Twelfth Night
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Twelfth Night or, What You Will
description
Twelfth Night. o r, What You Will. William Shakespeare. Little is known of his life Wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long narrative poems His work is translated into almost every language and is still performed and studied. William Shakespeare. Hometown: Stratford-Upon-Avon, near London - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night
or, What You Will
William Shakespeare
Little is known of his life
Wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long narrative poems
His work is translated into almost every language and is still performed and studied
William Shakespeare
Hometown: Stratford-Upon-Avon, near London
No University education; only grammar school
1582: Married Anne Hathaway
The Lost Years
No record of him from 1585-92
On the run from the law?
A hired hand looking after horses?
A teacher?
Reappears in a drama review: an “upstart crow”
Elizabethan England
Elizabeth I was queen from 1558-1603
A golden age for England:
Flourishing poetry, literature and theatre
Relative peace and prosperity
Elizabethan London: Cleanliness
Upper class bathed once every couple of weeks; lower class, only a few times a year.
Nature calling? Go in a chamber pot and empty it out your window!
No sewer systems meant horse poop in streets had no way of being washed away.
Elizabethan London: Clothing Never washed; didn’t want to
lose colour. Puffy sleeves and breeches. Men and women wore high
heeled shoes. Both sexes used wigs and
cosmetics, including white powder for the face.
Children dressed as mini-adults.
Elizabethan London: Clothing
Fabric and colour indicated status.
Nobility: silk, satin, velvet; deep, rich shades
Lower Classes: wool, linen, sheepskin; natural colours (grey, brown, etc.)
Elizabethan London: Food
Mainly meat and bread. Lots of scurvy from lack of vitamins.
No refrigeration. Lots of spices to cover the smell.
Poor cooking of meat led to tapeworms and ringworms.
Unclean water meant people drank a lot of ale or beer; richer people had wine.
Elizabethan London:Entertainment
Archery, bowling, hammer throwing, staff duels and wrestling too slow for you?
Bear baiting
Bull baiting
Dog fights
Cock fights
Hunting and Hawking (upper class)
There were also public executions! The heads of the condemned were put on London Bridge for all to see!
Elizabethan London: Women
Largely uneducated.
No important jobs.
No voting.
Often not given fair trials; some falsely accused of prostitution or witchcraft!
Often used in marriages to solidify ties between families (a symbol of exchange b/w men)
Original Title
WHAT YOU WILL Will = want; please;
desire
What you will = as you desire
A play about pursuing desires and having fun
What is Twelfth Night?
…of Christmas; Feast of the Epiphany
Written to be performed for Twelfth Night entertainment
A topsy-turvy time: peasants become kings
A crazy play, full of reversals
Themes Love
Idealistic vs. rational Male vs. female Romantic vs. platonic Fickle vs. lasting
Over-indulgence of emotions and desires
The folly of thinking too highly of one’s self
Ambition
Appearance vs. Reality
Wisdom vs. Foolishness
Justice, fairness, and revenge
Bullying
Nature of Humanity: Good vs. Evil
Shakespearean Comedy Young lovers
overcoming obstacles
Mistaken identity
Clever plot twists
Shakespearean Comedy Puns and double
entendres
Stock characters
Happy endings
Why Study Shakespeare?
Universal themes
Persistent Human Nature
Good Challenge
Amazing use of English language
Intertextual Connections
