Thursday, September 28, 2023

For Friday: Twelfth Night, Act Three (no questions)



Remember, we're doing an in-class response over Act Three of Twelfth Night for Friday's class. Here are a few ideas we might discuss...

* Why does Viola insist on speaking verse with Olivia if she doesn't want to lead her on (as she claims)? She speaks prose with the Fool and Sir Toby, so why not continue to speak prose with her?

* Is Olivia falling in love with him, or just toying with him, to see if she can win him over like Orsino? Is his chief attraction that he doesn't seem to like her (the very reason Orsino seems to like her)?

* What does Viola mean when she says to Olivia, "you do think you are not what you are"? Why does she think the same of him? Does she guess his true identity?

* Why do Toby and Fabian want to start a fight between Andrew and Viola? What are they hoping will result from this duel?

* Is Antonio's love for Sebastian still just a deep friendship? Are there any hints in his language (ala the Sonnets) that he strives for something more?

* Why does Malvolio woo his mistress with prose? You would think his love would make him 'usurp himself' into verse, to show that he's her equal? Instead, he acts like a fool in comic prose. Also--what does he say to her which might shock Shakespeare's audience?

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