Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's comedies. The twins Viola and Sebastian遭遇海难并失散，彼此都以为对方已死。正如人们对一部以双胞胎为特色的莎士比亚喜剧所期待的那样，有身份错认和混乱的浪漫纠葛。而维奥拉决定扮成男人，这让一切变得更加复杂，剧中对此有一些解释。

我对这部剧有一些复杂的感受。它有幽默的地方，也有让我发笑的部分。还有另一个副线情节，我猜应该是有趣的，但我觉得它太过了，甚至到了残忍的程度。而且，这些浪漫情节有点难以让人相信。我会在结尾的剧透标签中更详细地阐述这些评论。与我在过去几年里读过的其他莎士比亚戏剧相比，我更难同情甚至在某些情况下理解角色的动机。

观看莎士比亚戏剧的视觉改编通常很有帮助，因为演员可以表现出剧本中不总是那么清晰的情感，他们选择表演场景的方式可以增加深度和清晰度。因此，我在读完这部剧后立即观看了其中一部电影，即1996年的那部。我认为这真的很有帮助。我仍然对故事的某些方面有问题，但演员们帮助我更相信其中的幽默和情感。它也让一些浪漫情节稍微更可信了一些，尽管其中一个在我看来仍然很荒谬。我通常会喜欢我在阅读时脑海中形成的角色版本，这也是我更喜欢在观看之前阅读的原因之一，这样我就不会剥夺自己形成自己心中角色版本的机会，我常常觉得自己心中的版本更优越。但这是一个罕见的情况，我认为电影中的几乎每个角色都比我从阅读剧本中想象的版本更好。我特别喜欢那个小丑，尽管他和我阅读时想象的完全不一样。

我其余的评论必须放在剧透标签中：
我真的对马尔沃利奥的整个事情有很多困扰。一开始有点好笑，但他的折磨者做得太过分了，我对此感到很困扰。虽然我认为马尔沃利奥本可以被打击一下，但我根本不认为他的行为能证明他所受到的待遇是合理的。在我最初阅读时，这让我非常困扰，但电影更清楚地描绘了他是如何被对待的，这让情况变得更糟。我确实喜欢电影更清楚地表明角色们最终感到了一些真正的后悔，但这并没有让它不那么令人不安。
特别让我发笑的部分是维奥拉被错认成塞巴斯蒂安以及反之的身份错认情节。不过，我觉得结尾有点荒谬，尤其是在我只是阅读的时候。我能理解为什么奥利维亚可能会因为他们的对话而对扮成西萨里奥的维奥拉产生吸引力，但他们只见过几次面，而且对话很简短。当她把塞巴斯蒂安错认成维奥拉时，他们几乎不了解对方这一事实就很明显了。对我来说，他们两个这么快就结婚毫无意义，尤其是塞巴斯蒂安之前从未见过她。我的意思是，在某个时候，如果想让你娶她的女孩似乎认为她认识你有一段时间了，你难道不会问：“嘿，你确定你找对人了吗？”
然后奥利维亚发现她嫁的人不是她爱上的人，但没关系，因为她爱上了一个长得像“他”的人，所以这一定意味着他们是命中注定的。与此同时，奥西诺一直以来都在为奥利维亚而憔悴，但当他得知她已经结婚了，而且顺便说一句，他的仆人实际上是个女孩时，嗯，没问题。现在有另一个女孩可用了，他就娶她吧！电影通过展示他们的友谊发展，以及维奥拉一方的大量浪漫紧张情绪和奥西诺一方的一丝困惑的浪漫紧张情绪，让奥西诺/维奥拉的关系更加可信。塞巴斯蒂安/奥利维亚的关系在两种形式中对我来说都不奏效。
我还认为维奥拉打扮成男人并为奥西诺公爵服务的动机非常非常牵强。电影在这方面有一点帮助，但只是一点点。
基于我阅读这部剧时有限的乐趣，我给它评2.5星，但在Goodreads上我会四舍五入到3星，因为电影帮助我更欣赏它了。

Reasons why I LOVE this play :

1. It's so extremely gay. Like, it's outrageously gay. That alone is more than enough to make me have an intense love for this play. The blatant display of same-sex attraction and the undertones throughout add a unique and captivating element.

2. Sir Andrew and Sir Toby literally pleaded with Maria to step on them because they were so thoroughly impressed by the ingenious way she fooled the idiot Malvolio. Their reactions and the whole scene are just too absurd and entertaining.

3. It's simply hilarious. Act II, Scene V is like a goldmine of comedic genius. The antics, the misunderstandings, and the overall absurdity of the situation had me laughing out loud. It's everything I could have ever needed in life to brighten my day and bring joy.

4. Sir Andrew is such a himbo, and I absolutely love this man. His naivety, his lack of common sense, and his endearing bumbling ways make him a truly lovable character. He adds a touch of charm and humor to the play that is just irresistible.

The humor and irony of the poet stand out even more than the story itself. Unforgettable farces and erotic entanglements, poisonous and playful attacks form the core of this play. It would be very interesting if more time were given to the supposed travesty of Viola who dresses as Cesario to enter the court of Duke Orsino in order to ensure her survival. However, Orsino is in love with Olivia who mourns the loss of her brother and rejects the Duke's amorous and obsessive arrows. When Cesario goes to Olivia's court every day to persuade her of his master's love, she will fall in love with him/her. Although it can be implied and not given the necessary time, the themes of sexual identity and erotic attraction are visible. Of course, the end proves the ephemerality of the erotic enthusiasm with Shakespeare, I suppose, making fun of the great and absolute loves. If you observe the last scene, you will realize that there is a possible homosexuality between the Duke and Cesario. Even after the revelation of her true identity, Viola does not change immediately and the Duke seems to have been charmed from the very beginning by her as a youth.

A great figure is the crazy jester Feste who proves to be the wisest and most perceptive of all. His words are evangelical, humorous and cynical. He is ridiculed by everyone like a monkey.

4 Stars

Overview

\\n   \\"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.\\" \\n

The Twelfth Night, though not Shakespeare's most renowned work, is indeed one of my all-time favorites. I have always had a penchant for his comedies over his tragedies, and this play is replete with his trademark wit and zany situations.

Pros:

Shakespeare's love for wordplay is on full display here, and as always, it is executed masterfully. The jokes are rapid-fire and uproariously funny, while simultaneously revealing aspects of the characters. For example, Sir Andrew's misunderstanding of the word "accost" provides the audience with a glimpse into just how "refined" he truly is.

Although this is undeniably a comedy, there are several exquisite passages dedicated to love and life. Shakespeare's prose is as beautiful and flowing as ever, captivating the reader's imagination.

The entire play centers around Viola, a young woman who survives a shipwreck and decides to make her way in the world by dressing as a man. The resulting antics are highly amusing, and I relished imagining it as Shakespeare intended, with an all-male cast where Viola would have been a man playing a woman playing a man.

I can't help but wonder who I would have to pay to get a retelling where Antonio and Sebastian end up together.

Cons:

At times, this play feels as though Shakespeare was in a hurry to get to the action, as most of the build-up and character motivation is simply glossed over. For instance, the reason why Viola dresses as a man is somewhat unclear. We are told it is to get ahead in the world, but the details of how she plans to achieve this never quite make sense to me.

There are also quite a few dated jokes, which may seem like a ridiculous complaint considering the play was written in 1602. However, they did have an impact on my enjoyment of the story. I had to suspend disbelief that there could be a pair of fraternal twins who looked so identical that people could easily confuse them. Additionally, one particular vulgar joke relies on Elizabethan slang for a woman's private parts.

In Conclusion:

As always, Shakespeare reigns supreme as the king of wit, and this play is highly entertaining, despite its rushed or absurd moments in certain places.

Twelfth Night is a highly energetic comedy filled with tomfoolery and excess. Everything within it is deliberately made to be ridiculous, serving as a satire of previously written farces and delighting in its own absurdity. In As You Like It, Shakespeare offers us, for once, a truly convincing portrayal of love. However, in Twelfth Night, he reverts to his old sardonic style. Shakespeare might have been as cynical as Proust or Freud when it comes to love, as he seems to relish its arbitrariness. Olivia falls in love with Viola under false pretenses and then easily transfers her feelings to Sebastian (who is strangely willing). Duke Orsino, after pledging his eternal love for Olivia, immediately falls in love with Viola once he discovers she is a woman and not a boy. And let's not forget that, as is often the case with Shakespeare, we end with an extremely strange match: the witty and lively Viola with the melodramatic and melancholic Duke Orsino. It would be depressing if it weren't so funny.

In the subplot of Malvolio, Shakespeare crosses the line from comedy to sadism. At first, the unctuous prig's comeuppance is completely satisfying. However, his imprisonment and mockery cannot help but evoke outrage from the audience, especially when considering that his tormentors are drunkards and fools, not nearly as compelling as Malvolio (as insufferable as he may be). On the other hand, Shakespeare presents us with a perfect image of wisdom in Feste, the fool, who brings warmth and sanity to every scene he participates in. Although neither Viola nor Malvolio nor Feste can compare as characters to the likes of Rosalind, the entire cast is rich in lively contrasts. And then there are the numerous memorable lines, scattered with Shakespearean generosity. In conclusion, I believe that this is easily one of the stronger comedies of Shakespeare.

"Stary człowiek i morze", gdyby kręcił go Michael Bay

Michael Bay is known for his explosive and action-packed movies. If he were to direct "The Old Man and the Sea", it would likely be a very different version.

Minus the explosions, Bay might focus more on the intense relationship between the old man and the sea. He could bring out the beauty and power of the ocean through his unique visual style.

The story would still be about the old man's struggle and determination, but Bay might add some modern twists and turns. Maybe there would be a subplot involving a younger character who helps the old man.

Overall, a Michael Bay-directed "The Old Man and the Sea" would be a captivating and exciting take on the classic novel. It would combine the timeless story with Bay's signature filmmaking techniques, creating a memorable cinematic experience.

I truly liked the dialogue in this play a great deal more than the first one we read for class, which was "A Comedy of Errors". I have a deep affection for the entire trope of a girl posing as a guy to deceive misogynists and gain entry into their society. Moreover, I generally adored Olivia and Viola as characters. Their personalities and the way they interacted made the story extremely engaging for me. I was completely invested in their adventures and relationships.

However, my only gripe is that the ending felt a bit too hasty for my taste. It seemed as if a few of the plotlines were rather abruptly mashed together into one grand finale. I would have preferred a more gradual and detailed resolution. Despite this minor flaw, I was still left with a sense of longing for more.

This may not be the absolute best Shakespeare play I've ever read (after all, nothing can quite compare to "Hamlet"), but it was still an enjoyable read that I didn't dread picking up. It had its own charm and entertainment value, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience it.

One of my book resolutions this year is to read more classics, specifically some of Shakespeare's plays. It's quite shocking to admit that I've only read a couple thus far. Ironically, I read Twelfth Night when I was a tender 14-year-old as part of my year 9 English class. I was curious to see how much I could remember. To my surprise, it wasn't much.

Basically, the story involves Viola and her brother Sebastian who遭遇 a shipwreck and wash up on the shores of Illyria. Both believe the other is dead. Viola then dresses up as a bloke to protect her honour or for some other reason. Hilarity ensues due to a case of mistaken identity. And there's a bloke called Malvolio who is tricked into thinking he's mental.

Sir Toby is truly awful. So are Antonio and Maria. Olivia is extremely gullible and probably wishes by the end that she'd married Viola instead of Sebastian. I know I would have because Viola is by far the best character of the bunch. She has a way with words. The Fool is also great with his dry remarks and witty repartee.

All in all, Twelfth Night isn't my absolute favourite, but it's still alright. I have to give props to this copy, which included a modern translation after the original text. It was really helpful when I couldn't be bothered to think about what was being said. It stopped me from losing track several times.

And all those sayings will I overswear;
And those swearings keep as true in soul
As doth that orbèd continent the fire
That severs day from night.

All the forbearance is unrolled for display. Insomnia rasps, and we find ourselves struggling with Moloch and the gurgle of the deep. There's nothing original about this reader. He cheered for Viola. As I pondered, the distemper of lad culture tends to rancor. Will Some Like It Hot or Mrs. Doubtfire ever resonate with lyrical fire? The pat ending of Twelfth Night couldn't usurp the famous line, "Nobody's perfect." But the Bard knew the unspoken questions that will greet the other half of the quartet. What was the real attraction? It's a mystery that lingers, much like the enigma of the orbèd continent of fire that separates day from night. We are left to wonder and explore these uncharted territories of human emotion and connection.

Two aspects of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night truly catch my attention. Firstly, the remarkable courage and strength of the female characters in the play. Secondly, the seamless blend of high and low comedy in this work, which was composed during the peak of Shakespeare's writing powers.

We are now aware of the practical difficulties that Shakespeare and other playwrights of the Elizabethan era faced when considering their potential audiences. In that time, when going to the theatre was a profession of questionable respectability, theatre companies had to attract every possible customer. Nobles and well-off commoners could sit comfortably in the gallery, protected from the summer heat, the cold of other seasons, and the rain that falls in England throughout the year. In contrast, those with less disposable income would pay a lower fee to stand in the open area in front of the stage, exposed to the elements.

These socioeconomic differences, in turn, influenced what different audience members expected to see in their dramatic entertainment. The wealthy gallery guests would anticipate witty dialogue, sophisticated commentary on the social scene of their time, and well-developed characters in interesting situations. The "groundlings," on the other hand, who inhabited the late-16th- or early-17th-century equivalent of a mosh pit, desired much more earthy entertainment - sexual innuendos, jokes about bodily functions, and characters hitting each other in the style of the Three Stooges or the Minions in the Despicable Me movies. A good playwright had to provide all of this to the audience.

Fortunately for Shakespeare, for the audience of his time, and for all of us, he was a great playwright, and all the elements of Twelfth Night combine to create a delightful comic mix. The play's charm begins with the nuances of its title - a seemingly casual title for a play constructed with such care. The post-comma part of the title - Or What You Will - has a "whatever" quality, as if the playwright doesn't really care what he calls his play. The foreword to this edition discusses a popular theory that Shakespeare may have written the play specifically for a Twelfth Night entertainment in Queen Elizabeth's court in 1601, when the English monarch was receiving an Italian duke at court.

That's an interesting theory, but the mystery behind the reasons for the title of Twelfth Night remains. Perhaps it is for this reason that director Trevor Nunn, in his 1996 film adaptation of the play, provides some context at the beginning of the film, added by the screenwriter, to offer some explanation for the play's otherwise-unexplained title: "Once, upon Twelfth Night -- or what you will/Aboard a ship bound home to Messaline/The festive company, dressed for masquerade/Delight above the rest in two young twins." It's quite bold to place one's own blank-verse iambic pentameter right next to Shakespeare's.

But let's turn to the play itself. The high comedy of Twelfth Night stems from the seemingly serious situation of two young twins, Viola and Sebastian, whose ship is wrecked off the coast of Illyria. Sebastian is missing and presumed lost, while his sister Viola, knowing that she will not be safe traveling alone as a woman in a strange country, disguises herself as a man and takes the name Cesario. In this guise, Viola becomes a favored courtier of Orsino, Duke of Illyria, and gradually finds herself falling in love with the duke.

Duke Orsino, like many nobles in Shakespeare's works, is a bit of a mess. He claims to be deeply in love with the countess Olivia, but part of the supposed intensity of his emotion may stem from Olivia's inaccessibility (her brother has died, and she has vowed not to marry until a seven-year period of mourning has passed). Many people know Orsino's famous first line of the play: "If music be the food of love, play on." However, not as many are aware that Orsino then insists on the musicians stopping and re-playing a particular part of the song - "That strain again! It had a dying fall" - like that drunk guy in a bar who keeps going to the jukebox and playing the same song over and over. And then Orsino completely contradicts himself by saying, "Enough, no more!/'Tis not so sweet now as it was before." Orsino is not really in love; he is in love with the idea of being in love.

Meanwhile, the low comedy of the play comes courtesy of Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby Belch. (I suppose calling him Sir Toby Fart would have been a bit much.) Sir Toby, whose position in Olivia's family and household gives him a certain freedom to eat, drink, and be belchy, voices what many of the "groundlings" in Shakespeare's audience would no doubt have been thinking about the pretensions of the upper classes at that time, as when he scornfully says to another character, "Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?" Sir Toby is keeping himself in pocket change through regular contributions from an unfortunate and feckless nobleman, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (or "Fever-face," if you will), who regularly supplies the Belchster with money as part of a hopeless suit for Olivia's hand. Amidst this collection of ne'er-do-wells, Maria, an attendant to Olivia, is a long-suffering spokesperson for common sense.

A third comedic plotline develops from the antagonism between Feste, Olivia's clown (and one of a long line of wise Shakespearean fools), and Olivia's priggish and stuck-up steward Malvolio, who would love nothing more than to see Feste dismissed from Olivia's service. Olivia aptly tells Malvolio that "you are sick of self-love...and taste with a distempered appetite," and any first-time reader of Twelfth Night who is familiar with the norms of Shakespearean comedy will immediately sense that Malvolio is in for some sort of comeuppance.

From these three plotlines, the comedy unfolds. Viola, whose disguise as Cesario allows him to be admitted to Olivia's court to plead the Duke's suit, is shocked to learn that Olivia has fallen in love with Cesario - or, in other words, with the male disguise that hides the woman Viola. Meanwhile, Viola's twin brother Sebastian, who survived the shipwreck, makes his way toward Orsino's kingdom, where his resemblance to Viola leads to comic complications that demonstrate the extent of Shakespeare's debt to the Roman comedic playwright Plautus. And Sir Toby, Feste, and Maria hatch a plot to humiliate the self-important Malvolio by making him think that Olivia has fallen in love with him. And Shakespeare brings it all together seamlessly in Act V.

As mentioned earlier, the strength of the female characters in Twelfth Night really stands out to me. Viola is brave, intelligent, and kind. Thrown into a difficult situation, she survives by her wits without losing her humanity or compassion. She is a truly heroic character, and her heroism is human and believable. It's no wonder that the Shakespeare character in the film Shakespeare in Love (1998), inspired by his love for the noblewoman Viola de Lesseps, speaks at the end of the film about his plans to write Twelfth Night and says of the character Viola that her "soul is greater than the ocean, and her spirit stronger than the sea's embrace. Not for her a watery end, but a new life beginning on a stranger shore. It will be a love story. For she will be my heroine for all time. And her name will be Viola."

There is something touching about the way Olivia finds herself falling in love against her will, never realizing that she is in love with a woman rather than a man. And Maria shows that those like Malvolio who would dismiss her determination and intelligence do so at their own risk.

I also appreciate the play's reflections on gender. Just as Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, who disguises himself as a girl at one point in that novel, must learn to navigate gender as a construct - by "throwing like a girl," among other things - so Viola must learn through careful observation what is socially determined, rather than biologically innate, about being "one of the guys." The fact that Shakespeare engaged with these complex thematic ideas in a play that is so much fun is lasting proof of his genius.

It is a bit of an anachronism when Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love watches the first staging of Romeo and Juliet, is moved by the tragedy of the young lovers, and then instructs one of her courtiers to "tell Master Shakespeare, something more cheerful next time, for Twelfth Night." In reality, it is likely that eight years and quite a few plays separated Romeo and Juliet from Twelfth Night. But it is no coincidence that Tom Stoppard, the screenwriter for Shakespeare in Love (and a man who, as the author of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, knows his Shakespeare), made a point of evoking Twelfth Night as a particularly strong example of Shakespeare's artistry. Discovering this great play and enjoying it is much more than a matter of "what you will."

There is a profound tragedy that unfolds in this story. Viola, finding herself in a desperate situation, decides to assume the identity of her brother Sebastian and thus, the act of cross-dressing commences.

Meanwhile, Orsino is deeply in love with Olivia. However, Olivia, unbeknownst to Orsino, has fallen in love with Cesario, who is actually Viola in disguise. And to make matters even more complicated, Viola herself has developed feelings for Orsino.

The plot thickens and we wonder how this web of love and deception will be resolved. But fortunately, in the end, everything turns out happy and well. There is a beautiful marriage that brings together the characters in a harmonious union, tying up all the loose ends and leaving us with a sense of satisfaction and joy.

In an undetermined age, off the west coast of the Balkans (Illyria), a strange and astonishing event took place. Aristocratic identical twins, a boy and a girl around twenty years old, give or take a few years, were lost at sea when their ship was wrecked by a powerful storm. Presumed drowned by the other surviving sibling, both witnessed their relative in a perilous situation.

However, this being a play, the twins miraculously survived. With separate help from out of the blue, the kind sea captain and an infamous pirate, they reached the beautiful, dry, glorious beach. Miracles do occur sometimes.

Nevertheless, unknown to the grieving duo, they changed their names on land. Sebastian became Roderigo, and his sister Viola took a more drastic step. She disguised herself as a man, Cesario, wearing men's clothes. She was a pretty boy too, just like a rose that would smell as sweet by any other name. She/He started working for the local Duke Orsino, who was in love with another person of noble blood, Countess Olivia.

The Countess, however, was grieving for her recently deceased beloved brother and was in no mood for romance. Besides, the Duke didn't appeal to her sad soul. Olivia told the passionate and impatient Duke that she needed a year to mourn. Meanwhile, she had a secret crush on his messenger Cesario. Orsino, being a very jealous and fierce man who liked to duel, also became very fond of his new, sweet servant after just a few days.

Now, the distraught Countess had her drunken uncle, Sir Toby, living with her in her mansion. He was a big headache, imbibing all night long and coming home in a boisterous and out-of-control condition, waking up the whole household with his cowardly young friend, Sir Andrew. Olivia was at a loss as to what to do since he was a relative. Moreover, Sir Andrew also wanted to marry the countess and had given money to her impecunious uncle.

Another member of her entourage was her late father's jester, The Fool, also called Feste. Acting silly was his job, and he did it very well. However, The Fool was the smartest one around, with witty comments being his specialty.

Still, the head of her servants, stern Malvolio, ruled with an iron hand, much to the hatred of the rest. Only Sir Toby, being of noble family, was above him. But the lackeys were restless and wanted revenge.

More trouble befell Lady Olivia as she fell desperately in love with the disguised Viola as Cesario, who became very uneasy. And when Sebastian finally arrived in town, people spoke to the visitor as if they recognized him! The twin felt quite confused and agitated. Was he or these strangers mad? Even Sir Andrew and Sir Toby took their swords out to fight the supposedly timid "Cesario", who was not his sister and knew how to duel. A surprise ensued for the not-too-brave pair.

Another splendid and fun play from the incomparable master William Shakespeare... enough said or written.