Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Twelfth Night

I found Twelfth Night to be sinfully boring until I started thinking and writing on Shakespeare’s bear-baiting analogies and Orsino’s character. Some really remarkable work I found includes John Ford’s “Changeable taffeta: Re-dressing the bears in Twelfth Night,” and Andreas Höfele’s “The place of the human: Shakespeare’s stage and the bear garden.”

Watched BBC Shakespeare’s 1980 production and thought it was rather toothless. Not much interesting staging, though I did find Sinéad Cusack’s portrayal of Olivia to be lively. She imbued Olivia with a freshness I really liked.

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jwells's review against another edition

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funny

I read this because I read Jo Walton's Or What You Will. It probably would have been better to read Twelfth Night first. Ha!
I'm starting to recognize the themes common to Shakespeare's comedies: disguises, mistaken identities, humorous plots or pranks, frustrated lovers that get sorted out happily in the end. The clown steals the show; everyone else seems more foolish than the fool.
I have to agree with some of the other reviewers here that the "prank" against Malvolio goes far beyond a joke or anything he deserves, into the territory of outright cruelty. I have the impression that humor was crueler in previous centuries, and that this is one small way in which we have culturally evolved. A tiny bit.

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librarymouse's review against another edition

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adventurous funny

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is one of the better Shakespeare plays I've read. The last of his plays that I connected to was Measure for Measure; the humanity of which being what drew me in. I've found that I appreciate Shakespeare's writing more when the subjects are regular people, or not high-powered royalty. Viola/Ceasrio's gender experimentation is a very interesting narrative to follow. That, especially compounded by Orsino's willingness to court them while using the name Cesario and words like "boy" and male pronouns when they're in men's clothes has interesting implications to Orsino and by proxy, Shakespeare's views on sexuality and gender. Subtextual and implied queerness throughout the play give a rich quarry from which to source information for a variety of analyses.

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marthadude's review against another edition

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challenging funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Shakespeare’s gayest play. What’s not to love? (Other than a B plot that drags in places)

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sandy_21's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

It's definitely fruity

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