Twelfth Night Theme Essay Flashcards
In William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, an important theme is ___________
Disguise
What does the theme of disguise mean?
someone’s outer appearance doesn’t always match their inner character
How does Shakespeare convey this theme?
through characters who disguise themselves in various ways.
What is the first example of disguise? (Physical)
Viola disguises herself as Cesario in order to work for Duke Orsino.
What is the second example of disguise? (Metaphorical)
Sir Toby pretends to be friends with Sir Andrew
What is the third example of disguise? (Metaphorical)
Orsino makes himself believe that he loves Olivia.
What is the most obvious example of disguise in Twelfth Night?
physical disguise
Where do we see physical disguise in the play?
when Viola disguises herself as a young man, which causes Countess Olivia to fall in love with her, and this is a clear illustration of someone’s outer appearance not matching their inner character which creates a lot of confusion in the play
When Olivia falls in love with ‘Cesario’, Viola tries to warn her not to by telling Olivia ____________________
“I am not what I am”
when Viola tells Olivia “I am not what I am”, what does she mean?
Viola is attempting to explain to Olivia that her external appearance is not the same as her inner character
Another example of disguise in Twelfth Night is _________ ___________ where characters trick other people using their words or actions.
emotional disguise
What emotional disguise does Sir Toby use in the play?
when Sir Toby pretends to be Sir Andrew’s friend so that he can laugh at him behind his back, which shows the difference between Sir Toby’s outer appearance and his inner character.
In Act 1 Scene 3, Sir Toby calls Sir Andrew “Sweet _______ ___________”
Sir Andrew
In Act 5 Scene 1 Sir Toby says Sir Andrew is “a ____________ ________, a gull”
thin-faced knave
In Act 1 Scene 3, Sir Toby calls Sir Andrew “Sweet Sir Andrew” but in Act 5 Scene 1 Sir Toby says Sir Andrew is “a thin-faced knave, a gull” - what does this show the audience?
Sir Andrew is gullible for ever believing that Sir Toby was truly his friend.
So another way that Shakespeare conveys the theme of disguise is through characters who disguise their ______________ in order to fool other characters.
emotions
A final example of disguise in the play is emotional disguise, but more specifically when characters fool ____________ rather than fooling other characters.
themselves
Orsino fools himself that he is in love with ____________
Olivia
Orsino fools himself that he is in love with Olivia, but we know that this is not really true because _____________________
he falls in love with Viola so quickly when he finds out she is a woman.
In Act I Scene I, Orsino says “if music be the food of love, __________ ______”
play on
When Orsino says “if music be the food of love, play on” what does he mean?
Orsino thinks he can make himself sick of love so that he is not obsessed by Olivia any more.
But in the final scene of the play, he says to Viola “Give me thy hand, and let me see thee in thy ________ __________”
woman’s weeds
When Orsino says to Viola “Give me thy hand, and let me see thee in thy woman’s weeds” what does this show the audience?
he is able to switch his love immediately from Olivia to Viola.
What does the quote “Give me thy hand, and let me see thee in thy woman’s weeds” show us about the theme of disguise?
Orsino has disguised his real feelings from himself up until the point when he acknowledges his love for Viola
