Download Act 5, Scene Five - A Level English literature

Act 5, Scene Five
Context
 Twelfth Night is the only play with an alternative title.
 ‘Twelfth Night’ is considered by many to be about the Epiphany (the
twelfth night following Christmas.
 During Shakespeare’s time, this day would be the day everything was
turned upside down- like Illyria.
 Most critics consider this to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies.
 Shakespeare seems to have taken inspiration from a 1530s Italian play:
Gl’Ingannati.
 Puritans were one of the sources of mockery- portrayed through Malvolio.
Themes
 Self Discovery:
 Cesario is revealed as Viola who is Sebastian’s brother “That I am Viola” (line
250).
 Malvolio is found to be full of anger due to the trickery.
 Sir Toby is revealed/we discover he is quite mean to Sir Andrew: “An asshead,
and a coxcomb, and a knave – a thin-faced knave, a gull!”
 Revenge:
 Malvolio swears revenge on everyone for abusing him “I’ll be revenged on the
whole pack of you!”
 Love:
 Viola loves Orisino: “And all those swearings keep as true in soul” (line 266) does
Orsino love Viola? He doesn’t claim her to be his wife but his “mistress”.
 Redemption:
 Sir Toby comes clean about the practical joke: “Alas Malvolio this is not my
writing”. (line 344)
 Viola comes clean about her illusion, “I was preserved to serve this noble count”
(line 253)
Literary Devices

Allusion: Fabian says "to give a dog, and in recompense desire my dog again," that proves he knows
something about happenings that are contemporary to the play The story he refers to was published
shortly before the play was finished, and was about a man who gave his dog to Queen Elizabeth per her
request, and then asked to have it back. This could perhaps be mirroring how Lady Olivia goes back on
her word to Duke Orsino by deciding to wed Sebastian, despite telling Duke Orsino that she has
dedicated the next couple of years to mourning her brother and father deaths.

Paradox: Feste sets upon Orsino a paradoxical premise that his well-being is "the better for [his] foes and
the worse for [his] friends". The explanation, which is somewhat facetious in its tone and intent, shows how
expectations are sometimes thwarted, and how things can be the opposite of the way one expects.
Deception is a key theme in twelfth night as we see with Viola’s disguising herself as a young man and
managing to keep up this appearance/Feste’ ability to be the most wise and cunning among the
characters

Dramatic irony: Shakespeare gives a sense of suspense with the audience as people wait for the
characters to find out the truth and resolve these issues. The issue of time Antonio says that Sebastian has
been in his company for three months, despite the fact that they landed in Illyria only earlier that day,
which he also admits. Orsino echoes this time discrepancy, telling Antonio “Fellow, thy words are
madness: Three months this youth hath tended upon me...”/ Viola's casting off of Olivia, leading to
Olivia's claim that she married Viola, is a scene that is humorous because of the oddity of the situation.
this foreknowledge of the resolution of this issue distracts from how greatly upset Olivia is by being
brushed off by Viola, “Hast thou forgot thyself? Is it so long? Call forth the holy father.” Viola's genuine
confusion at Olivia's insistence, and Orsino's anger at the suggestion that Viola would do something like
that behind his back shows that the actions being presented are very dramatic as far as the characters
are concerned, but comedic for the audience; Shakespeare's doubling of these elements is testament
to his great skill in blending the elements of tragedy and comedy.

Climax: There is huge climax in the act since everything seems to be rapping up, there have been
numerous encounters with the characters and either Sebastian or Viola/Cesario, it is only a matter of
time before they bump into each other ,the characters are in clear shock ,Antonio says “How have you
made division of yourself? An apple, cleft in two, is not more twin than these two creatures. Which is
Sebastian?”