love

"Love sought is good, but given unsought, is better." (3.1 line 153)

Personally, I detest beginning anything with a quote. I think it's poor form to begin a paper, report, etc. with someone else's thought. This is why I will never write a formal piece beginning with a quote, however because this is the nature of the blog assignment, an exception exists.

There's a fine line between obsession and love. In fact, it's so fine very few even know it exists. If you have to seek out someone to love you, then it isn't love; it's persuasion. Therefore, having love be unsought is the only way to truly be loved. If someone loves another they just do. There's no discussion, seeking, or method to make it happen it just is. Unsought love is the only love. It not only exists in a passionate love affair, but is best represented in family love. For birthday's you don't ask your grandparents to present you with a gift, they just do. But when it gets to the point that you have to ask or constantly remind another to do something for you, it's no longer out of love but out of request. That is the worst type of relationship to ever put yourself into.

Viola certainly doesn't love Olivia, and Olivia doesn't really love Cesario. It's merely the idea of love that she and so many others are enticed to seek.

Mr. Foolish

Twelfth Night is more than simply a great play it's a Christian holiday that began in Tudor England. The Oxford English Dictionary states that it's "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking". (This was taken from Wikipedia)

Moreover the festival celebrates the Lord of Misrule who was known for causing disorder. This falls right in line with Shakespeare's comedy as the characters of Maria, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew do nothing but cause much disorder. In fact even the more serious character of Viola causes quite a disruption. In fact, in some cultures the festival of 'Twelfth Night' marks the beginning of carnivale season, or Mardi Gras. The end of the festival marks the coming of the Epiphany. This relates back to Twelfth Night to the point that the characters are marked with an epiphany at the end of the story (the end of the Twelfth Night) as revelations about the characters disguises are revealed.

Although written a couple of centuries later, Victor Hugo's masterpiece The Hunchback of Notre Dame takes place during the celebration of the Epiphany. Although the book was written as a testament by Hugo to maintain the original structure of the cathderal there is also a major undertone to the novel not about mistaken identities as in Shakespeare, but about mistaken appearances. Quasimodo who would be thought of as nothing more than a mamed imbecile is reality the most humane of any character in the novel. This uniquely parallels Viola who, although she is physically disguised, she remains the most honest to her heart, never does she consider courting anyone besides Orsino.

It's typical of Shakespeare to inculcate his messages. Here he has the main story-line about Viola's disguise, but then there is Maria's disguised letter, Antonio -a pirate- representing himself as a good friend, Olivia is supposed to be mourning her brother's death but instead is out to get Cesario. Therefore it's extremely likely that Shakespeare chose to name his play after the Twelfth Night holiday in order to represent all of the topsy-turvy during the festival and the play itself.

Dirty Billy

"Bless you, fair shrew." - 1.3-line 44

"By my troth, i would not underake her in this company." 1.3 line 55

"It's dry, sir." 1.3 line 69

"And I hope to see a housewife take thee between he rlegs and spin it off." 1.3 Lines 96-98

"And I think I have the back-trick simply as strong as any man in Illyria." 1.3-115

"And all is semblative a woman's part." 1.4 - 34

"Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage." 1.5-18

"Send for money knight. If though hast her not i'th' end, call me cut." 2.3 - 175

"These be her very c's, her u's, and her t's, and thus makes she her great P's." 2.5 -83-85

Above are a strain of quotes taken from the first and second acts of Twelfth Night. As you can see William Shakespeare appears to have quite a knack for sarcastic sexual innuendos. Mr. Shakespeare is usually referred to as one of the best poets and playwrites, ever. It also gives one something to think about when discussing the role of stage plays in Renaissance England. They were thought unnecessary and some critics even said that they were subhuman activities. To a certain extent one would have to agree that the above languanged used by Shakespeare a.k.a Dirty Billy is quite repulsive. Surely a civilized human being would not want to delve out their hard earned money to listen to such defilements of the spoken language.

It's nice to see that Shakespeare's work carries on today not only in adaptations (Twelfth Night is She's the Man starring Amanda Bynes,) but also in the aspect that people only became more perverted not only in writing but in living. Perhaps if this perversion had been dealt with when Billy did it we wouldn't have the likes of Howard Stern and others disgracing the language of civilized beings.