About Twelfth Night Book
This is a romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare around 1601-1602 and is believed to be written as entertainment for the Christmas season. The first recorded performance of this show was on the 2nd of February, 1602, a date that matched the end of Christmas for the year.
In the hook, Viola and Sebastian are twins separated by a shipwreck. To be in the Palace, Viola becomes disguised as a man and falls in love with Duke Orsino. However, the Duke was madly in love with Countess Olivia. When the Countess eventually visits the palace, she falls in love with Cesario, who is just Viola dressed like a man.
The book has been labelled The Perfect Comedy because many thought it was the greatest play ever written. So many adaptations of this play have been made, either as films or books, but the original will always remain sacred.
Book Summary
Twelfth Night Acts 1 started when aristocratic Viola was unfortunately involved in a shipwreck on the Coast of Illyria. When she makes it to the shore, with the help of a captain, she assumes her brother, Sebastian, is dead. She learns of Countess Olivia and Duke Orsino. Still, because the Countess is mourning her brother’s death and not entertaining any guests, she dresses up as a man and enters Duke Orsino’s household.
Gradually, Viola-Cesairo quickly becomes the Duke’s favorite. However, Viola-Cesario falls in love with the Duke, who, unfortunately, is pining away for Countess Olivia, whom he strongly believes he is in love with.
The Duke sends Viola-Cesario as an intermediary to Countess Olivia, who falls in love with a whom she thinks is a man, leading to a miserable love triangle.
Meanwhile, Sebastian arrives in Illyria with his friend, Antonio. A series of events and comedy played out until, eventually, the siblings reunited. Sebastian married Countess Olivia, while Duke Orsino married Viola..
Twelfth Night Quotes
Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy with many funny and exciting moments. Writing a Twelfth Night essay will be easy because there’s a lot of information to draw from. However, here are some great quotes you could use as a hook when writing the essay:
Viola: “O time, thou must untangle this, not I. It is too hard a knot for me t’untie.”
Viola: “She sat like patience on a monument, Smiling at grief.”
Malvolio: “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.
Olivia: “Love sought is good, but given unsought better.”
Antonio. “nature, there’s no blemish but the mind. None can be called deformed but the unkind.”
Orsino: “If music is the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it, surfeiting. The appetite may sicken and so die.”
Essay Structure on Twelfth Night
Twelfth night essays have always been given to students as assignments in colleges and high schools for students to attempt to analyze the ideas behind this Shakespearean literature. As a student, it is unavoidable, so you must learn how to structure your words and ideas to get the perfect essay. To construct a Twelfth Night essay, these are necessary:
Introduction
The introduction to your Twelfth Night essay must be critical and compelling. Remember that this is a major chance you have to grab your reader’s attention while explaining the importance of the topic. Here are some essential inclusions for your intro:
- The Hook: This is your opening line for your Twelfth Night essay, so you must make it very engaging so it will grab the reader’s attention and prompt them to read through. A powerful hook could either be quotes or questions. We have some exciting quotes in the section above, and you can also check the internet for twelfth night act 1 discussion questions that you can use.
- After writing the hook, it’s time to explain the topic and why you chose it. You must extensively discuss all these with the readers, so they can relate better as they read.
- Lastly, your introduction should end with a thesis statement. This is a one-sentence summary of every idea in the Twelfth Night essay.
Body
This is where you do research and provide value. This is why you must read the book to effectively use the characters’ voices and relate their choices and decisions to the readers. Every claim you make here must be backed with facts and evidence.
Conclusion
An average student treats an essay conclusion as an afterthought. They go hard in the introduction, double their effort in the body paragraphs, and then relax in the conclusion. It should not be so. The conclusion is just as important as the intro because it is the height of the action.
If you write the conclusion well, you can finally convince the reader, especially when you include a moral lesson they can mull over hours after reading.
6 Tips to Consider While Writing An essay about Twelfth night
Writing the essay would not be as easy as romantic and exciting as Twelfth Night is. It requires time, effort, concentration, and loads of research. You must browse through many twelfth night spark notes act 1 essay questions before you start, as this would help you write better. With that said, here are a few tips to assist in your Twelfth Night essay assignment:
Get Familiar with the Characters
If you want to write about them, you must know them. You can only know them if you read the book. Twelfth Night is an interesting read about romance, love and has sprinkles of comedic relief. You will not have a dull moment reading this book. From the Twelfth Night act 1 to act 5, you will understand the characters and be better positioned to portray them effectively in your essay.
Choose a Catchy Topic
Your goal in writing Twelfth Night essays is to catch the readers’ attention and pass your message. You can start this from the topic. If your topic is interesting, the reader will be curious even before reading the first sentence. To choose a good topic, wait till you finish writing your Twelfth night essay and thesis statement, think about the story themes, then pool these ideas together and choose. You can also surf the internet to check other interesting titles.
Follow the Right Format
Creating an outline or format helps to keep you in check. When writing, it is easy to lose track, and you might find yourself pouring ideas onto the page without any clear highlights of what you want. Write in as many perspectives as possible, and jot down as many ideas as possible. When you finally outline your work, you will have enough study materials.
Write your Thesis
Throughout the book, we see how Viola, disguised as Cesario, falls in love with the Duke but cannot confess her love because she acts as a male worker. Countess Olivia fell in love with Cesario, not knowing she was a female. You can coin the perfect thesis from the twists and turns in this book.
Include a Moral Lesson
The biggest lesson in Twelfth night is about love. Another lesson is how you cannot completely hide from the world, no matter how well you think you are doing it. One day the truth will show, and your identity will be revealed.
Conclusion: Proofread your Work
Nothing kills a nice essay faster and better than spelling or grammatical errors. You must read your work as often as possible before submitting it.
Now that you know how to write your Twelfth Night essay, it is time to start. For it to be outstanding, you will need to invest time and effort to ensure it is properly written. If you can not do the required work, send us a message, and we will do the work for you.
FAQs
What is Twelfth Night about?
It is about Viola, who was shipwrecked and separated from her twin brother. She disguised herself as a male to work with the Duke, falling in love along the way. The Duke was in love with a Countess, who chose Viola instead. In the end, her brother was found, and he married the Countess, while Viola married the Duke.
What the heck is a Twelfth Night?
It is a Christian festival done on the last Night of the twelve days of Christmas. It is also called Epiphany Eve because it marks the beginning of the Epiphany. The real date depends on whether the counting begins on the 25th of December or the 26th.
Why is Twelfth Night important?
It is important because it shows the meaning of love. Love is not always rosy; sometimes, it comes with pain, especially when it’s unrequited. It is also significant because the title marks the end of the Christmas festivities and celebrates the arrival of the Magi to see the Christ Child.
What was Twelfth Night based on?
It draws on the story of Apolonius and Silla, a short story by Barnabe Riche, his Farewell to Military Profession. It also incorporates some themes from the Christian Holiday of Epiphany Eve.
