by Simon W.
"I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you."
So says Malvolio as he makes his final exit off the stage. Maybe it's because the last time I read this play was over twenty years ago. Or maybe it's because I am cranky and over forty. But I really feel for Malvolio in this re-read of Twelfth Night.
The story of Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is familiar to most people. Even if they haven't read or seen the play itself, there have been many variations in popular culture. And really, the story itself has very common themes. A pair of fraternal twins, Viola and Sebastian, are shipwrecked and each believe the other has died. Viola makes her way into an unfamiliar city and because she believes she will be safer thus, dresses as a boy. The disguise ends up working far too well and a romantic comedy occurs against the backdrop of mistaken identity and the Christmas celebrations.
So says Malvolio as he makes his final exit off the stage. Maybe it's because the last time I read this play was over twenty years ago. Or maybe it's because I am cranky and over forty. But I really feel for Malvolio in this re-read of Twelfth Night.
The story of Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is familiar to most people. Even if they haven't read or seen the play itself, there have been many variations in popular culture. And really, the story itself has very common themes. A pair of fraternal twins, Viola and Sebastian, are shipwrecked and each believe the other has died. Viola makes her way into an unfamiliar city and because she believes she will be safer thus, dresses as a boy. The disguise ends up working far too well and a romantic comedy occurs against the backdrop of mistaken identity and the Christmas celebrations.
It's a fun story. It's a funny story. But I will confess, as I made my way through it this time my attention and sympathies were caught by the unloved, pretentious, far too serious character of Malvolio. Malvolio is the victim of a cruel prank by several folks caught up in the merriment and mischief of the Christmas holiday and I won't deny that he badly needed some level of comeuppance. He's arrogant, severe, obsessed with his social standing, and more than a little vain.
And yet, I feel for him. He's cruelly used and abused and come the end of the play, when the prank is revealed to all and sundry, he storms off vowing vengeance on both those who pranked him and those who laughed on the sidelines. I can sympathize with the man. But I never once did before reading it this time.
That's one of the things I love about Shakespeare. Not only are his stories still relevant to an audience that is separated from his original one by 400 or so years but the same person reading his works years apart can find new and different things to focus on. Whether you think his work is high art or low brow entertainment, it has the power to move people and that is the enduring power of his words and his storytelling.
And yet, I feel for him. He's cruelly used and abused and come the end of the play, when the prank is revealed to all and sundry, he storms off vowing vengeance on both those who pranked him and those who laughed on the sidelines. I can sympathize with the man. But I never once did before reading it this time.
That's one of the things I love about Shakespeare. Not only are his stories still relevant to an audience that is separated from his original one by 400 or so years but the same person reading his works years apart can find new and different things to focus on. Whether you think his work is high art or low brow entertainment, it has the power to move people and that is the enduring power of his words and his storytelling.
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