English 117E: Twelfth Night discussion questions

English 117E

Melissa Stevenson

Fall 1998

Twelfth Night Discussion Topics

Gender confusion, aka “I am not what I am.” (43, 50, 73) Does the gender confusion go deeper than the question of clothing?

Note the abundance of jokes about misplaced gender roles and sexuality. Viola is called Cesario which translates roughly as “cut” signifying both “cut off” and “cut”, Shakespearean slang for female genitalia. Not a similar sexual joke in Malvolio’s reaction to the letter Maria writes for him. Similarly “die” is used several times to connote orgasm (“little death” in the tone of the day) as well as actual death (104). Why are there so many sexual jokes in the play?

Social order and emotional order. How are things made topsy-turvy in the realm of gender and in social order? What kind of order is restored at the end of the play?

The Role of Feste. Is his role complicated by the obvious dislike he manifests for Malvolio in the final scene? Is there a revenge motive? Who else is left out of the happiness?

Does Malvolio deserve what he gets or is it overkill? He is not wrong about Olivia’s readiness to marry a servant (Viola/Sebastian). How is the social order reasserted by his humiliation?

Nature of love here versus in Midsummer. How are Olivia and Orsino represented as lovers and fools (27, 28, 39, 43)? Sir Andrew? Maria (another servant marrying up socially)? What is the nature of Viola’s love vs. the others?

Olivia and Viola have the same personal history (death of father followed by “death” of brother, 30) what makes their reactions different?

What do we make of Sebastian’s passivity when it comes to love and Viola’s when it comes to war? Is this supposed to be a gendered observation (58, 60,61)?

What values in life do the lower order characters (Toby, Andrew, Maria) represent?

What role does scene setting (Orsino writing the speech for Viola to give Olivia, Maria’s letter, Sir Toby’s manipulated feud) play?