Twelfth Night Background

Twelfth Night Background

Poll

What are your concerns with reading Shakespeare?

• Understanding the language

• Finding it interesting /avoiding boredom

• Following the plot

• Containing my excitement for the wonderment of the written word and live performance

Poll

What will help you succeed in our unit on Twelfth Night?

• Performing/reading scenes in class

• Comprehension questions for each scene/act

• Watching scenes from stage and film adaptations

• Reading quietly

• ​Analyze the confusion between appearance and reality

  ​

• Define satire and consider how Shakespeare might employ it 

  ​

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings

Objectives

• What is identity? What makes each of us who we are? 

  ​

• How is a person’s status derived? Can they change it? How?

​

• How can Shakespeare’s text be made relevant for the modern day?

Essential Questions

Essential Questions and Objectives

Open Ended

Guess why the play is called Twelfth Night.

Open Ended

The play's alternate title is What You Will.

What could that mean?

​The real Twelfth Night

• A holiday celebrated on the twelfth day of Christmas, the night before the Epiphany

• A day known for misrule, practical jokes, singing, drinking, and making merry

  • Dressing up in costume​ was a common practice, sometimes switching genders or having servants and masters switching roles

​The play is set in Illyria, along the Adriatic Coast of the Balkan Peninsula

​

Setting

​

Hotspot

During what time period was Shakespeare writing, directing, and acting in his plays? (indicate on the timeline)

Multiple Choice

What is an 'aside'?

• an old fashioned way of saying 'beside'

• a small order of food (like french fries) added to the meal

• a figure of speech

• a remark made on stage that other characters cannot hear

Multiple Choice

What is a 'soliloquy'?

• a conversation between two or more characters

• an internal conflict

• a speech given by a character alone on stage

• a play that mixes tragedy and comedy

Multiple Choice

What is an allusion?

• a play on words
• a comparison of two similar items
• a thing that is or is likely to be wrongly perceived or interpreted by the senses
• reference to a well-known literary work, piece of art, or music – or religion/belief system

Multiple Choice

What is a character whose personality or actions is/are in striking contrast to those of another character?

• a protagonist
• an antagonist
• a foil
• a chorus