Julie Tagg| Think and Write for CSEC English A and B

Twelfth Night is a play that exhibits a festive, mischievous, and witty style. The title of the play refers to the twelfth night after Christmas, which is also known as the night before Epiphany. Epiphany is a religious celebration marking the time when the three Magi brought gifts to the infant Jesus. The play’s style reflects the holiday’s playful irreverence, with a focus on celebrations, frivolity, song, and music.

The play’s festive elements find clear expression through the characters of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, who are always up to some kind of mischief. They stay up late drinking, dancing, and instigating trouble. Sir Andrew even expresses his love for masques and revels, saying “I delight in masques and revels sometimes altogether” (I.iii.). Similarly, the use of music in the play channels the celebratory mood of Epiphany, such as Sir Toby and Andrew’s fun and improvised “catches,” and the songs that Feste performs throughout.

The frequent use of puns and double entendre in the play gives it a witty feel. Feste, the jester, is the primary user of these techniques. He often skillfully uses verbal puns to reveal the hidden traits of other characters. For example, when he brazenly calls Lady Olivia a “fool” and insists that she (not him) be taken away, he reasons that since her brother is now in a better place, as she herself believes, then she is foolish to grieve as intensely as she does: “The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother’s soul in heaven” (I.v.). Feste’s pun questions the true meaning of a word like “fool.” The use of puns serves to cut through characters’ delusions about themselves and reveal their true motivations.

The use of prose and verse in the play reflects the mischievous upturning of social identities and hierarchies in Twelfth Night. Aristocratic characters tend to speak in verse when addressing one another or when engaged in introspection, while servants tend to speak in prose. The interchange of prose and verse complements the mischievous style of Twelfth Night. Once Viola has disguised herself as Cesario, she speaks both verse and prose, further blurring the lines between social classes. The first two scenes of Act I are perfect examples of this rule. The noble-born Orsino and Viola speak in verse (which end in rhyming couplets), while Maria, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew speak in prose. This contrast emphasizes the difference in social standing between the characters and sets the stage for the play’s many subversions of social norms.