Twelfth Night Group

Question:


tash2007

Why is the play Twelfth Night set in Illyria?

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Posted by tash2007 on Friday January 26, 2007 at 11:45 AM and tagged with illyria, setting, twelfth night.

Answers:


  1. jamie-wheeler Teacher
    College - Sophomore

    eNotes Editor

    Illryia is an actual location, found in the Adriatic coast of Italy. (For Shakespeare, the placement of his romantic comedy  in this exotic locale had much to do with the audiences of his day.  Those theatre-goers "liked to project themselves into the world of romance" as well as  indulge in a "nostaglia for by-gone days."  Not much has changed about human nature, has it?  We still long for unfamiliar beauty, still pine for a the "good old days." 

    If you think about it, the warm Italian breezes must have been quite appealing to those in the comparatively dim, rainy, and grey weather of England.  And chivalry? That most by-gone of by-gone eras, even by the 1500s?  Well, many then, as now, cherish the thought of its renewal, at least for a few hours of escapism. 

    Citation:

    Shakespeare, Wiliam. ed. Bruce R. Smith Twelfth Night. Bedford-St. Martin UP. Boston:  20001.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/twelfth-night

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    Posted by jamie-wheeler on Tuesday November 20, 2007 at 3:59 PM

  2. revolution
    revolution Teacher
    Doctorate

    It is very exotic, beautiful and romantic place, that's why Shakespere placed this play in the Greek country. Actually, this location is a real place, located at the western part of today's Balkan Peninsula, inhabited by the Illyrians. It gives a romantic feeling towards the place so that's why Shakespere choose this location for the play: romance is in the air

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    Posted by revolution on Monday July 20, 2009 at 6:32 AM