Twelfth Night Comedy Essay Research Paper Twelfth

Twelfth Night Comedy Essay, Research Paper

.Twelfth Night is a comedy of light and shade. Its characters are not

unreservedly happy and the events are not unreservedly humorous.. Discuss. As

a comedy, Twelfth Night is obviously intending to not only entertain its

audience but also point out problems in society. It is imperative to entire

merit of the play not to be realistic but to allow for empathy. Therefor to have

a comedy of complete lightheartedness there would be no balance and hence no

avenue for audience interaction. Without light we would have no darkness and for

this reason Shakespeare has had to incorporate tragedy in order for the comedy

to have it.s desired effect. The two in juxtaposition accentuate each other.

The characters of Twelfth Night are neither bluntly humorous nor artlessly

tragic. Twelfth Night like all Shakespearean comedies is largely about social

concerns. The social messages in Twelfth Night are largely about, the need for a

balance in life, that you should not judge on appearance as they can be

deceptive and the importance of self awareness or the humor in lack of. Neither

is artlessly or bluntly humorous, as this would detract from the greater issues

he in attempting to convey. Humor instead is used in contrast to some pain to

antithesis the comedy and accentuate the themes. The plot of Twelfth Night is

comic it explores many social issues in it.s comedy yet is also not

unrestrained in it.s humor. As a comedy Twelfth Night follows, many

conventions as far as structure, the setting is in a far away .romantic.

land, situation, and events somewhat steer the plot however this is certainly

not without art or subtleties. Shakespeare has carefully intertwined comedy and

pain in both the main and the sub plots to highlight the comedy and explore the

social themes. The audience is forced to suspend disbelief that such a

coincidence could occur. The audience is transported from their ordinary mundane

existence and is transported into a world of chance, non-existent penalties for

practical jokes and the unmistakable harmony of events. It is this incongruity

compared to everyday life that is humorous. However, this summer, frivolris

setting is not completely free from conflict. There is however, some

predominately .lighter. characters that serve as comic relief from the more

serious main plot and represent a certain .type. of people in society. Sir

Toby and Sir Andrew would have been marvelously enjoyed by Shakespearean

audiences as they are today. Not a scene goes by involving these to where we can

laugh and the slow wit of Sir Andrew and the awkward puns of Sir Toby. However,

we find the names and foolish antics of these two rather amusing. It is with a

certain hesitance that we laugh at the gullibility of Sir Toby, his

disillusioned love for Olivia is rather somber and balances our opinion of him.

This balances is representative of all the characters in Twelfth Night, they may

be predominately comic yet they are never completely comic or completely

serious. This has the effect on Twelfth Night as making it more true to life and

therefor we as the audience can relate and understand the themes. Malvolio and

Feste are typical examples of characters that are seen as comic, yet when

looking beyond these superficialities we see a far more important role of their

character in the play. Feste, his name and title as a .fool. is careful

balance of light and shade. He is arguably the most intelligent character in the

play and it is evident at the end of the play that he is the most powerful,

because he concludes the play. Feste is certainly a vital link between not only

the main and sub plots but also as a conveyer of the action to the audience. It

is ironic that such wit and wisdom are found in the .fool.. Cesario refers

to Feste as, .This fellow.s wise enough to play the fool: / And to do that

well craves wit.. The obvious key to understanding the themes Shakespeare is

conveying we must closely examine the characters, with which he communicates.

Feste is not a character of low, blunt comedy, his merriment is truthful not

scornful or artless. Act 1 scene 5, .The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your

brother.s soul being in heaven. Take away the fool.. Feste is clever well

balanced and has a keen understanding of himself and others. This combination of

intellect, humor and subtlety effectively conveys the themes of Twelfth Night,

rather than a cruel, crude, unreservedly humorous character that would be not

nearly as potent. Malvolio is a prime example of the need for a balanced,

self-aware person. Malvolio.s name suggests his character, Mal meaning bad,

and volio will. This wicked disposition is his self-deception and lack of

balance and it is this that we find comic not however bluntly humorous. Conflict

between characters is an aspect of the plot that makes it ce

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