English 154
Harlan
Study Questions for TWELFTH NIGHT
Introduction
1. What makes it possible to date Twelfth Night with a fair degree of certainty?
2. What was going on in Shakespeare career around the time the play was written?
3. What were the other romantic comedies written around the time of Twelfth Night?
4. Where does the title of the play come from?
5. What's the connection between the contents of the play and the Twelfth Night tradition?
6. How is the Twelfth Night tradition honored in modern Britain?
7. What is so funny about Feste saying he could have used the word "element" but chose not to do so because the word is overused? What does this tell us about the audience for whom the play was originally written?
8. What is the secondary or subtitle of the play? Explain the sexual innuendo of this title?
9. What was the immediate source of the play?
10. What Roman playwright supplied Shakespeare with the idea of how to use identical twins for a comic purpose?
11. What are the four themes about love which the play explores?
12. What are the three story lines which are combined in the play?
13. What were the social and psychological effects of heroines dressing as men in the comedies?
14. Explain how gender camouflage provides characters with a double vision. Give an example from Twelfth Night.
Act I, scene 1:
15. Where was Ilyria and why does Shakespeare set the play there?
16. Explain why we can say that Orsino is a man in love with love, based upon the evidence in the first scene.
17. How do we come to know the musical notation used for many of the songs used in the play?
18. Explain the extended serious pun introduced around line 16 and explain some of the significant meanings of this conceit.
19. What does Orsino's excitement about Olivia locking herself away from the world for seven years because of the death of her brother tell us about the nature of his love?
20. Why is Olivia's decision about how she will grieve for her brother's death particularly foolish?
21. Explain the double purpose which the final rhyming couplet in this scene serves.
Act I, scene 2:
22. What is the principal way in which Viola differs from both Orsino and Olivia?
23. Explain how the supposed death of Viola's brother is made uncertain in this scene.
24. What is the first thing Viola says about Orsino, and why might it be significant?
25. What does Viola have in common with Olivia? Why doesn't she follow her example?
26. Why does Viola choose to disguise herself as a man?
Act I, scene 3:
27. How does Toby react to Olivia's grief for her brother? Why?
28. Why does Toby try to defend Sir Andrew's abilities to Maria? At what line does he reveal his real interest in Aguecheek? How does Toby defend his excess drinking?
29. Explain the multiple confusions of "accost" and why Andrew insists he can keep his hand dry. On what does Andrew blame his mental incapacity?
30. On what activities does Andrew apparently spend his time? What's the connection between his mental abilities and his hair? What's a "distaff"?
31. With what does Toby decide to showcase Andrew's talents? How was this shown in the Trevor Nunn film?
Act I, scene 4:
32. What directive does Orsino give Cesario that will explain her tenacity later in the play in trying to win Olivia's love for Orsino?
33. What is Shakespeare's dramatic purpose in having Orsino describe Cesario as he does at lines 30 -- 35?
34. What revelation in the scene provides a major complication in the play?
Act I, scene 5:
35. Explain the origins of the professional jester and the folklore associated with him.
36. Why does Maria keep saying that Feste will be hanged for being away so long?
37. What does Feste reveal about Maria and Toby in the first 30 lines of this scene?
38. Who is "Quinapalus" and what does he reveal about the clown's approach to humor?
39. How does Feste turn Olivia's command into a challenge? Why does he do so?
40. Explain Malvolio's reaction to Feste's "humor" at line. What are two reasons for Malvolio's response discussed in the lecture?
41. How does Malvolio make his antagonism to Feste personal?
42. How does Olivia explain Malvolio's reaction to Feste? Is she correct?
43. Explain the meaning of Feste's lines at 112 -- 115.
44. What does Toby do at line 120? Why? To what does he attribute it?
45. Explain the joke about "lethargy."
46. What do Olivia's questions of Malvolio at 138 -- 163 reveal about her feelings? Why are Malvolio's responses frustrating to her?
47. Explain the practical joke of the veil. Why does Olivia play it?
48. Why does Viola say that Olivia "usurps" herself?
49. Why does Viola want to deliver her message to Olivia privately? What does Olivia think when Viola requests a private audience? What "romantic trigger words" does Viola use when she makes the request?
50. How does Olivia turn the first part of Viola's message into a joke? Why?
51. Why does Viola request to see Olivia's face? Why does Olivia think the request was made?
52. How does Olivia turn Viola's lament about the loss of her beauty into a joke? How does the form of the language of Viola's lament change? Why?
53. In response to Olivia's question, "How would you love me?" Viola describes what she would do. What elements seem to affect Olivia most? Why? Where do you think Viola got the images and ideas she used?
54. What prophecy does Viola make around line 285? Does it come true?
55. What reassurance does Olivia require before she allows herself to fall in love? How does she signal Viola of her affection?
Act II, scene 1:
56. Explain why Shakespeare places this scene between the previous one and the one which follows?
57. Why has Sebastian used a false name while he was with Antonio?
58. Why does Antonio decide to follow Sebastian to Orsino's court?
Act II, scene 2:
59. What is the hidden message in what Malvolio tells Viola in lines 5 -- 11?
60. On whom or what does Viola blame the confusion that is shaping up? What does Viola say must straighten things out? How does this scene relate to the sub-title of the play?
Act II, scene 3:
61. Explain Feste's humor at line 16. At line 23 --24. At line 27 -- 29.
62. How do the lyrics of the songs Feste's sings relate to his humor?
63. Explain the reference to the weaver at line 60.
64. What does Toby mean at line 77 when he says he is "consanguineous"?
65. Identify at least three different places where Toby insults Malvolio. How does Maria become involved in the fight between Toby and Malvolio?
66. Why would Andrew beat Malvolio if he thought he was a Puritan? Why would Shakespeare's audience be disposed to treat Malvolio with contempt?
67. How accurate is Maria's assessment of Malvolio's character?
Act II, scene 4:
68. How does Viola begin to educate Orsino in this scene about the nature of women's love? How does she begin to prepare him and us for the end of the play?
69. Comment on Feste's choice of song in this circumstance,
70. Explain how Viola's response to Orsino's question about whether he/she has any brothers or sisters helps prepare us for the final scene?
Act II, scene 5:
71. Why does Shakespeare replace Feste with Fabian in the practical joke on Malvolio? What dramatic purpose does Shakespeare have in mind for Feste/
72. Find three examples in Malvolio's lines where he echoes the jargon of the Puritans? Why have the references to "God" been changed?
73. Explain how we know Malvolio is predisposed to accept Maria's phony letter.
74. What attracts Malvolio to the idea of marrying Olivia?
75. How do the three eavesdroppers increase the humor of Malvolio's gulling scene?
76. Explain the joke of the letters at lines 87 -- 91. Why doesn't Andrew get the joke?
77. Explain the psychological reason behind Maria's "fustian" riddle of "M,O,A,I."
78. What are the five specific things the letter directs Malvolio to do?
79. In the aftermath of the joke what does Toby say he might do to reward Maria? How does Andrew try to join in the fun?
Act III, scene 1:
80. Find five different places where Feste uses humor based upon deliberate misunderstanding or misapplication of words.
81. How does Viola assess Feste's wit after this exchange?
82. How does Andrew try and impress Cesario by his language? How does he fail?
83. Explain what Andrew means at lines 88 -- 89 and at lines 92 -- 93.
84. Explain the significance of Olivia's comparison at line 120 -- 122.
85. At what point does Olivia almost escape from the trap of unrequited love? At what point does she fall back into the trap of loving someone who doesn't love her?
86. What is the double meaning of Viola's lines at 141 -- 143?
Act III, scene 2:
87. How is Fabian able to convince Andrew not to return home?
Act III, scene 3:
88. Of what crime toward Orsino is Antonio guilty?
89. Why does Antonio give Sebastian his purse?
Act III, scene 4:
90. In the exchange between Malvolio and Olivia (lines 15 -- 65), find two places where Malvolio misinterprets what Olivia says to him.
91. In his speech of justification (lines 67 -- 87) how many mistakes in judgment does Malvolio make? Who does he thank for his success? Why?
92. Toby, Maria and Fabian pretend that Malvolio's madness is caused by what? What are four different "therapies" which they suggest (lines 88 -- 145)?
93. Exactly why is Andrew's letter of challenge so "senseless"?
94. How does Olivia further debase herself in her pursuit of Cesario (lines 206 -- 222)?
95. Find three specific examples of language of fencing and duels" (lines 225 -- 295).
96. How is the comic duel of the two cowards made more humorous in the film version?
97. Why does Antonio request the return of his purse? Where does Antonio drop the bombshell that Sebastian is still alive?
98. How do Toby and Andrew interpret Cesario's behavior with Antonio?
Act IV, scene 1:
99. Cite four examples in this scene of why Sebastian thinks the people of the city are crazy.
100. Why does Sebastian go with Olivia so easily?
Act IV, scene 2:
101. Exactly what is the reason for Feste's disguise at the beginning of this scene? Behind the humor of Feste's questions as Sir Topas to Malvolio, what does he seem to be trying to get Malvolio to see about his situation? Why? Why does Toby give up the joke?
102. What does Feste's exchange with Malvolio teach Malvolio?
Act IV, scene 3:
103. How does this scene contrast with the previous one?
104. What exactly does Olivia ask Sebastian to do at the end of the scene? Why?
Act V, scene 1:
105. Explain the point of Feste's "joke" between lines 10 -- 25.
106. How does Orsino's description of Antonio mitigate the seriousness of his alleged crime (line 50 -- 95)?
107. How does Orsino "prove" that Antonio's charges against Cesario are false?
108. What does Orsino indirectly threaten to do at lines 115 -- 120? What does he indirectly threaten to do at lines 120 -- 130?
109. What is significant about Cesario's response to Olivia at lines 133 -- 137?
110. To what does Olivia attribute Cesario's denial of their marriage.
111. What's ironic about Toby's request for help from "Dick Surgeon"?
112. How and why does Toby end the charade of his friendship with Andrew?
113. Why does Viola resist affirming her relationship with Sebastian for so long? What does she insist on doing before she tells the details of her adventures?
114. What has happened to the ship captain who helped Viola back at the beginning of the play? What dramatic reason might Shakespeare have had for including this detail?
115. Explain the "joke" which leads to Feste having to surrender Malvolio's letter to Fabian to read?
116. To what does Feste attribute Malvolio's being made a fool of? What's the significance of Malvolio's threat, "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you"?
117. What is the significance that Feste gets the final word of the play in a song? What connections did I suggest between the lyrics of the song and the events of the play? How does the film reinforce these parallels between the song and the characters?