and marrying Olivia. Cesario is, of course, confused by these accusations and claims that he only ever loved Orsino, but the confusion is somewhat rectified when Sebastian enters the stage and the twins reveal their true selves. The play ends with Sebastian marrying Olivia, Orsino marrying Viola, and Maria marrying Sir Toby, a seemingly happy ending for everyone except for Malvolio, who gets made a fool of by Maria and the others in Olivia’s household, and Antonio, who loses his companion.

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1Y93uQ-kYAfF_vz63UaTXu6elXI3rj-4_GxNxVIWZIew/edit?usp=sharing

Analysis:

Shakespeare’s writing is always complex and multifaceted; one could even argue this complexity is what makes a Shakespearean play Shakespearean and Twelfth Night is no exception. Twelfth Night is also no exception to the trend of literary works having commentary on gender roles and women. Most notably, Viola, the play’s main protagonist, immediately decides to present herself to Illyria as a eunuch instead of being a female. In the second scene of the whole play, a woman has already come to the conclusion that being a woman is going to get her nowhere in this society. Shakespeare also comments on typical gender roles by reversing the way men and women are typically played. Women are often ditzy and head over heels in love and that’s all they can think about while men are just…there. In this, Orsino is the over-dramatic lover, pining about how “If music be the food of love, play on. Give me excess of it that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken and so die,” and Olivia has no interest in him and rejects his advances (Shakespeare 1.1 1-3).

On the other hand, Shakespeare also keeps some gender roles consistent. For example, Viola has decided she wants to marry Orsino “three days” after knowing him (Shakespeare 1.4 3). Orsino’s quest for Olivia could be likened to that of a hunt, which, of course, is a very manly thing to do. Furthermore, Viola as Cesario is a trusted friend and confidant of Orsino, but when her true nature is revealed, Orsino is impressed by her intelligence and skill saying that she is “So much against the mettle of your sex” (Shakespeare 5.1 318). Maria also only wins the respect of Sir Toby and the other members of Olivia’s household by showcasing her intelligence and resolve with the prank pulled on Malvolio. In short, Shakespeare plays with gender roles in a way that only Shakespeare can and comments on the absurdity and double standards of what society held, and still holds, dear.

Just like in modern society, commentary on gender often goes right with commentary on sexuality and Twelfth Night is no different. The most well-known example of this is seen in the character Antonio, who rescues Sebastian and takes care of him. Although it is never directly stated that Antonio has romantic feelings for Sebastian, he does take care of him and then proceeds to risk his life for him by escorting him into Illyria. Although people would disagree and claim the feelings are solely platonic, when you consider that taking care of someone while they are seriously injured and risking your life for them is a trope that occurs in almost any romantic piece ever, his feelings and actions could very well be interpreted as romantic. Furthermore, Olivia almost immediately falls in love with Cesario, who is actually a woman, and Orsino is very quick to marry someone he believed to be a man for the majority of the piece. Although not as obvious as the commentary on gender, Shakespeare’s commentary on sexuality is not something to be ignored when reading Twelfth Night, especially through a modern lens.

It seems ridiculous that debates and prejudices that were held centuries ago can still be prevalent in society today, but they are. According to the Pew Research Center, American women still make almost twenty percent less than men. One of the most used arguments for this discrepancy is that women with children are less productive in the workplace: an idea that has its roots from the centuries old gender role of women being the ones to raise the family. Just like Viola, women in America, and the world, can’t get as far in life simply due to their gender. Additionally, if Twelfth Night was published now, “Karen’s” everywhere would rise and bash the production for its LGBTQ+ themes and ban their children from watching it because it is “not appropriate.” Although this may seem like an extreme opinion, as of August 2023, twenty-three of the fifty US states had introduced some form of a “Don’t Say Gay” law (Pen America). Twelfth Night has cross-dressing and barely hidden homoromantic themes and, based on that statistic alone, almost half of America would not support it and that is a problem. People are entitled to believe whatever they believe, but when they force their opinions onto others and not allow any dissenting viewpoints, the “free society” all Americans so cherish turns more into a censorship dystopia.

People in Shakespeare’s day could just go watch a play and laugh about it and then go about their days (granted they also did not accept these issues just like now), but now any little thing that remotely comments on society or even tries to advocate for something that people disagree with will be trashed and dragged through the mud. Just like this comedy is absurd, this societal standpoint is absurd, as well. Comedy can be used as a tool to open people up to a difficult discussion—a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down—and that’s exactly what Shakespeare does in Twelfth Night. The play is hilarious, and people can laugh at Malvolio when he is made a fool of, empathize with Orsino when his love is unrequited, and essentially see themselves as the characters in the show. Like all great literature, Twelfth Night can guide people to address issues that they are too scared to address as themselves and while no miracle of social change came from this piece, and Shakespeare’s intentions could’ve simply been to write a funny story, the questions it raises about sexuality and gender roles is not something to be ignored.