Twelfth Night a play by William Shakespeare displays Northrop Frye’s perspective of comedy. Northrop Frye says that the basic formula is when a young man loves a young woman. They are opposed by an obstacle, most often the woman 's father. Through plot twist they get married. Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy was expressed through gender, love, social ambition, and sex. Comedy is displayed in the play when the characters are drunk and almost about to pass out. They always manage to surprise us with their witty speech. In Northrop Frye’s essay of comedy, love was stopped by their fathers, but in Twelfth Night love was stopped by one person not having the same affection by their fathers. Their love faced many obstacles, but at the end they lived
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When she heard about her brother’s death she disguises herself as a man this affected Orsino, Olivia, and Sebastian. By acting like a man she had broke a code of society. Breaking a code of society is one of the main things of Frye’s description of comedy. After disguising herself as a man she sets out to fulfill her goals. Jameson describes Viola’s destiny as, “engaged in the service of the Duke, whom she finds “fancy-sick” for the love of Olivia” Viola’s character are the problematic events that resolve throughout the play. When Viola arrives to Orsino, pretending to be Cesario, he sends Olivia to sends his message of love. When Viola arrives to Olivia’s house rather than persuading Olivia to marry Orsino, Viola ends up causing Olivia to fall in love with her. Olivia falling in love with Viola/Cesario is the first step towards a new society, however it also causes greater …show more content…
This comedy sets stage by concluding the confusion and tragedy with a big celebration, Northrop Frye believed that every comedy must end with a happy ending. Therefore, Twelfth Night ends with a wedding and a song. This happy ending shows the replacement of the old society with the new. The wedding of Olivia and Sebastian enforces Orsino and Viola to get married, which is convenient because they fall in love. Goddard states that “All we can say with certainty is that Viola will make a man of Orsino if any woman can and that Sebastian seems fitted to make a woman, as distinct from a lady, of Olivia.” This shows that each character was destined to be together in the end. Any confusion that occurred earlier is overshadowed by everyone’s celebration and joy. Towards the end of the play, the characters dance in a ball. Which symbolizes their acceptance of their new identities, as well as the end of their old personas. This happy ending demonstrates that in the end, all can be forgiven according to the standard’s by Northrop Frye. At the end the climax occurs when Sebastian and Viola come together to show their true identities, hence framing the new
When she heard about her brother’s death she disguises herself as a man this affected Orsino, Olivia, and Sebastian. By acting like a man she had broke a code of society. Breaking a code of society is one of the main things of Frye’s description of comedy. After disguising herself as a man she sets out to fulfill her goals. Jameson describes Viola’s destiny as, “engaged in the service of the Duke, whom she finds “fancy-sick” for the love of Olivia” Viola’s character are the problematic events that resolve throughout the play. When Viola arrives to Orsino, pretending to be Cesario, he sends Olivia to sends his message of love. When Viola arrives to Olivia’s house rather than persuading Olivia to marry Orsino, Viola ends up causing Olivia to fall in love with her. Olivia falling in love with Viola/Cesario is the first step towards a new society, however it also causes greater …show more content…
This comedy sets stage by concluding the confusion and tragedy with a big celebration, Northrop Frye believed that every comedy must end with a happy ending. Therefore, Twelfth Night ends with a wedding and a song. This happy ending shows the replacement of the old society with the new. The wedding of Olivia and Sebastian enforces Orsino and Viola to get married, which is convenient because they fall in love. Goddard states that “All we can say with certainty is that Viola will make a man of Orsino if any woman can and that Sebastian seems fitted to make a woman, as distinct from a lady, of Olivia.” This shows that each character was destined to be together in the end. Any confusion that occurred earlier is overshadowed by everyone’s celebration and joy. Towards the end of the play, the characters dance in a ball. Which symbolizes their acceptance of their new identities, as well as the end of their old personas. This happy ending demonstrates that in the end, all can be forgiven according to the standard’s by Northrop Frye. At the end the climax occurs when Sebastian and Viola come together to show their true identities, hence framing the new