The Twelfth Night...

Viola and her twin brother are shipwrecked. each survives but believes the other to be dead. Viola disguises herself as a boy and goes to wrok for Count Orsino. Count orsino is in love with Oliva. Oliva is in mourning for her dead brother, causing Viola some sympathy pangs. The Count sends Viola to woo Olivia on his behalf. Viola falls in love with the count, oliva falls in love with Viola.

Then Viola's twin appears, causing much confusion and several mariages.Meanwhile in the subplot, Sir Toby Belch, Oliva's relative is trying to get her to marry his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek - who is a fool. Oliva's mansertant Malvollio is in love with Oliva, but causes much irritation to the other servants, to the two sirs and to the wandering minstrel/wise man/fool - Feste.

A horrible prank is set up which leads to Malvollio thinking himself mad. The comedy becomes quite dark and threatening as malice rules.This is a very entertaining play to watch and I have seen some great versions in modern costume - the cross dressing can be got round, and does rather depend on the fct that Orsino pays no attention to anyone but himself and Olivia is almost as bad.

Interestingly, the whole Orsino/Viola romance works best if there is some attraction between them throughout the play despite the fact that Viola is supposed to be a boy most of the time. This means that all love scenes would have been between men, which raises some curious issues. cross dressing for women was not an unusual practise - many women dressed as men in order to live freeer lives.Twelfth Night is traditionally a date for revelry and foolishness. The play captures the carnival nature of the old festival, the chaos of the lord of misrule and the threatening nature of that chao. It is also very funt, full of greatlinea and a rather sweet love story....

Cheerz For another feather in Shakespeares Cap...What say???

Till next time...,

Me Chinnu Signing Off...