Study Questions

Twelfth Night

1. Disguises are common in this play, even occurring where they are not necessary--consider Feste disguise when Malvolio cannot even see him (Act IV). Who wears disguises and when? What purposes do these disguises serve? How do they relate to each other?
2. Malvolio humiliates himself publicly long before he assumes his disguise as allegedly requested by Olivia. What personality trait(s) are the source of his vulnerability to this kind of joke? How do the other characters see themselves? How well do they understand their own motives?
3. What is the purpose of the clown Feste in this play? Why does Shakespeare use a fool? What does folly represent in this world? What is foolish about each character and how do we respond as audience members to these different types of foolishness?
4. How does Sir Toby differ from Feste? How does Sir Andrew differ from them both?
5. What does Orsino opening speech have to do with the play?
6. This play has several elements in common with other plays which we will read in this course--disguising, a fool, a disguised woman, madness, self-absorption, among many others. Keep track of these traits and watch for them as we progress through this course. How do they appear here in a comedy, as opposed to their representations in tragedy or in romance?