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Twelfth Night
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night ends neatly because most of the confusion is resolved and the union of the main characters is fairly well established. The plot and conclusion of Twelfth Night satisfy...
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Twelfth Night
In the play, Olivia falls in love with Cesario (who is really Viola in disguise). She rejects Duke Orsino even though he pines away for her. Olivia eventually marries Sebastian, Viola's twin...
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Twelfth Night
In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Feste is the fool in Countess Olivia's household. He has served the house for years, entertaining Olivia's father until his death, but Olivia criticizes him over his...
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Twelfth Night
The meaning of this short passage from Act II, Scene 5, of Twelfth Night is that of an encouragement to Malvolio that he strive to attain the love of Olivia. In the previous scene which is part of...
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Twelfth Night
In Twelfth Night, Cesario is the name assumed by Viola after she disguises herself as a man, and Sebastian is Viola's twin brother. The similarity between the two when Viola is dressed like a man...
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Twelfth Night
Antonio looks after Sebastian. He really cares about Sebastian, and wants to protect him. This is why he stays in Illyria even though his legal history is such that he really should not be seen...
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The Merchant of Venice
One of the main similarities between Portia of The Merchant of Venice and Viola of Twelfth Night is that both characters disguise themselves as men to gain access to spheres in society formerly...
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Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night is one of the greatest plays ever written about love. Many of the characters do gain new insights through losing their hearts. And while Shakespeare certainly doesn’t set out to be...
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Twelfth Night
Most of the situations in the play are improbable--but, then again, it is a comedy and it doesn’t really have to make sense. You are there to have a good time, right? I think the most...
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Twelfth Night
In Viola’s soliloquy when Malvolio gives her the ring, she reflects on the concept of appearance versus reality. There are a lot of deceptions and confusions going on here. Viola realizes that...
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Twelfth Night
Maria warns Sir Toby that his niece Olivia does not approve of his drinking and that Sir Andrew is a fool. Maria wants Sir Toby to be careful. In this scene, Maria is reminding Toby that he should...
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Twelfth Night
Sir Toby feels that Olivia should not be mourning for her brother still. Lady Olivia has recently met with much tragedy. Her father and brother both died. As a result, Olivia is in deep...
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Twelfth Night
Duke Orsino is suffering, and he is hoping that the music will end his suffering. Duke Orsino is in love, but his love is unrequited. Olivia has vowed off men. She has experienced some hardships...
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Twelfth Night
There is definitely a lot of falling in love with a woman’s looks or money in this play. However, Viola falls in love with Duke Orsino because of his personality. Duke Orsino specifically...
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Twelfth Night
Toby and Andrew are alike in that they both like to get together and have a good time. Sir Toby is an unrepentant drunkard, and Sir Andrew is a friend who is looking to marry Toby’s niece,...
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Twelfth Night
It's debatable what scene is the most "famous" in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night; various audience members might have different preferences on this matter. Some people are more partial to the more...
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Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night is a play about love of all kinds, and not just its happy aspects. Many of the characters — including Viola — discover that grief, fear, and despair can come to those who lose...
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Twelfth Night
Olivia’s basic premise is that Orsino doesn’t really know her and has no reason to pursue her. She tells Viola that she only got in because she was “saucy” at the gate and Olivia was...
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Twelfth Night
Malvolio himself actually answers this question quite well in Act II, Scene 5, when Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria are eavesdropping on his little private moment. In a few words, he wants...
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Twelfth Night
Sir Toby and Maria are well-matched because they both enjoy life, and they seem to think alike. Sir Toby is above Maria is station, but he does not care. He loves her. She understands him, and...
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Twelfth Night
Duke Orsino is hopelessly lovesick for Olivia at the beginning of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. However, Olivia falls in love with Viola who pretends to be Cesario, and Viola falls in love with...
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Twelfth Night
Firstly, we certainly see a great deal of "romantic love" in Twelfth Night. The play explores unfulfilled romantic desire in the play's love triangle between Orsino, Olivia, and Viola/Cesario. At...
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Twelfth Night
Duke Orsino's speech at the opening of Twelfth Night expresses the lovesick feeling that follows the characters of the play, and establishes his character as melancholy and melodramatic. One...
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Twelfth Night
The first step you need for this assignment is to understand the context of the letters. Let’s start with Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Oh, poor, misunderstood Malvolio! He is the butt of all of...
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Twelfth Night
One of the most interesting relationships in Twelfth Night is that of Antonio and Sebastian. While minor in the play, the language Shakespeare uses and the depth of feeling between the two (mainly...
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Twelfth Night
Sir Andrew and Feste use puns on the words “catch” and “knave.” A pun is a play on words, where you use the meanings of words in different ways for humor. One of the best punsters in the...
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Twelfth Night
Viola is passionate and witty, and she is willing to go to great lengths to get what she wants. Viola is devastated when she learns that her brother drowned. She doesn’t know what to do or where...
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Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night is rife with homoerotic dialogue and interactions: Duke Orsino and his attraction to Viola-dressed-as-Cesario, Antonio and Sebastian's suggestive friendship, and Olivia's obvious...
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Twelfth Night
There are a couple of different things going on with this question. First of all it is asking about the play's theatrical appeal, so it's important to understand what is meant by this. What makes...
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Twelfth Night
Firstly, Orsino and Malviolio are linked in their mutual pursuit of Olivia's love. While their social statuses are very different, they both exhibit pride, self-importance, and inconstancy of...
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Twelfth Night
Three deceptions are Viola’s posing as Cesario, Maria’s letter to Malvolio, and the duel. Clearly the most glaring deception in the play is Viola pretending to be a man. She decides she wants...
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Twelfth Night
I would argue that Shakespeare's language was not as difficult for his audiences as it is for us. He was writing in what is sometimes called Early Modern English, retaining words, spelling,...
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Twelfth Night
Truth be told: nobody's a hero, nobody's perfect, and everyone is infatuated. There aren't any real differences between the characters that are owed to gender; differences in motive, however, play...
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Twelfth Night
Like with many of Shakespeare's comedies, mistaken identity is a key part of this play. In fact, the play is named for the Christian holiday of same the name, which is closely associated with...
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Twelfth Night
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy concerning the loves and adventures of two pairs of lovers, Sebastian and Olivia and Orsino and Viola. All of the protagonists are members of the...
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Twelfth Night
Sebastian was first known to Antonio as "Roderigo." To provide some context: Antonio is the sailor who rescues Sebastian (Viola's twin, who she presumed dead) from the shipwreck at the beginning of...
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Twelfth Night
Malvolio is warning Maria not to take part in the servants’ antics because Olivia would not approve. In this quote, Malvolio is speaking to Mary. Malvolio is a rather stuck up servant whom the...
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Twelfth Night
At the beginning of “Twelfth Night” we learn that Olivia has gone into a period of deep mourning for her brother's death. She has announced that she will not leave the house or entertain any...
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Twelfth Night
A crucial moment in the play in regards to the theme of self-deception is when Malvolio connects the person in "Olivia's" letter (which was really written by Maria) to himself. As part of a cruel...
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Twelfth Night
In short, Olivia is trying to win Cesario's love. Olivia has fallen in love with Cesario, who is really Viola in disguise. While she is not at all subtle in her love, her actions are all with the...
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Twelfth Night
Viola is a smart and resourceful character. As a young woman shipwrecked alone, she successfully disguises herself as a man, and quickly enters the service of Duke Orsino. This shows her ability to...
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Twelfth Night
What a delicious scene! Viola, being dressed and presented as the servingman of Duke Orsino's, is asked to carry his message of love to Olivia, who is as dead-set against entertaining the Duke's...
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Twelfth Night
“MOAI” is a mysterious construction identifying the beloved of the (supposed) author of the (fake) love letter that Maria plants for Malvolio to find in Act 3. It’s a brilliant device because...
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Twelfth Night
Sir Toby uses a metaphor and personification. An example of a literary device in Scene 3 is used by Sir Toby in response to Olivia’s mourning over her brother. What a plague means my niece, to...
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Twelfth Night
I think it's actually quite difficult to say. As we know, Shakespeare's comedies are full of "problem marriages" in which the two partners are likely not the best match for one another. Consider...
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Twelfth Night
Feste, Olivia's fool or clown, sings the "Carpe diem" song. Despite being a "fool," Feste, like King Lear's fool, is a sharp observer of those around him who, as a witness to the main action,...
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Twelfth Night
When Malvolio finally catches up with Viola to "return" the ring she (as Cesario) left with Olivia--when of course she'd done no such thing--she (Viola) behaves as though she had offered the ring...
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Twelfth Night
At the end of section five in Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, the head of Elie's block at Buna orders the men to clean out the barracks. The men are being deported from Buna to Buchenwald. By all...
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Twelfth Night
The Clown says he can prove Olivia is a fool. The fool has been having a good time with Maria (Olivia's maid), so he is already warmed up by the time Olivia shows up. The exchange shows that...
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Twelfth Night
"Quotation" - Literary Device Definition of Device Meaning "No sir, I live by the church" (III.i) - Pun Pun: The use of word so that it has two meanings, often witty or humorous Viola asks the...
