Introduction Like all Shakespeare’s mature comedies, Twelfth Night has of Viola disguised as Cesario and her brother Sebastian much serious content as well as the purely comic which was even more indistinguishable, because Olivia was makes it a rewarding play for an audience. As is the case being played by a male actor whereas in most modern in many of the plays, Twelfth Night hinges on disguise and productions a female actor plays the part of Olivia. mistaken identity and sexual confusion. Observing the part of Viola being played by a male actor gives an extra layer of confusion: Olivia, played by a male actor disguises herself as a man, Cesario, so the audience watch a man playing a woman who is disguised as a man. See Colin Hurley Excerpt – the practice of men playing women on stage to listen to the actor playing Sir Toby talk about this aspect of the production. One of the delights of the play is the range of complex and engaging characters that become involved in the story of the shipwreck and separation of the twins Viola and Sebastian, Viola’s disguise as Cesario and Orsino’s love for Olivia. The other characters in Olivia’s household, her cousin Sir Toby and his friend Sir Andrew, her steward Malvolio, Maria the maid and Feste the clown become involved in the two plots to humiliate Malvolio and make fun of Sir Andrew. The characters experience the sadness of unrequited love, the happiness of love becoming fulfilled and the cruelty of humiliation. Although it is a comedy, there are aspects of the play that contain elements of tragedy in the humiliation of Malvolio and his final threat of revenge. Twelfth Night was completed in 1601. Interestingly there is an account, written by John Manningham, a lawyer, of a performance on 2nd February 1602 at Middle Temple Liam Brennan as Orsino and Johnny Flynn as Viola in the 2012 Hall, part of the Inns of Court which are the centre of production of Twelfth Night. the legal profession in London. Middle Temple Hall The 2012 production was performed using ‘original still stands and is the only venue where Shakespeare’s practices’. This means that, just as in the time of plays were performed in his own lifetime that can still Shakespeare, the female characters are played by men. In be visited today. An earlier production of Twelfth Night the 16th and 17th Centuries female actors were forbidden by The Globe in 2002 was performed in Middle Temple from performing in the theatres so all the female parts Hall in exactly the same place as the production in in plays were played by male actors, often young boys Shakespeare’s time. In the later years of Shakespeare’s whose voices had not yet broken. Being able to see the career, there was an increasing use of indoor theatres parts of Viola, Olivia and Maria played by male actors instead of outdoor theatres like The Globe because they gives modern audiences the opportunity to experience allowed much greater control of effects such as lighting the play as audiences in Shakespeare’s time would have and of course they weren’t affected by bad weather. done. In the 2012 production, the similarity in appearance © 2016 The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Permission granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only. Commercial copying, hiring, lending, is prohibited. Act i, scene 1 ‘If music be the food of love, play on.’ 1 Read Act I, scene 1, lines 1 – 15. Explain that these opening lines are very well-known. Ask students to read these lines and list the imagery and vocabulary in the lines that refer to death and decay. Take feedback and discuss the way that the imagery and vocabulary such as ‘sicken’ and ‘die’ give a sense of melancholy or sadness to the atmosphere which runs throughout the whole play. 2 Thinking about the imagery in these lines, ask students to describe what they think the music that begins the play may be like. Take feedback and draw out the sense of melancholy which would be strengthened by the use of suitably sad and slow music. Ask students to suggest current examples of popular music which might have this sense of melancholy. 3 Read Act I, scene 1, lines 20 – 24. Ask students to explore the imagery of hunting in these lines and suggest what it tells the audience about Orsino’s feelings. Discuss the way the image of hunting suggests that Orsino feels that he is a victim of love, that he is like a ‘hart’, a male deer, being pursued by his feelings for Olivia. 4 Read Act I, scene 1, lines 27 – 33 and 41 – 42. Ask students to compare the description of Olivia mourning her dead brother and the final words of Orsino in the scene and identify what is similar about them. Discuss the way that Olivia seems to be lost in her sadness over her brother’s death and the way that Orsino seems to be almost to be enjoying his feeling of sadness over the unrequited love as he lies in his ‘bed of flowers’. Point out how their feelings of sadness and melancholy link with the opening lines of the play so that although it is a comedy there is an underlying sense of sadness. © 2016 The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Permission granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only. Commercial copying, hiring, lending, is prohibited. Act 1, Scene 5: Olivia falls in love Summary Viola and her twin brother Sebastian have been shipwrecked and separated on the shore of Illyria. The sea captain tells Viola about Orsino and, disguised as a man named Cesario, Viola becomes Orsino’s servant and takes messages to the object of his love Olivia. Viola soon falls in love with Orsino but he does not realise that she is a woman. This scene is supported by the Scene Machine script 1 Read Act I, scene 5, lines 61 – 67. Explain that the ‘fool’ is a servant responsible for entertaining an employer and had freedom to say things that other servants could not. Ask students to read these lines that Feste, Olivia’s fool, says to his mistress and then explain Feste’s argument. Draw out in discussion the point that Olivia’s grieving for her brother is unnecessary as she believes he has gone to heaven and how this reinforces the feeling that Olivia’s grieving could be seen as indulgent. 2 Read Act I, scene 5, lines 68 – 91. Ask students to read these lines and decide what impression they give of Malvolio’s character. Draw out in discussion that Malvolio does not seem to have a sense of humour and dislikes the fool who is, in many ways, Malvolio’s opposite. Emphasise the way that Olivia’s comments about Malvolio being ‘sick of self-love’ tells the audience that he is self-obsessed and ripe for the trick later played on him. 3 Read Act I, scene 5, lines 170 – 210. Ask students to decide what they think is Olivia’s initial impression of Viola is disguised as Cesario. Discuss the way that Olivia initially sees Viola as ‘saucy’ and as behaving ‘rudely’ but that she then begins to show her interest in ‘him’ by asking questions such as ‘who are you?’ Finally, she agrees to send Maria away to listen to Viola alone. 4 Read Act I, scene 5, lines 220 – 232 and 251 – 277. Ask students to read these lines and list the next stages in Olivia’s realisation that she is beginning to fall in love with Viola disguised as Cesario. In discussion emphasise that in agreeing to show her face by drawing aside her veil Olivia is demonstrating that she wants this young man to see and admire her. Olivia next invites Viola to speak more ‘Why, what would you?’ when she could simply have told her to leave. Her next question ‘What is your parentage?’ is a crucial question for a possible partner: does he come from the right background? Finally Olivia reveals her growing interest by asking Viola to come again even though she has no interest in Orsino’s love. 5 Read Act I, scene 5, lines 278 – 301. Ask students to read the ending of the scene and identify how the actor playing Olivia should speak and move in these lines to show that she has definitely fallen in love with Viola disguised as Cesario. Draw out the way the lines convey her excitement through repeating what he said and the short excited lines describing him and that the actor should demonstrate excitement by delivering the lines in an excited voice and move in an agitated manner. Suggest that when they watching the performance they should note the way the actor playing Olivia demonstrates her excitement. © 2016 The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Permission granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only. Commercial copying, hiring, lending, is prohibited. Act II, scene 3 Malvolio falls out with the revellers Summary Viola’s twin brother Sebastian has also found himself rescued from the shipwreck on Illyria and decides to go to Orsino’s court and, as he looks identical to his disguised sister, this will cause confusion later. Malvolio has given Olivia’s ring to Viola who is puzzled and realises Olivia has fallen in love with her in disguise as Cesario. In this next scene the plot to humiliate Malvolio is started. 1 Read Act II, scene 3, lines 85 – 120 Ask students to read these lines and list Malvolio’s criticisms of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste’s behaviour and then list their feelings about Malvolio.