Aristotle described comedies as having common elements, such as: the main character being a woman. In Twelfth Night, this is Viola.
The language, characters, and lifestyle portrayed in the plays were never far from being British.
The title of the play " Twelfth Night " is not related to its content .
The play has 2 titles: "Twelft Night" or "What You Will" . Twelfth Night was first performed 12 nights after Christmas on the 6th of January.
Theme: caprice A frivolous , whimsical attitude towards life and love.
Twelfth Night is a satire on love, mainly Petrarchan love. In his poetry, Petrarch created a distance and a sense of unworthiness, between the loved one and the lover.
The man places the woman on a pedestal - an unequal relationship is implied.
Theme: disguise This theme has been an element in Western comic theatre since ancient Greece.
Cross-dressing increases this play's comic element. In Shakespeare's time there were no female actresses, therefore men also had to play female roles.
The setting of the plays were usually chosen according to the theme of the play. An example would be the exotic and remote setting of Illyria in "Twelfth Night " which was suitable for a tale of disguise, intrigue and romance.
Theme: Love Love is a recurrent theme in Shakespeare's work. It is found in most of his plays such as " Othello " and "Romeo and Juliette"
I'm Sebastian !
Mistaken identity was very common in Shakespeare's plays, especially in his comedies.
No , I'm Sebastian !
The heroines in Shakespeare's romantic comedies always end up teaching the men valuable lessons. They can only do so by disguising themselves as men.
"How about you give me that ring you are wearing" .