You all get your own post for the weekend since you have a discussion board here. First, let me remind you about your homework for the weekend and to prepare for our last class of the nine weeks on Wednesday.
Remember that for Wednesday you should all be walking in to class with your outlines for your papers on Twelfth Night. After we get through Act V, Scene 1 and finish the play we will do some individual conferences on your outlines. Come prepared with questions.
For this weekend you'll need to read the Montegut criticism and respond to the following prompt in the comments section. You should be able to comment no matter what - though the program may ask you to sign in for security. Make sure to post your name at the end of your comment so that you can get credit for your response. Here is your prompt:
In Montegut's criticism of the play he begins to develop the idea of the carnivalesque and apply it to Twelfth Night. Why does Montegut think that the carnivalesque is so important to the play? Do you agree or disagree with his assertion? Why? Be sure to use evidence from the play to support your assertions.
Be sure that your post is done by the end of the school day on Monday - I will grade these for not just completion but mastery, show me that you're literary scholars.
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Montegut believes that the carnivalesque is important because it develops the ambiguity of the reality of nature and society. This ambiguity, in turn, characterizes the characters and leads to what he believes is Shakespeare’s overall philosophy in the play: We are all varying degrees of insane. I do agree with his opinion of Shakespeare’s philosophy due to the fact that every character eventually enters the world of insanity, save for the ever witty Feste. Maria, a servant, has become the master in the play because although she is a female, the sex that usually underestimated, she proves to be cleverer than Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, people that are clearly of a higher rank than she. Sebastian also succumbs to this world of insanity via role reversal and subversion of power, and does so willingly, as he states that “I am ready to distrust mine eyes / And wrangle with my reason that persuades me to any other trust but that I am mad.” These characters reassert the fact that we are all, indeed, insane in varying degrees; however I disagree with his assertion that the idea of carnivalesque is important because of its role in the development of ambiguity in the play. Its importance more aptly stems from its role in developing creating the very essence of the Twelfth Night itself. Stated in the beginning of Montegut’s own criticism, the Twelfth Night is characterized by a complete flip of normal social conventions. Feste, whose bears even the namesake of a festival, exemplifies this reversal of social conventions because although he is called the fool, he is really the wisest character of them all. It is Feste who is first to realize that Sebastian and Cesario are two different people and even figures out Viola’s secret that she is not really a male, however by keeping this knowledge to himself he changes the power from the hands of his superiors to himself as he simply sits back and enjoys the show. This also removes him from the surrounding insanity because amidst all of the madness, Feste is the only one who actually knows what is going on. This uses the idea of carnivalesque not only in Feste’s name, but it also creates the “carnival farce” mentioned by Montegut. In short, while Montegut believes that the idea of carnivalesque is important because it helps develop the idea of ambiguity in the play, I believe that it is significant because it is essential to creating the very essence of the Twelfth Night. However, there is no doubt that, according to Shakespeare, we are all mad.
In this criticism, Montegut states that “Twelfth Night is a masquerade.” In this play, disguise is most essential to the plot. Without all the disguises, no love triangle would form between Viola, the Duke, and Olivia, and no other plot developments would occur. The goal of this play is to make the audience laugh and enjoy themselves. The disguises in this play are “the children of imagination;” they allow the audience to live in “fairyland.”
The ambiguity of the characters allows their disguises to be easily taken for reality. Viola is adventurous, and can easily be taken for her brother, Sebastian, and Sebastian can also be easily taken for a woman; all he needs is “the whim of donning woman’s clothes.” Such ambiguity, and therefore disguise, is also amplified by the fact that people’s imaginations run wild. If Olivia did not have an active imagination, she would have noticed that Viola is so clearly a woman; Olivia wanted Viola to be a man, so she made it so. Montegut goes as far as to say that it is up to Nature, or fate, to decide which disguises and imaginative thoughts are reality.
In his commentary, Montegut points out one main idea of Shakespeare’s social commentary: “we are all slaves of our defects…we are the victims of dreams,” and we must be careful as to which defects and dreams we allow to rule our perceptions of reality.
Julia Larson
Montegut believes that the carnivalesque elements of Shakespeare’s comedy are important because they build upon his philosophy of human insanity in which fantasy and desire override reality and subvert societal norms. The play’s use of disguise, chaos and role reversal “treat the world like a comical farce.” I agree with Montegut’s opinion that we are “slaves to our “defects” and our dreams. The central conflict of the play, Viola’s disguise as Cesario, is a direct result of her defects as a woman without family and her desire to rise above her gender and take control of her situation. Simultaneously, several of the play’s other characters seek to retrieve what they lack and secure their desires by switching roles. Malvolio wishes to defy his status as a steward and marry above his rank, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew want to rebel against their noble positions and enjoy an unrefined partying lifestyle, and Feste is a slave to his role as a fool yet he consistently proves to be the opposite. However, the characters, in the end, must confront and cope with the reality of society after their fantasies have run wild. I agree with Montegut’s point that, in reality, nature only “accepts” the dreams that maintain decency. It is the characters whose desires are free of ugly intentions, that achieve true happiness. Maria is able to successfully marry above her social status, following her role reversal from servant to witty friend of nobility, as her motivation is based upon genuine camaraderie with Sir Toby. In contrast, Malvolio’s foolish attempt fails as the ugliness of his egotism intrudes upon his desire. The characters in Twelfth Night are indeed living in a fantasy that dominates reality, however, I disagree with Montegut’s referral to the characters as insane because they dream. The characters’ perceived insanity are a result of the chaos and conflict that surrounds them. It is the strict social conventions and the uncomfortable situations the characters find themselves in that cause the desire to rebel. If Viola was not a woman during the Elizabethan era left stranded in a strange land she would have had no need for a disguise, and if it were acceptable for a servant to be puritanical, Malvolio would not have foolishly fallen for Sir Toby and Maria’s trick.
In Montegut’s eyes, the carnivalesque nature of Twelfth Night allows Shakespeare to incorporate drama, romance and suspense into his play, while still maintaining an overall comedic theme. For example, when Malvolio reads the letter that he thinks is from Olivia, his character develops -- perhaps to a point where in another setting, the audience would pity Malvolio, but because the audience knows the letter is fake and the mood of the scene is lifted by the other servants’ aside, the comedy is retained throughout the potentially heart-wrenching scene.
Other critics of Twelfth Night might argue that the characters are not well-developed, as Motegut points out in the second paragraph of this excerpt of his criticism; however, he encourages the audience to appreciate the comedy for what it is, without question when he says “We are here in fairyland; why should we try to discover the real nature of these personages?” Because the play is carnivalesque, the audience is urged to refrain from finding out the deeper truth in the characters, just as a party-goer might at a masquerade. In a room full of masked people, rather than trying to find out who is behind every mask, a guest should appreciate the beauty of each mask.
I agree with all of Montegut’s assertions. Truth is relative in a world of madness; appreciating lies would create a happier life than a never-ending search for truth. Shakespeare uses comedy to make this point, and a carnivalesque setting helps establish a metaphor to explain his philosophy as well as provide comedy to create an enjoyable play that does not rely on excessive reflection from the audience.
The carnivalesque is described by Montegut in his criticism as being essential to the play. He emphasizes the way the comic elements Shakespeare uses to create the carnival atmosphere creates a double reality of nature and society, "like a carnival farce," even during the more serious portions of the play. Montegut also quotes the saying "Glide, mortals, bear not heavily," in order to express that he thinks that the carnivalesqueness of the play should be maintained, not meddled with by trying "to discover the real nature of [the characters'] personages."
Montegut talks about the importance of "this poetic masquerade" as it is related to the philosophy of the play, which, drawing from the carnivalesque, is that everyone is insane. He says that the characters' follies due to the ridiculousness of the characters and the play serves to reveal the larger message of Shakespeare's thought: Everyone is a bit mad in their own sense and only "Nature" can govern what man goes crazy to try and control. Montegut shows that the carnivalesque is important because it pervades all aspects of the play, from the comic to the romantic to even the philosophic.
I agree with Montegut's opinion. The carnival madness of Twelfth Night contributes to every element of the play. The main conflict of the play (the Viola-Olivia-Orsino situation) serves as the main plot, one of the major point of comedy, as well as the premier example of human nature throughout the play. Their craziness allows for smaller plots to develop which are crazy in and of themselves. The madness of all of these conflicts shows how crazy man is in order to follow his desires. The trick Toby, Andrew, and Maria play on Malvolio encompasses much of their time in the play, and they end up metaphorically beating a dead horse just to amuse themselves. Olivia tries so hard to get Cesario to fall in love with her that she doesn't realize that he/she is a woman. In order to maintain their friendship, Antonio is willing to risk his life just to accompany Sebastian to Illyria. The carnivalesque contributes to all of these plots and more in the play, and helps to emphasize the deeper meaning and theme of the play.
In Montegut’s criticism of Twelfth Night, he argues that the carnivalesque aspect of the play allows the true nature of human insanity to reveal itself. Montegut believes that our dreams control our actions, and that “man is held in leash by his imagination.” This idea is backed up by the fact that in every instance where a dream is acted upon by our characters, chaos ensues. In the play characters identities are hidden, complex pranks are played, and social classes are swapped around, helping to demonstrate how truly insane the characters are. This exaggeration of madness helps draw the conclusion that “we are all, in varying degrees, insane,” and therefore each character represents the lengths we are all willing to go to in an attempt to make a dream into a reality.
I agree with the assertion Montegut makes, because as each character acts upon his or her own dream the story becomes more and more like the “carnival farce,” that he suggests. Viola’s hidden identity adds to the carnivalesque idea that the play is a “poetic masquerade.” Viola keeps this elaborate secret in the hopes of fulfilling her heartfelt dream of marrying the duke. Malvolio dreams of one day being loved by Olivia; a conquest that only an insane person would deem possible. While in both situations they long for a seemingly unattainable character, the intentions behind each are different. Viola’s dreams are pure and good intentioned, while in comparison Malvolio’s are surrounded by his selfish craving for power. Montegut states that “nature accepts only certain [dreams]” and for that reason, the selfish, ugly dream of Malvolio’s is the only one that is left unacknowledged in the end. As each of the dreams are either attained or overlooked, each character is forced to come to terms with the reality of their own situation in society regardless of what their dream was. Without the carnivalesque aspect of the play, one of the main underlying ideas of the play couldn’t be fully grasped, and the insanity of each of the characters would be overlooked.
Montegut believes that the more absurd the surprise the funnier the play becomes. This opinion supports the ideas of disguise and trickery that goes on in the play. Viola pretends to be a man while Malvolio gets tricked into thinking that Olivia likes him. The misunderstandings that come from such events lead to further complications which creates more surprises for each character in the play while allowing the plot to further develop. Montegut explains how Shakespeare uses ambiguity to create the society and reality in Twelfth Night, the unclear characters and relationships support his idea of imagination and adventure because the reader has no clue how the characters will act, allowing for surprise. I do agree that the characteristics of a carnival are important to the play, without the freedom of the character's imaginations they wouldn't chase what they can't have and there would be no chance for them to stray from their ordinary lives. Viola would never have met the Duke or experienced anything like she did if she didn't disguise herself as a man.
-Danya
In Montegut's criticism of Twelfth Night, he asserts that Shakespeare's use of the carnivalesque establishes him as “a master of a species of composition which has many a time been denied to him, namely, comedy.” Through that assertion, Montegut shows how important the carnivalesque atmosphere is to the play not only as a single work, but to Shakespeare's collection as a whole. As a comedy, Twelfth Night shows a different side of Shakespeare's mind through his challenge of social norms and customs of the time. The near nonstop subversions of power, gender, and class that occur allow him to create an atmosphere that leaves the audience unable to ascertain the final outcome of the play until the last scene. The idea that a woman and a foreigner could so easily infiltrate the Duke's court, as a man, and then become one of his most trusted allies, was completely unfathomable. The entirety of the interactions between Malvolio, Toby, and Maria add to the atmosphere. From the moment Malvolio finds the letter from “Olivia” to their isolating him as a crazy person, this trio serves as comic relief that serves to break up the (barely) more serious subject matter. The Duke and Olivia further the commentary by representing those upper class and aristocratic people that Shakespeare was aiming his satire at. They are idealistic, air-headed, and clueless as to how the world actually works. Throughout the play, the various occurrences only convince the audience of how crazy the land of Illyria actually is. The only truly sane character is Feste, the fool, who is able to manipulate and guide other characters while remaining behind the scenes, in yet another of Shakespeare's role reversals in this play. Overall, I agree with Montegut's claim that the carnivalesque is very important in Twelfth Night because it establishes the play as work of fancy that can still provide valuable commentary; and is responsible for its continuing popularity as a true comedy as only Shakespeare could create.
Montegut makes the focus of his Twelfth Night criticism its carnivalesque, slightly grotesque and disturbing nature. According to Montegut, this aspect of the play perfectly aligns with its title, an allusion to a time when identity and rank are perverted and distorted; when real life truly is carnivalesque. By alluding to this holiday, according to Montegut, Shakespeare is able to create comedy out of the foolishness and absurdity of characters such as Toby, Andrew, and Malvolio, as well as situations like Viola’s misinterpreted gender. Montegut asserts that Shakespeare forces us all to question our sanity by creating a world where the impossible occurs (such as Olivia’s misinterpretation of Cesario/Viola’s gender), mad dreams come true, the gentry are fools and the fools are wise. By creating a carnivalesque setting where one would be hard-pressed to identify a trace of sanity, Montegut posits that Shakespeare ingeniously forces us to think of our own sanity, and in the process humbles his audience. I largely agree with Montegut’s assertion. The events of the play mimic human nature so nearly that it is hard not to overlay them on my own life. The impulsive power of love shown through the Duke’s courting of Olivia, through Olivia’s rash declaration of love for Cesario/Viola, and through Viola’s falling for the Duke play with an idea common in most human lives and in humanity’s fiction: a love triangle. The added complications of Viola’s disguise and the Duke and Olivia’s ignorance of her gender add a carnivalesque, fantastical component as Montegut noted, making the situation appear mad and insane. By doing so, Shakespeare does make the audience stop to think if this concept of a love triangle, which appears so frequently in humanity, is not somewhat insane; if the power love gives humans to make decisions without considering their heads is not mad. Montegut also noted the poetic beauty of some of this madness – it is not all grotesque. Once again, I agree. Shakespeare depicts this insane love not as a fault or weakness, but as an ultimate triumph, for the ending is happy and results in marriage. He implies that humanity is somewhat insane, but reassures us that such insanity is how we thrive.
-Phoebe Wooldridge
In Montegut's well-written criticism of Twelfth Night, the idea of Carnivaleque behavior is a focal point through which he seeks to explain the folly and purpose of the play. Monetgut's assertion that Shakespeare only masters the comedic genre after this play is drawn from the evidence that Twelfth Night mirrors the Carnvialesque event from which the play draws its title. This theme of leadership roles being subverted stems from the Tweflth Night festival where power is given to the lowliest and taken from those who would usually hold it. Monetegut's conclusion alludes to the idea of free will as connected to this comedic subversion and folly. All the characters (and all of humanity), are so mad and driven by their passions that the only force of sanity comes from "Nature alone who is our arbiter." I think that Montegut's interpretation hold up to scrutiny, especially in his conjecture that love inspires madness in all of the characters. Shakespeare's use of insanity through real events calls into question the sanity of all those who would be watching the play, and portrays love similarly to the god Eros, where love is meant to be attractive, but is also brutal and inescapable. The conclusion that Montegut alludes to, where Malvolio is punished for his madness and Viola is not would seem at first to violate the idea of a benevolent "Nature", but his punishment, however deserved or undeserved, serves to weaken the integrity of Olivia's sanity. Olivia's folly in interpreting Malvolio's affections and Cesario's true gender show that she is also mad. The importance of this Carnivalesque atmosphere allows those who wish to interpret Twelfth Night as more than just entertainment, to come to the same realization as Montegut. "We are all slaves of our defects, which are genuine chronic follies."
Montegut believes that the carnivalesque is important because it adds to Shakespeare's philosophy in the play. The philosophy is that we are all insane and controlled by our imaginations. The outlandish and eventful atmosphere of "Twelfth night" mimics that of a carnival. for exampled, the trick played upon Malvolio makes him look like the fool that he is, but Maria, in her plot against Malvolio gets scolded at the end of the play by her Lady, Olivia. I believe that Montegut is correct in claiming that everyone holds himself back. Toby is wealthy due to his relation to Olivia, yet he becomes like a servant in the play due to his drinking and foolish attitude. Viola, too, is her own enemy; she is the only person who prevents her from being with the Duke. If she did not wear her disguise, she could have been with the Duke from the beginning. None of the complications in the play would have happened if the characters themselves did not create them.
Ben Maxson
In Montegut’s criticism of Twelfth Night, he makes that claim that Shakespeare’s use of the Carnivaleque, and even the grotesque, further solidify the overall theme of the play: ambiguity, which is, as Montegut puts it “sovereign mistress.” Indeed, his claim stands to reason, due to the fact that the play itself examines themes of deception of identity, which is further exemplified upon a backdrop of carnival-like distortion. Further, Motegut states that the play “treats…the reality of nature and that of society, like a carnival farce.” I agree with this critics claims, for much of Shakespeare’s purpose revolves around the concept of questioning the reality of society. This is very much true for Sebastian’s character, who, in the end, must face reality, although it is less pleasant than a dream. Another facet of Montegut’s claim is that Twelfth Night is a layered play, and by that he means things are not always what they appear—much like a carnival. Thus, the audience is allowed to live within the fairy tale which Shakespeare has created for us. I agree with Montegut’s thesis: I believe that Shakespeare creates a genius paradox in the play; one in which we simultaneously question our reality, and escape into a world of fantasy. For example, while we are caught up in the farcical nature of the Fool, his character also deliverers a certain critique on Elizabethan England, specifically, the church. It is surly a great accomplishment for a playwright to create much a dichotomy within one piece of work, and I agree with Montegut that the carnival-like nature of the play helps the audience walk along the line which separates fantasy and reality without falling completely into either the ladder or the former. Lastly, Montegut makes a point regarding the characterization of the people in this play. Each adorned with their own type of madness, Shakespeare creates caricatures of different aspects of society (for example, Malvolio represents the protestant sect of the population.) These characters, with their individual madness, not only allow for social commentary, but they help the audience question the madness of within all of us, which makes the characters relatable, although they are in many ways farcical. As seen in Flannery O’Connor’s writing, use of the grotesque can certainly help further a social plea, or help the reader see the irony which exists in life.
Alaina Bainbridge
Montegut’s primary explanation for the importance of the carnivalesque atmosphere of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is the fact that this ambiguity and absurdity adds to the theme of the piece. He connects this play to modern society in that the message Shakespeare explores about individual faults and follies capture people into a trap of insanity. However, Montegut does not assume that all insanity is detrimental; in fact he claims that some are graceful and poetic, while others are trivial and grotesque. In essences, the festivities and carnivalesque themes presented in Twelfth Night, are simply representations of human nature in which everyone is trapped by their own defects. The plot and outcomes of character relationships are better emphasized through hyperbolizing the insanity of each role, as it forces the audience to consider how their own lives are driven by specific follies and perverted power. I agree to a certain extent with Montegut in that Shakespeare’s comedic reference on an “topsy-turvy” holiday aids in his ability to further a social commentary about human nature and culture, however I disagree that individuals are trapped by their defects. It is true that everyone has characteristics, which may make him or her perceived as “insane” at times (for example the protagonists in this play whose independences and strength is also tainted with her own insanity in disusing her gender), yet to suggest that this allows no room for growth a person or ability to overcome those less virtuous traits, is a cynical and misguided view of human nature in reality and in the play. For instance, Maria’s follies to not enslave her into a certain personality, as her character develops somewhat during her advocacy for Malvolio’s trickery to not be played out so far (as when it is suggested that they lock him up). Additionally, Olivia’s character exceeds the boundaries of her previous personality when she sheds her feminine delicacy (in mourning for her brother and not being assertive in controlling her household), which may be considered a defect to some. Although these instances are only minor revelations in character, they show that human nature is not always confided to the predisposed defects and follies Montegut assumes the carnivalesque theme emanates, instead free will and adaption of such insanity is possible as reflected in Twelfth Night as well as in real life.
Hannah Rice
Montegut believes that the carnivalesque nature of Twelfth Night is important to the play because it contributes to the play’s “ambiguity,” and underscores Shakespeare’s message that, to varying degrees, “we are all mad.” I think that Montegut is correct in identifying the carnivalesque as such an important element of the play for those reasons because, through the exaggerated role-play and improbable circumstances, Shakespeare is able to comment on the nature of “insanity” and “madness” as perceived by his audience. For example, the carnivalesque setting of the play allows for the frankly absurd relationships between Viola & Duke Orsino, and Sebastian & Olivia to exist. According to Montegut, “nature” eventually dubs these fanciful relationships acceptable (because they end successfully), while other relationships between Malvolio & Olivia, the Duke & Olivia, and Sebastian & Antonio are destined for failure – even though their premise is no more absurd than any other relationship. I agree with Montegut in that these discrepancies underscore Shakespeare’s argument that “we are all mad.” By use of the carnivalesque, Shakespeare’s message is thus revealed – forcing his audience to consider the role they play in perpetuating insanity outside of the realm of the theatre.
--Tanner Lockhead
Monteguts argues the carnivalesque theme within Twelfth Night helps provide for a wilder, interesting and more comical experience with characters real identities in society getting blurred and manipulated. These roles are morphed and changed though by characters own ridiculousness like Viola who falls in love with Orsino as Cesario only to end up seducing Orsinos love Olivia. This whole situation is a huge mess contrived from the characters own unbridled passions and imaginations that drive their actions, which are crazy. The characters absurdity also help the situations not seem so far fetched because they are being performed by these mad men. These scenarios are needed because underneath the ludicrousness there is this underlying juicy gem of drama. That passion that can only come out of these absurd situations where a girl is just pining over her boss dressed up as his lackey (Cesario for Orsino). I think Montegut is pointing out that the carnivalesque theme allows for these situations to not take away from the show but rather add to them by creating room for comical effect but also passion and drama and crazy chracters as well.
I agree with his assertions I think Twelfth Night does have a carnivalesque theme and there are a lot of kind of wow that’s totally unrealistic and nutty moments but they really add to the play and keep the reader hooked. The characters are also driven by their imagination and I agree with that too, because so many of the characters like Malvolio, Orsino. let themselves believe against the tides they have a shot with their dream girl. So yes I agree with Montegut.
-alex dubois (dub)
Montegut proposes that Shakespeare's use of the "carnivalesque" helps to create comedy and add drama to Twelfth Night because of the twisted identities and role reversal seen throughout the play. Montegut believes that his technique helps Shakespeare convey a message that we are all insane in some way or another. I agree with his assertion that Shakespeare uses the carnivalesque to comment on how mad we all are because he presents a play with ridiculous characters and crazy situations that somehow draw his audience in and keeps them interested. We are all anxious to know what will happen to Viola when she reveals herself to be a woman to the Duke and to Olivia, just as we are all interested to know how the love triangle dilemma will be solved. This crazy plot is interesting to us because Shakespeare makes us realize that this kind of madness is a part of our world through his use of a twisted plot, absurd characters, and switching of roles.
Rachel Barron
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