Study Questions &
Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Disguises and
changes of clothing are central to the plot of Twelfth Night.
Which
characters in the play spend time in disguise, and how is this thematically important?
2. Twelfth
Night, the holiday after which the play is named, was celebrated
as a festival in which everything was turned topsy-turvy, with traditional
social roles and behavior temporarily suspended. Are things similarly turned
upside down in Illyria?
3. How is romantic
love depicted in the play? What points does Shakespeare seem to
be making about romance?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Discuss the role of mistaken
identity in Twelfth Night. Who is mistaken for
whom, and what do these mix-ups signify?
2. Discuss the role of the explicitly
comic characters—Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Feste, and Maria. What function
do they serve? How is each one different from the others? How is
Feste, in particular, different from Sir Toby and Sir Andrew?
3. What role does Malvolio serve
in the play? Does his fate seem unjust? Is it out of place in a
romantic comedy? If so, why might Shakespeare have included it?
4. Paying particular attention
to the fate of Malvolio and Antonio, discuss how Shakespeare brings
some ambiguous touches to the happy ending.
5. Compare Orsino and Olivia,
and discuss how their attitudes about strong emotions are similar
or different. What does Shakespeare suggest about the nature of
love and other powerful feelings in his portrayal of these two characters?
