'Twelfth Night' - Context

Question 1

When was ‘Twelfth Night’ written and first performed

Answer 1

• written: 1601

- first performed 2nd February 1602, during Candlemas (when was purified 40 days after the birth of Jesus

Question 2

What did John Cunningham say about the treatment of Malvolio

Answer 2

• “good practice” due to Malvolio seeking a higher status => not adhering to Elizabethan social structure

Question 3

What year did the title change?

Answer 3

1623 and it was changed to ‘Malvolio’

Question 4

How was homosexuality stressed in Christopher Luscombe’s production in 2017

Answer 4

• Antonio wore a green carnation, which during the 1890s Victorian era was a sign of homosexuality

Question 5

When and why were women allowed to be apart of theatre

Answer 5

• 1660
• After the fall of Oliver Cromwell’s puritanical government, Charles II allowed women to act on stage and go to the theatre as, supposedly, he was heavily influenced by his actress mistress Nell Gwyn

Question 6

Explain the context of Illyria

Answer 6

• was a real country in the Ottoman empire where shipwrecks and pirates were rife
• Gregory Doran evoked this context in his 2009 production at the RSC

Question 7

Context behind eunuchs

Answer 7

• often accompanied by mutes (Captain)
• They held a powerful position in the Ottoman court as, by their virtue of silence, it allowed them to access the court’s secrets (cf Feste’s role as the observer)

Question 8

Significance of Peter Gill’s 1974 RSC production

Answer 8

• emphasised self-love
• had the stage dominated by a huge mural of classical Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection => becoming the stereotype of the self-obsessed individual