Twelfth Night as a Romantic Comedy

Hareshwar Roy,


Introduction: William Shakespeare is a great playwright.Twelfth Night is one of the best romantic comedies by him. It can be compared with The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado about Nothing and As you Like It. It deals with the light and trivial incidents of life. It combines romantic elements with comic elements. It has a happy ending.
Happiness through Marriages: Twelfth Night possesses certain features which are common to all romantic comedies of Shakespeare. It is based on love leading to marriage. Almost all the characters are the patients of the same disease - love. The fifth act brings them all happiness through marriage. The Duke gets Viola, Olivia gets Sebastian and Sir Toby feels content with Maria. The entire fifth act echoes with the wedding bells and offers a happy ending.
Female Dominance: In Shakespearean romantic comedies female characters play important role. This predominance gives the play an air of romance. In this play the entire story revolves round the two female characters named Viola and Olivia. Even the chief male characters find their significance due to them. Like Rosalind and Celia, Viola and Olivia dominate the whole plot.
Mirth and Laughter: The atmosphere of the Twelfth Night is full of mirth and laughter. From the beginning to the end the play presents a beautiful love story. When the play opens we find a Duke who is panting for Olivia. Viola in the guise of a boy gets a job with the Duke. She has fallen in love with him, though she keeps it a secret. Since the Duke has a great love for Olivia, he sends Viola to her to plead for him. Viola is good looking and charming. She wins the heart of Olivia. This triangular love makes this play interesting and romantic.
Happy Ending: The fifth and final act of the play shows the happy ending. In this act we find Sebastian, the twin brother of Viola. He is very smart. His arrival solves the problem. All mysteries are exposed and almost all the characters get their due share of cheerfulness. This happy ending makes the play highly romantic.
Happy Blending of Fact and Fiction: A happy blending of fact and fiction is a very important characteristic of Twelfth Night. The persons and the places, the plot and the setting are all imaginary. They have been given romantic touch by William Shakespeare. Some characters like Fest, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Malvolio are humourous characters. They provoke laughter and create a romantic atmosphere in the play.
Music and Song: Music and song play important role in the comedies of William Shakespeare. They are the keynote of Twelfth Night. The whole body of the play is studded with songs. In short, the song and music of the play provide this comedy an excellent romantic atmosphere.
Conclusion: To conclude, Twelfth Night is the purest and merriest comedy by Shakespeare. Dowden has rightly called this play ‘Joyous, refined and romantic.’
Location: B-37, City Homes Colony, Jawahar Nagar Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India
Currently Dr. Roy is working as Professor of English at Govt. P.G. College Satna, Madhya Pradesh. He is the author of the following books: (1) Diasporic Articulation in the Novels of M.G. Vassanji (2) A Study of M.G. Vassanji 's Novels (3) Varieties of Indianity in the Works of M.G. Vassanji & Rohinton Mistry (4)Diaspora & Indian Diaspora: A Brief Study (5) Short Notes of English Literature - I (6) Short Notes of English Literature - II (7) हमार पहचान ह भोजपुरी - भोजपुरी कविता संकलन (8) हमरा प्यार हो गइल - भोजपुरी गज़ल संकलन (9) भोजपुरी कविताएँ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

JOHN DONNE AS A METAPHYSICAL POET

Hareshwar Roy,
INTRODUCTION: John Donne is the leader and founder of the Metaphysical school of poetry. His poetry is a revolt against the popular current. First of all Dryden used the term ' Metaphysical' for Donne's poetry. He said,' Donne affects the metaphysics'. Later on Dr. Johnson called Donne and his followers 'the metaphysical poets'. Since then the word metaphysical has been used for Donne and his followers. WHAT IS METAPHYSICAL POETRY: The term metaphysics means something supernatural and transcendental. Its sense is 'what is beyond physical'. It is concerned with fundamental problems of life and death and soul even after death. The term metaphysical poetry means poetry dealing with metaphysical subjects. These subjects are - nature of universe, movements of stars and planets and the whole relationship of man to God. MAIN CHARACTERISTICS: We should cast a glance at the main characteristics of metaphysical poetry before we proceed to examine Donne a
Read more

Where the Mind is without Fear: Objective Type Questions

Hareshwar Roy,
Image
  (i) The poem 'Where the Mind is Without Fear' is written by: a. Rabindranath Tagore b. Sarojini Naidu c. William Wordsworth d. Toru Dutt Answer: a. Rabindranath Tagore (ii) Rabindranath Tagore is a well-known poet from: a. Orissa b. West Bengal c. Bihar d. Kerla Answer: b. West Bengal (iii) Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in the year: a. 1931 b. 1921 c. 1913 d. 1945 Answer: c. 1913 (iv) Which of the following is a very famous work by Tagore? a. Sharadhanjali b. Gitanjali c. Geetmala d. Savitri Answer: b. Gitanjali (v) What is meant by the sub clause 'Where the mind is without fear and head is held high': a. To be fearless and self respecting b. To be proud of one's high position c. To stand straight d. To be fearless and haughty Answer: a. To be fearless and self respecting (vi) According to Tagore what is meant by the sub-clause 'Where knowledge is free'? a. Where people do not have to pay for education b. Where people ha
Read more

NISSIM EZEKIEL AS A POET

Hareshwar Roy,
  INTRODUCTION:  Nissim Ezekiel is a great Indo-Anglican poet. Versatility is the outstanding characteristic of his poetry. The Indian contemporary scene, modern urban life, human relationship, love and sex and spiritual values are the major themes of his poetry. He has experimented endlessly with form and craft. Flawless craftsmanship makes his poetry unique. AS A POET OF INDIAN URBAN LIFE:  Ezekiel is a poet of city life. In his poem we find the description of Bombay. It is symbol of any modern city. Through this symbol the poet has presented the ugliness, dirt, wickedness, inhumanity and squalor of life. According to him the city reduces human personality to a zero. In 'In Morning Walk' the poet says: Barbaric city, sick with slums, Deprived of seasons, blessed with rains Its hawkers, beggars, iron lunged Processions led by frantic drums. LOVE AND SEX:  Love and sex occupy prominent place in Ezekiel's poetry. In fact, Ezekiel is a poet of body. The celebration of flesh,
Read more