#twelfthnight

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare (l. c. 1564-1616), written between 1600 and 1601 and first performed on 2 February 1602. As suggested by the title's allusion to Twelfth Night – the night before the Epiphany celebrations – it is considered one of Shakespeare's most festive plays, dealing with themes of love, merriment, and gender.

Sources & Themes

Probably written sometime between 1600 and 1601, Twelfth Night was first performed at the Middle Temple of London on 2 February 1602 at Candlemas. The play, as scholar David Bevington observes, is perhaps the most festive of Shakespeare's comedies, conveying feelings of "Saturnalian release and the carnival pursuit of love and mirth" (184). Indeed, the play's very title conjures up images of festivity, as Twelfth Night – 6 January, the Feast of Epiphany – traditionally marks the end of the Christmas celebrations. During the Elizabethan period, the twelve days of Christmas were full of revelry, as noble households would sponsor banquets, masked balls, performances of plays, and many other activities. Much as had been the case with the holiday's pagan precursor, the Roman Saturnalia, Twelfth Night saw many of the "stern rigors of a rule-bound society" temporarily give way to a spirit of "gift giving, sensual indulgence, and satirical hostility to those who would curb merriment" (Bevington, 184). This sentiment is embodied by Sir Toby Belch's famous line: "Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?"

Aside from the holiday itself, Shakespeare drew inspiration from several sources. One of the most significant was the tale 'Apollonius and Silla' from a 1581 collection of stories by Barnabe Riche. Riche's story has much in common with the plot of Twelfth Night – from a shipwrecked woman disguising herself as a man to a case of mistaken identity caused by a twin brother. However, while Riche's original story is a cautionary tale warning against giving in to reckless infatuation, Shakespeare keeps his play more light-hearted, minimizing the harm done to the characters while retaining the theme of the irrationality of love. Shakespeare also drew heavily from the 1531 Italian play Gl'ingannati ("The Deceived Ones"), from which he found the blueprints for many of the characters in the comedic subplot including that of Malvolio, who is introduced in the Italian play as 'Malevolti' ('evil-faced'). The plot point dealing with the counterfeit letter, however, seems to be Shakespeare's original idea.

Of the themes explored in Twelfth Night, one of the more obvious is that of love and its irrationality. Both Duke Orsino and Lady Olivia begin the play too bogged down by love to engage with life's pleasures; Orsino, pining for Olivia's affections, refuses to go hunting, while Olivia, grieving for her dead brother, shuts herself off from the world. It is only through the charming and determined Viola that they are taught to experience love in a way that connects them to the world. Gender is another important theme, most clearly expressed in Viola's decision to disguise herself as a man named Cesario (to add another layer to this theme, it is worth remembering that the first actor to play Viola would have been a boy). Elements of same-sex love are also present: Olivia falls in love (albeit unknowingly) with the female Viola, while Antonio's attachment to Sebastian has often been viewed through a romantic lens. While gender roles and homosexuality were not understood in Shakespeare's time in the same way they are today, these themes are certainly worth considering when studying the play.

Lady Olivia in Mourning

Charles Robert Leslie (Public Domain)

I saw this production of "Twelfth Night" this past summer at @publictheaterny's #ShakespeareInThePark, and now you can watch too! Shout out to @moses who was FANTASTIC!

🎥 reposted from @pbsgreatperformances A star-studded cast brings the ultimate love triangle to life.

Twelfth Night premieres Friday, November 14 at 9/8c on PBS.

#MosesSumney

Upon seeing this, I immediately thought of you—just kidding! This actually took me back to my 11th-grade days when we studied Twelfth Night in literature class. As you can guess, I was all in on that because, well, it’s Shakespeare! Not only do I dream of being like him one day, but I also can’t help but foam at the mouth whenever I read his work.

Anyways, let’s get to Feste and why this basically summarizes his character. Yes, I once did a whole presentation as a graded piece (got an 80) on his character ALONE (because he’s literally the best). So some of my statements, to me, might sound repeated!

Feste – Olivia’s witty fool (or clown), who provides comic relief.

Now, most readers might just see Feste as a typical clown there to entertain Olivia, but trust me, there’s so much more to him! Throughout the play, he’s supposed to lighten the mood for her, which is basically a lost cause since all Olivia does is wallow in her brother's death. But honestly, Feste doesn’t seem to care too much; he’s more focused on getting his daily dose of alcohol! It's like he's saying, "Let me do my thing while you mourn!" This makes him a much more layered character than just the silly fool everyone thinks he is.

𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞: 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬

Act 1, Scene 5. He cleverly uses his wit to point out the irrationality of her grief:

Feste: "Good madonna, why mourn'st thou?" Olivia: "Good fool, for my brother's death." Feste: "I think his soul is in hell, madonna." Olivia: "I know his soul is in heaven, fool." Feste: "The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen."

Here we see Feste gently mocking Olivia’s prolonged mourning by suggesting that, if her brother is in heaven, her continued grief is illogical. It’s a brilliant example of how Feste uses humor and irony to deliver deeper truths, challenging Olivia’s actions without directly confronting her.

I was gagged when I first read that scene aloud in class; it really stuck with me because, as the play progresses, we see just how wise Feste is, even though he’s labeled a 'fool.

𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞: 𝐀 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐬

Feste was a social commenter, that I know, he never misses a chance to question or mock those of "power" in the play. He uses humor, wit, and music to highlight the absurdities of the social hierarchies and behaviors.

1. Feste and Malvolio (Act 1, Scene 5)

In this scene, Feste challenges Malvolio, Olivia’s self-righteous steward, on his rigid adherence to authority and decorum:

Feste: "You have said, sir. To see this age! A sentence is but a chev’ril glove to a good wit: how quickly the wrong side may be turned outward!"

Feste mocks Malvolio’s overly serious nature by comparing rigid judgments (or "sentences") to a soft glove, suggesting that those in power can twist the law or logic to suit their needs. Here we see how he digs into a figure of authority, how they manipulate words and rules, all while exposing Malvolio's self-importance and hypocrisy.

He critiques the way those in authority manipulate words and rules, exposing the foolishness of self-importance and hypocrisy in social structures(which he wasn't far from, Malvolio was a piece of work lmao)

𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲

Ambiguity— he quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness:

Feste is like the ultimate Master of Ambiguity in Twelfth Night, straddling the line between comedy and tragedy. His songs mix fun and sadness, reflecting life’s ups and downs—like when he sings about love being fleeting, which is both lighthearted and a little melancholic. He can shift from being a jokester to a deep thinker, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, WHAT HE SAID TO OLIVIA FOREVER GAGGED ME. The reason this resonated with me is that I, too, was (and still am) mourning the loss of someone dear to me, and the way he phrased it felt like he was telling me as well: 'Life goes on, so move forward with it.'

Another thing I just love about Feste is that he's part of the action but also keeps his distance, moving between the nobles and commoners without getting tangled in their romantic messes. (UNLIKE SOME)

Basically, he gets the madness around him but chooses how to engage with it, acting as the voice of reason while still being playful, which makes him a fascinating character in the midst of all the chaos.

𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞

Disgues— give (someone or oneself) a different appearance in order to conceal one's identity:

So we all know a MAJOR theme in the play was, the theme of disguise and identity and AGAIN we see our KING Feste, playing a key role in linking the worlds of deception and truth. (he's such a humble soul)

While everyone else is busy with physical disguises, like Viola pretending to be a guy, Feste hides his sharp intellect and wisdom behind his fool persona. This clever act makes him sort of the play’s moral compass, allowing him to navigate the chaos while still pointing out the truths that others might overlook.

He’s not just a silly jester; he’s the one who really understands what’s going on, making him central to the play’s exploration of identity and the masks we wear.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞

Jester privilege? I had no idea that was a thing—LOL! We learn something new every day. It perfectly applies to Feste’s character, who delivers honest, hard-hitting truths while playfully acting like he’s in charge. It’s wild how he isn’t afraid of the consequences, even when he’s putting his life on the line with his words.

Because he’s seen as a fool, the other characters overlook him as just silly, which makes it even funnier that his insights often go unheard. Just picture having a job where you dance around, tell silly jokes, and act like a complete fool, yet you still recognize your own brilliance. It’s such a hilarious contradiction that truly captures the essence of Feste’s role in the chaos of Twelfth Night!

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:

Books

“Twelfth Night: A Critical Reader” by Alison Findlay and Liz Oakley-Brown:includes essays and analyses on various aspects of Twelfth Night, including Feste’s character.

“Shakespeare’s Clowns and Fools” by Robert Hillis Goldsmith: explores the roles of clowns and fools in Shakespeare’s plays, with a section dedicated to Feste.

Everyone should be like Feste.