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eschoeps 's review for:
Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
I don't think I've ever had such a shifting love-hate relationship with a piece of art ever. I read this the first time and enjoyed it, but I felt it's commentary on gender and sexuality was trite, outdated for the 21st century, and played up for laughs.
The second time I read this, I thought it was brilliant and became more fixated on Malvolio, Orsino, Viola/Cesario, and Olivia. Especially Olivia and Orsino-- I constantly went back and forth on my opinions of them, but in a good way. I felt like I was unraveling a beautiful, ripe Shakespeare onion. The more you discuss it, the more it unravels and you realize the multiplicity of interpretations that grow from various lines of dialogue.
Then, I made my mistake. I decided to write my 10 page research paper for Shakespeare class on Twelfth Night . Careful study of Twelfth Night absolutely ruined it for me. Honestly, the characters seem almost schizophrenic in their inconsistency. I specifically focused on how the genre expectations of the early modern period interacted with gender in the play. Part of my conclusion was that the genre constraints turn an interesting, complex story into a trite, unrecognizable, awkwardly ended narrative. I'm still giving it five stars because I love Shakespeare. Also, I can't discount the other two times I enjoyed reading it (and watching multiple stage interpretations was baller).
The second time I read this, I thought it was brilliant and became more fixated on Malvolio, Orsino, Viola/Cesario, and Olivia. Especially Olivia and Orsino-- I constantly went back and forth on my opinions of them, but in a good way. I felt like I was unraveling a beautiful, ripe Shakespeare onion. The more you discuss it, the more it unravels and you realize the multiplicity of interpretations that grow from various lines of dialogue.
Then, I made my mistake. I decided to write my 10 page research paper for Shakespeare class on Twelfth Night . Careful study of Twelfth Night absolutely ruined it for me. Honestly, the characters seem almost schizophrenic in their inconsistency. I specifically focused on how the genre expectations of the early modern period interacted with gender in the play. Part of my conclusion was that the genre constraints turn an interesting, complex story into a trite, unrecognizable, awkwardly ended narrative. I'm still giving it five stars because I love Shakespeare. Also, I can't discount the other two times I enjoyed reading it (and watching multiple stage interpretations was baller).