Question

The title Twelfth Night is a reference to the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated twelve days after Christmas. It was an occasion on which people indulged in revelry and merry-making, and the social order was turned upside down; servants dressed as masters, men dressed as women, and so on. Explain in a short essay of no more than a few paragraphs how things are similarly turned upside down in the first three acts of Shakespeare’s play.

Answer 1

In Twelfth Night, there is an inversion of the social order during Shakespeare's time. The storm and shipwreck that plants Viola on the shores of Illyria initiates the events in which the social order is turned upside down.

One example is the inversion of gender roles. Viola has to cross-dress as a man, Cesario, to get employment in Orsino's court. At the same time, Olivia becomes the head of her household after her brother's demise. Her position is an exception to the social norm during the Elizabethan era.

The roles of the social classes also get inverted in Twelfth Night. The characters belonging to the lower rungs of society indulge in impersonating those of higher social standing. Maria's forging of a love letter from Olivia to Malvolio is an example. Malvolio's love for Olivia becomes a source of laughter largely because he is of a lower social standing than Olivia and would never have been considered good enough to marry her. Feste, the clown, also adds to the feeling of revelry, though he isn't always being silly. As a clown, he has he rare privilege of poking fun at those of a higher social standing than himself