Shakespeare’s comedies. Twelfth night or what you will.

COMEDIES

1590-1600. The period was marked by the optimism so characteristic of all humanist literature. It is best reflected in his comedies (As you like it, twelfth night, the comedy of errors and others). The comedies describes the adventures of young men and women, their friendship and love, their search for happiness. The comedies are usually based on some misunderstanding that creates comic situations. Sh never moralizes in his comedies. He laughs with people, but not at them. His comedies are filled with humanist love for people and the belief in the nobility and kindness of human nature.

Twelfth Night, or What You Willis a comedy, written in1600, was the last comediyShwrotw during the 1^st period. They say that the playwright was asked by the Queen to write a play to be staged on the last 12^th night of merry Christmas holidays. This is where the name of the play comes from.

12^th night has all the feature characteristics of Sh’s comedies. The scene is laid in the beautiful country of Illyria where people are carefree & happy. The action of the play is based on the misunderstanding caused by the complete likeness of twins – sister&brother – Viola & Sebastian. During their sea voyage they are shipwrecked and separated. Viola finds herself in Illyria of the Duke Orsino. The duke is in love with Olivia, a beautiful rich heiress. After the death of her brother & father Olivia lives in seclusion with her few servants & her uncle, Sir Toby Belch. The duke sends his page (viola) with a message to Olivia, hoping the page will win Olivia’s love for him. The mission is not very pleasant for Viola because she has long been in love with the duke. Nevertheless she does her best to convince Olivia of the duke’s love. But olibia ignores the duke’s love. Instead she takes a liking to the young handsome-looking page.

One day on her way back from olivia’s castle to which the duke sends his page again and again, viola is challenged to the duel by sir Andrew Aguecheek, another of olivia’s unsuccessful admires. Sir A thinks that the page is a cause of his failure to win olivia’s love. Viola, unable to fight, manages to escape. At that time Sebastian appears and sir A, mistaking him for the page, starts to fight with him. The duel is stopped by Olivia who take S to her castle and, also mistaking him for the duke’s page, confesses that she loves him.

The comedy ends with 2 happy marriages: one between Olivia and Sebastian, who has fallen in love with the beautiful Olivia at 1^st sight; the other – between Viola and Orsino, for she has long been in love with him and as he has always been really fond of her as his pageboy, he now understands that he really loves her.