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Home , Malvolio, Orsino (Twelfth Night), Twelfth Night (holiday), Viola (Twelfth Night)

Study Guide Compiled by Laura Cole, Director of Education and Training [email protected] For The Atlanta Shakespeare Company

at The New American Shakespeare Tavern : She” bore a mind that envy could not but call 499 Peachtree St. NE, faire” Orphaned at 13, she has just lost her twin Atlanta, GA 30308 brother at the beginning of the play. Phone: 404-874-5299 Sebastian: Viola’s missing brother. Antonio, a sea www.shakespearetavern.com captain, befriends him after rescuing him from the sea. : As his name implies, he is a partier, Original Practice and Playing er, Courtier. He is related to and is Shakespeare “helping” Sir Andrew woo her.

Sir Andrew Aguecheek: “A very fool and a The Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street prodigal”. Sir Toby is wringing him dry of is an Original Practice Playhouse. Original money. Practice is the active exploration and : Olivia’s lady-in-waiting. Her handwriting is implementation of Elizabethan stagecraft remarkably similar to Olivia’s. and acting techniques. : He travels the country, entertaining the gentry. For the Atlanta Shakespeare Company “This fellow is Wise enough to play the Fool” (ASC) at The New American Shakespeare Tavern this means every ASC production : Olivia’s steward or butler. He likes the color yellow. He has “greatness thrust upon features hand-made period costumes, live, him” actor-generated sound effects, and live period music performed on period Antonio: A “notable saltwater thief” and friend to instruments in our Elizabethan playhouse. Sebastian. Our casts are trained to speak directly to the Sea Captain: His ship has just sunk at sea, and he is audience instead of ignoring the audience going to help Viola make her way in the world. through the modern convention of acting with a “4 th wall.” Valentine: Gentleman of ’s court. You will experience all of this and more Fabian: Servant to Olivia. when you see ASC’s Twelfth Night Curio: Servant to Orsino. Officers, Sailors and Musicians Who’s Who in Twelfth Night : The Elizabethans thought Illyria was on the Orsino: A nobleman of Illyria, hopelessly in love coast of Africa. Illyria was a mysterious, with the Lady Olivia. His “desires, like fell dangerous and exotic land full of pirates. cruel hounds, ere since pursue” him. He listens Twelfth Night: The 12 th day of the season to music a lot. in England, marked by the Feast of The Olivia: She has just lost her brother, and within the . This holiday was celebrated with last year, her father also. “She hath abjured the rejoicing, hi-jinks, tricks and jokes. sight of men” in mourning for her brother and father.

Twelfth Night Study Guide page 2 cheers up a bit and when Malvolio, her Steward, criticizes Feste, she defends Feste. The Story She tells Malvolio “you are sick of self- As our play opens, Count Orsino has love” and cautions him that an “allowed musicians playing for him. He is in love fool” is a good thing. with the Lady Olivia in a big, sloppy way. He is hoping that music will overwhelm him Viola shows up at the gate, demanding to and make him fall out of love with Olivia speak to Olivia. Olivia consents to see him, but it doesn’t work. Valentine enters and veiled. After some confusion, Viola finally tells him that Olivia will not hear Orsino’s sees Olivia’s face and begins to woo her for suit of love and marriage. She says “The Orsino. By the end of her visit, she has done Element (the Sun) it selfe, till seven years such a good job as Cesario, that Olivia falls heate, shall not behold her face at ample in love with him/her! Viola leaves, hoping view” She is refusing all offers of love, in Olivia will see Orsino’s worth as a mate. mourning for her brother and father. Olivia wonders at how quickly she has fallen under Cesario’s spell- “Even so We meet Viola, a young lady shipwrecked quickly may one catch the plague?” on the coast of Illyria. She has lost her brother Sebastian in the wreck and must Olivia sends Malvolio off in pursuit of make do on her own. She hears of Olivia Cesario, to offer him a ring. She lies and and Orsino, and decides to disguise herself tells Malvolio that the boy left it, hoping as a boy, to serve Orsino in his court. She Cesario will return, with the ring. Viola will do this till she can figure something else realizes Olivia has fallen for her, in the same out. The sea captain agrees to help. way that she, Viola, is in love with Orsino.

Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are finding it hard Now, we meet Sebastian, Viola’s brother, to have fun drinking and carousing when for the first time. He is on his way to Olivia insists on being in mourning. Sir Orsino’s court. Antonio, who saved him Toby has made Sir Andrew believe that from drowning, would like to follow but he Andrew could marry Olivia shortly. They “has many enemies in Orsino’s court” but “I jest and talk with Maria, who doesn’t have a do adore thee so, that danger shall seem very high opinion of Sir Andrew, or Sir sport and I will go”. Toby, for that matter. She doesn’t approve of the late hours he spends carousing. Malvolio gives Viola the ring, and all her fears are confirmed. She decides that Time Viola appears at Orsino’s court as a boy shall work out her problems and goes on her named Cesario. She has become a favorite way. of Orsino’s and he decides to send Cesario to Olivia to woo her, instead of sending Later, it is late at night and Toby has been Valentine again. He tells Cesario that Olivia out partying with Andrew. They invite will like him better since he looks so much Feste to sing for them, and wake up the like a woman. Viola agrees to go, although whole household in the process. Before she admits to us that she has already fallen Maria can shut them up, Malvolio enters, in love with Orsino herself! and threatens Sir Toby with expulsion from the house, apparently on Olivia’s orders. Now, we meet Olivia, all in black, and Malvolio threatens Maria’s good standing currently upbraiding her Fool, Feste. He has with Olivia and Maria comes up with a plan been gone for a while, and she is in no mood to gull Malvolio into thinking Olivia is in to be “fooled” with. He tries to prove to her love with him. Maria will write a fake that she is being silly for mourning her letter, and they plan to leave it in Malvolio’s brother’s death since he is in heaven. She way the next day. Twelfth Night Study Guide Page 3 Antonio shows up just as Andrew and Viola begin to duel. He thinks Viola is Sebastian, Meanwhile, Orsino has Feste sing another since she is wearing clothes just like melancholy song for his entertainment. Sebastian’s. Antonio jumps to “Sebastian’s” Cesario tries to convince Orsino that Olivia defense and is arrested by officers. He asks simply will not change her mind. Cesario “Sebastian” for money he lent his friend but tells him a story about his sister, who pined of course, Viola doesn’t know what Antonio for love. They discuss the differences is talking about. She doesn’t have enough between men and women’s love, but money and Antonio is carried away, Orsino’s mind is not changed. He sends mourning “Oh, how vild an idol proves this Cesario back to Olivia with more words of God” in other words- Sebastian-Viola- love. Cesario.

Toby, Maria, Andrew and Fabian all hide in Sebastian shows up and Andrew, thinking the garden, and watch as Malvolio finds the he is Cesario, challenges him to another fake letter from Olivia. He becomes so duel. Olivia shows up, rescues her sweetie, convinced Olivia loves him from what he Sebastian/ Cesario, and asks him to come reads in the letter that he decides to dress the into the house. Malvolio shows up in jail, way Olivia apparently wants him to dress, tormented by Feste, who is masquerading as act snooty as she requests, and generally Sir Topas, the Curate. make a jerk of himself for her sake. Sebastian/Cesario has now fallen in love Viola and Feste tease each other on the way with Olivia, and agrees to marry her. The to Olivia’s house then meet Toby and Duke has had it with Olivia’s refusals and Andrew at the gate. Olivia again begs goes to her house, Viola in tow, to demand Cesario for his love (and Viola is torn even her love. Antonio, officers in tow, shows more). Cesario leaves, swearing, up, and Orsino yells at him. Olivia shows “nevermore will I my masters tears to you up, wondering why Cesario/Viola isn’t as deplore”. Andrew, incensed at Cesario’s cuddly as he was 10 minutes ago. Andrew apparent success in wooing Olivia, tries to and Toby show up, bloody from another go home. Toby, seeing his meal ticket encounter with Cesario/Sebastian and recoil leaving, says “ Challenge me the Counts in fright from Cesario/Viola. When youth to fight with him, hurt him in 11 Sebastian appears and apologizes for hurting places, my Niece shall take note of it” Toby, everything is explained. “One face, Andrew goes off to write his challenge and one voice, one habit, and two persons”. Maria enters offering to show Toby Sebastian and Viola reunite, Orsino gets a something funny, in another part of the surprise, Olivia gets her man, and Malvolio garden. “will be revenged on the whole pack of you”. Everyone, including the newly Antonio catches up with Sebastian, and we married Toby and Maria, can now live find out more about Antonio’s dark past. happily ever after.

Malvolio appears, in yellow stockings cross- Theatergoing Then and Now: gartered and smiling. He scares Olivia with Find out what the typical Elizabethan his antics so much that she thinks he is mad. audience was like and imagine what a He is sent away to a dark cell and Viola performance might have been like back enters again to be immediately challenged then. What is different about theatre going by Toby, for Andrew. Viola hasn’t done nowadays? The answers may surprise you! anything- Toby is simply arranging all this Clue: What would this play be like to watch foolishness so that he can gull some more outside, in the light of day? money and a horse out of Andrew. Twelfth Night Study Guide page 4 For Further Information/Exploration: Websites: During a Performance, Watch And Our website has a great “ask Jeanette” Listen For This: section-email us questions about the show you saw, and get an answer back. Music http://www.shakespearetavern.com/BTC/btc

There are more songs and music in Twelfth askjeanette.html Night than any other Shakespeare play. What Mr. and The Internet: do the different songs represent? Do they http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/ this site mean different things to different characters? contains excellent resources and has tons of What is Feste’s role in this play? How does it links. change? The Shakespeare Globe Centre USA: After a Performance, Talk About http://www.shakespeareglobeusa.org/ This: Books:

Gender in Shakespeare: Twelfth Night Arden Edition In Shakespeare’s day, teenage boys played The Elizabethan World Picture by E.M.W. all the women’s roles. How would that Tilyard change a production of Twelfth Night for Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human you? Think of another play of by Harold Bloom Shakespeare’s that you know- how would it work, if young men played the female Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare by Isaac characters. Asimov Original Practice Theatre: Staging In Shakespeare’s Theatres by Andrew Gurr and Mariko Ichikawa Does directly addressing the audience affect what you think and feel about the The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Shakespeare characters? Does it affect your Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D. understanding of what is going on onstage? Our performance text is : Does it interfere? Why do you think The Applause of Shakespeare in Shakespeare wrote his plays this way? Modern Type, Neil Freeman What are the benefits to the actor and/or audience? What are the risks? For more information on the First Folio of Shakespeare go to: Words Invented by Shakespeare http://web.uvic.ca/shakespeare/Annex/Draft and Used for the First Time in this Txt/index.html Play: Movie Versions: Hobnob Twelfth Night - Dir. By Trevor Nunn. A Label great version with , Helena Lapse Bonham Carter and Ben Kingsley.

Find for yourself where they appear in the Definitions of Words Invented for play! Can you spot them in performance? Twelfth Night Do they mean what you thought they Hobnob- to mingle meant? Label-to affix a name to Lapse-to fall into error