In most of the plays written by William Shakespeare there is always some act of revenge or foolery. Whether it be in the gentlest of terms or set out to hurt someone intentionally, it is almost always present. Trickery can be seen in many ways. It can be simply calling some one names, or actually setting up a particular person despite the fact he/she has done nothing wrong. The two plays I found the strongest connections with are Twelfth Night and Henry IV(part one).
These two plays, while totally different, are much alike in the respect that they both have an underlying story about someone getting tricked. The whole basis of the play Twelfth Night is disguises, and how well a person can successfully trick the other into thinking they are someone else. It starts off with Viola, a young woman who has crashed onto the coast of Illyria. Broke and without her family, she goes in search of shelter. She decides to take disguise as a young boy Cesario, and serve the royal duke Orsino.
. . . Conceal me what I am, and be my aid/ For such disguise as haply shall become/ The form of my intent. Ill serve this duke. Thou shalt present me as an eunuch to him. .
.(p1770, 49-52) While the disguise of Viola is necessary for her to live. It is the actions of Sir Toby and Malvolio: a stern hearted man, steward to Oliva. He is not a man of laughter, but of reason. As compared to Toby and Maria, he is to serious and really easy to make fun of. They know that he does care deeply for Olivia, he is there to make sure she takes care of things. Out of no spite but their own, Sir Toby, Maria, Sir Andrew and Fabian decide it would be great fun to see this great man totally embarrassed.
The Essay on Sir Toby Line Olivia Cesario
... she is a man. In Scene three, from about line five to line seven, Maria tells sir Toby that Olivia ... in line one hundred and twenty five, Viola (disguised as Cesario) enters and speaks with Olivia, but Olivia ... you can see, Shakespeare used Dramatic Irony in this play to transform what otherwise would have been a ... drama into a comedy play. He used this very effectively, and there is ...
With Marias great wit, they write a letter concealing of things said by Olivia that would take Malvolio completely out of context. I will drop in his way some obscure epistles of love, wherein by the colour of his beard, the shape of his leg, the manner of his gait, the expressure of his eye, forehead and complexion, he shall find himself most feelingly personated.(1786, 138-144) They all set out to see Malvolio pushed to the point of seemed insanity. They play this horrible trick, that ends up with him in jail. While others think he is insane, he begins to think that also. Why would they do this? Why has Sir Toby and Maria set out to get Malvolio? Is it because they just dont like him, or is there some underlying point in the story that no one seems to catch on too. There is one passage in particular that is a key to a whole new reasoning to why they act this way. Maria knows Malvolio best compared to Sir Toby and his clan. She lives with him, and watches how he advises Olivia to keep the house running, and amusingly run the money.
In the midst of people laughing because of the little trick they are going to play, a few lines are missed. The devl a puritan he is, of anything constantly but a time-pleaser, an affectioned ass that cons state without book and utters it by great swathes;. . .(1785, 131-132) An affectioned ass that cons the state without book… These words said by Maria let us into a whole new understanding of the stern man that is Malvolio. He cons the state without book, and utters it in great swathes.
What Maria is trying to say(just in plain english now) that Malvolio rules Olivias house under false pretenses. He doesnt help run in by the book, but by how he feels nessesary, and when spoken against, speaks in dignified and high-flown languages that he has taken the time to memorize. With this new found evidence, it is plain to see that Malvolio isnt just an old stick-in-the-mud, but in fact not as intelligent as he feels he is, and scholastically not in the position to be running the financial state of Olivas household. I hadnt noticed these lines before, they were hidden under layers of comedy and laughter, they seemed almost invisible. This type of foolery was played for a reason, it was an underlying story that wasnt brought up to clear to the audience or reader. This whole incident brings me to the character of Falstaff in Henry IV (part one) While most people think of Henry IV as plainly a historical play, there are moments of great humor and comedy. The character of Falstaff is the butt of all the jokes, and the ass of many of Hals tricks.
The Essay on Law And Order Falstaff Hal Prince
Sir John Falstaff's Influence on Prince Hal in I Henry IV In Shakespearean histories, there is always one individual who influences the major character and considerably advances the plot. In I Henry IV by William Shakespeare, Falstaff is such a character. Sir John Falstaff is perhaps the most complex comic character ever invented. He carries a dignified presence in the mind's eye; and in him, we ...
In act one, scene two, Hal and Falstaff met a thief by the name of Poins in the local tavern. After Poins talks them into joining him on a robbery spree. It is at that point where his own crimes turn into a huge joke. Falstaff and a few of Poins men go forth to rob their target. As they leave the target in great valor, they are attacked by a swarm of robbers (Poins and Hal).
Having been stripped of their goods.
Falstaff, looking like an ass, has to return to the tavern and tell them what happened. He tries to play it off like he was a noble sir and that he got away, but Hal just makes an ass out of him and he confesses to everything being stolen. While Falstaff thinks that Hal is his friend, he is nothing but the kid in elementary school that got picked on at every recess. Hal and his group of friends take such joy in ridiculing Falstaff, they take every chance they can. It is until act three, scene three that Hal actually stands up for Falstaff. He prevents him from being arrested and leaves it at that.
Hal and Falstaff go back and fourth. They play tricks and ridicule the other, but they always count themselves even