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Twelfth Night Act Three
For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation.
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Plot summary exercise
Complete the plot summary by filling in the blanks:
Olivia declares her love for ____________, but ‘he’
obviously cannot return it. Sir _________ tells Sir Andrew
that Olivia actually loves him and not Cesario, and he must
challenge ‘him’ to a _______. Sebastian and __________
arrive in Illyria. Olivia sends for Malvolio, and is puzzled by
his strange behaviour. She talks again to Cesario about
her love for ‘him’. Sir __________ and __________ begin
their duel, but __________ intervenes, believing Cesario
to be Sebastian. Antonio is arrested.
Cesario
Toby
duel Antonio
Andrew Cesario
Antonio
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Themes wordsearch
See how many themes of Twelfth Night you can think of. Then try and find them in the wordsearch below.
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Love
Love is probably the strongest theme running through the play Twelfth Night. Shakespeare explores all the different kinds of ‘love’ that we feel, and also explores the differences between male and female love.
By disguising herself, Viola is allowed a very special insight into the idea of ‘love’. However, her disguise also puts her into a very awkward position. The fact that she is disguised as a boy allows Shakespeare to question what love really is – Olivia quickly ‘falls in love’ with Viola, but this is a type of love completely unacceptable in this society.
Look at the list on the next slide and use arrows to link the characters to those types of love that they feel at some point in the play.
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Viola
Olivia
Orsino
Malvolio
Sebastian
Antonio
Romantic Love
Self Love
Family Love
Passionate Love
Unattainable Love
Love of a Friend
Now check your answers on the following slides.
Love
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Viola
Love
Romantic Love
Self Love
Family Love
Passionate Love
Unattainable Love
Love of a Friend
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OliviaRomantic Love
Self Love
Family Love
Passionate Love
Unattainable Love
Love of a Friend
Love
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Orsino
Love
Romantic Love
Self Love
Family Love
Passionate Love
Unattainable Love
Love of a Friend
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Malvolio
Love
Romantic Love
Self Love
Family Love
Passionate Love
Unattainable Love
Love of a Friend
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Sebastian
Love
Romantic Love
Self Love
Family Love
Passionate Love
Unattainable Love
Love of a Friend
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Antonio
Love
Romantic Love
Self Love
Family Love
Passionate Love
Unattainable Love
Love of a Friend
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Disguise
The theme of disguise, and of ‘seeming’ to be something that you are not, is also an important one in Twelfth Night.
Using a disguise allows us to feel less inhibited, and this links to the festival of Twelfth Night, when people could ‘let their hair down’. The idea of wearing a disguise is also closely linked to the whole concept of theatre. In fact, at the time that the play was first performed, the role of Viola would have been played by a boy, adding a further layer of complication: a boy, playing a girl, who was playing a boy!
As we have already seen, Viola’s disguise causes her a great deal of difficulty, but it also has some benefits for her.
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Viola’s disguise as Cesario causes problems, but it also helps her in some ways. Brainstorm some of your ideas about this below.
Viola’s Disguise
Disguise
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Here are some of the ideas that you might have written.
Allows her more freedom in this society.
Creates dramatic irony: we know something the
characters do not.
Prevents her from declaring her love
to Orsino.
Allows Olivia to fall in love with her.
Causes confusion between her and Sebastian.
Causes the arrest of Antonio, after the duel.
Disguise
Viola’s Disguise
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He makes a point about women in this society: disguised as a boy, Viola has a great deal more freedom.
Linking to the theme of love, he explores how we really decide who we love, and how far our feelings are swayed by what we perceive to be true. For instance, Viola ‘falls in love’ with Cesario, who is in fact a girl.
Olivia talks about the face being a ‘picture’. How far are we concerned with outer appearance, and how far with inner truth?
Disguise
When you are studying the theme of disguise, you need to decide what points Shakespeare might be making. Here are some ideas to start your discussion:
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Here are some quotations on the theme of disguise. For each quote, find out who is saying the line, and whereabouts in the first three acts of the play it occurs.
We will draw thecurtain, and showyou the picture.
Disguise, I seethou art a
wickedness ...
Then think youright; I am not
what I am.
Disguise
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Contrasts & opposites
Tying closely to the theme of disguise, Shakespeare also uses the idea of contrasts, or opposites in the play.
The basis for the plot is the fact that Viola and Sebastian are twins: without this, there could be no case of mistaken identity. Although they are male and female, when Viola is disguised as Cesario the twins look enough alike to fool even Antonio, a very close friend of Sebastian.
As well as there being many literal examples of contrasts and opposites, notice how the language that Shakespeare uses is littered with double meanings, some quite rude!
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Extension work
Complete the following activities to develop your understanding of Act Three.
Make a list of words or phrases with double meanings in the play. Write an explanation of their literal and metaphorical meanings.
Write a summary of the comic sub-plot up to the end of Act Three.
What is Antonio’s reaction when Viola ‘denies’ him? What does this tell you about his feelings for Sebastian?