Introduction
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, first performed around 1601-1602, is a comedy that explores themes of love, identity, and deception within a framework of festive chaos. The title Twelfth Night, or What You Will holds particular significance, drawing from the Christian holiday of Twelfth Night, which marks the eve of Epiphany on 5 January. This essay discusses the importance of the title in relation to the play’s historical context, thematic elements, and narrative structure. By examining how the title reflects the carnivalesque atmosphere of the holiday, its connections to disguise and role reversal, and the implications of the subtitle, the analysis reveals the title’s role in encapsulating the play’s essence. Drawing on scholarly interpretations, this discussion highlights Shakespeare’s use of the title to underscore the transient nature of human desires and social norms, ultimately arguing that it serves as a lens through which the play’s comedic and philosophical depths are viewed. The essay will proceed by outlining the historical context, exploring thematic linkages, analysing the subtitle, and considering broader implications in the conclusion.
Historical Context of the Twelfth Night Festival
The title Twelfth Night directly references the Elizabethan celebration of the twelfth night after Christmas, a period associated with merriment, feasting, and social inversion. In early modern England, this holiday was part of the Yuletide season, culminating in Epiphany, and often involved masquerades, games, and the temporary suspension of hierarchical norms (Laroque, 1991). During these festivities, servants might impersonate masters, and gender roles could be playfully subverted, creating a space for licensed misrule. Shakespeare, writing for a courtly audience familiar with such traditions, likely drew inspiration from these customs to inform the play’s setting and tone.
This historical backdrop is crucial to understanding the title’s significance, as it mirrors the play’s Illyrian world, where order is disrupted by shipwrecks, disguises, and romantic entanglements. For instance, the character of Viola, who disguises herself as Cesario, embodies the festive inversion of gender and status, much like the cross-dressing common in Twelfth Night revels. Scholars such as François Laroque argue that the play’s timing—potentially first performed on Twelfth Night itself—enhances this connection, positioning the title as a nod to the audience’s expectations of comedy and chaos (Laroque, 1991). However, the title also carries a layer of irony; while the holiday promises joy, the play delves into melancholy undertones, such as Orsino’s lovesickness and Malvolio’s humiliation, suggesting that festive excess can lead to disillusionment.
Furthermore, the title evokes the Elizabethan calendar’s blend of pagan and Christian elements, where Twelfth Night served as a bridge between the sacred and the profane. This duality is evident in the play’s structure, which begins with disruption (the shipwreck) and ends in partial resolution, much like the holiday’s transition from revelry to the sobriety of Epiphany. As Bloom notes, Shakespeare’s comedies often use such seasonal motifs to explore human folly, and here the title signifies a momentary escape from reality, only to reaffirm social order (Bloom, 1998). Thus, the historical context underscores the title’s role in framing the play as a festive satire, inviting viewers to reflect on the boundaries between illusion and truth.
Thematic Connections: Disguise, Identity, and Chaos
Central to the significance of Twelfth Night is how the title encapsulates the play’s core themes of disguise and mistaken identity, which parallel the holiday’s emphasis on deception and role-playing. The Twelfth Night festival was renowned for its masks and costumes, allowing participants to assume false identities temporarily. In the play, this is vividly illustrated through Viola’s cross-dressing as Cesario, which triggers a chain of romantic confusions involving Orsino, Olivia, and Sebastian. The title, therefore, signals to the audience that the ensuing chaos is not mere farce but a deliberate invocation of festive license, where identities are fluid and desires unchecked (Garber, 2004).
Arguably, the title’s significance lies in its ability to highlight the play’s exploration of self-deception and the mutability of human nature. Characters like Malvolio, who misinterprets Olivia’s affections due to his own ambitions, embody the holiday’s theme of social climbing through disguise—yet his downfall serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of overreaching during such times. Garber interprets this as Shakespeare’s commentary on the ‘dream-like’ quality of identity, where the title evokes a night of revelations, akin to Epiphany’s religious meaning of divine manifestation (Garber, 2004). Indeed, the play’s numerous revelations in Act V, such as the twins’ reunion, mimic the epiphanic clarity following festive disorder.
Moreover, the title underscores the theme of love as a form of madness, aligning with the carnivalesque inversion where rational behaviour is suspended. Orsino’s opening lines about music as the ‘food of love’ set a tone of excess, reflective of Twelfth Night feasting, while Feste the clown’s songs remind us of the holiday’s musical traditions. This thematic linkage suggests that the title is not arbitrary but integral to interpreting the play’s balance of joy and sorrow. However, limitations in this interpretation arise when considering that not all productions emphasise the festive element; some modern adaptations downplay it, indicating the title’s adaptability across contexts (Warren and Wells, 1994). Overall, these connections demonstrate how the title enriches the play’s thematic depth, encouraging a critical view of identity as performative and transient.
The Role of the Subtitle “Or What You Will”
The subtitle Or What You Will adds another dimension to the title’s significance, introducing an element of whimsy and subjectivity that complements the main title’s festive reference. This phrase, unique among Shakespeare’s works, implies a casual indifference or invitation to the audience to interpret the play as they see fit, much like the arbitrary naming of the holiday itself. It reflects the play’s themes of desire and volition, where characters pursue ‘what they will’ in love, often leading to comedic errors (Ford, 2002).
In a broader sense, the subtitle signifies the play’s meta-theatrical quality, acknowledging the constructed nature of theatre. Shakespeare may have intended it as a playful challenge to rigid interpretations, aligning with the Twelfth Night spirit of ‘what you will’ in terms of revelry and improvisation. For example, the subplot involving Sir Toby Belch and his drunken antics embodies this laissez-faire attitude, where social norms are bent to personal whims. Ford argues that this Subtitle enhances the title’s irony, as the characters’ wills often clash, resulting in chaos rather than fulfilment (Ford, 2002). Furthermore, it invites philosophical reflection on free will versus fate, particularly in the context of the shipwreck that propels the plot—suggesting that while one may desire ‘what you will,’ external forces intervene.
Critically, the subtitle also points to the play’s gender and queer undertones, where desires are fluid and not bound by convention. Viola’s disguise allows homoerotic tensions, such as Olivia’s attraction to Cesario, which the subtitle playfully dismisses as ‘what you will.’ This layer adds to the title’s overall significance, making it a multifaceted tool for exploring human complexity. However, some scholars note that the subtitle’s vagueness can dilute the festive specificity of Twelfth Night, potentially leading to overgeneralised readings (Bloom, 1998). Nonetheless, it reinforces the title’s role in framing the play as an open-ended comedy of errors.
Conclusion
In summary, the title Twelfth Night, or What You Will is profoundly significant, weaving together historical festivity, thematic depth, and narrative whimsy to encapsulate Shakespeare’s comedic vision. By invoking the holiday’s traditions of inversion and revelation, the title illuminates the play’s exploration of disguise, identity, and desire, while the subtitle adds a layer of interpretive freedom. This analysis, supported by scholarly sources, demonstrates how the title not only sets the scene but also invites critical reflection on the transient nature of human experiences. Implications extend to modern interpretations, where the title’s festive essence continues to resonate in adaptations addressing contemporary issues of gender and illusion. Ultimately, the title stands as a testament to Shakespeare’s ingenuity, blending mirth with melancholy in a way that endures across centuries. Understanding its significance enriches appreciation of the play, highlighting the interplay between structure and meaning in literature.
References
- Bloom, H. (1998) Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. Riverhead Books.
- Ford, J. (2002) Twelfth Night: A Guide to the Play. Greenwood Press.
- Garber, M. (2004) Shakespeare After All. Pantheon Books.
- Laroque, F. (1991) Shakespeare’s Festive World: Elizabethan Seasonal Entertainment and the Professional Stage. Cambridge University Press.
- Warren, R. and Wells, S. (eds.) (1994) Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Oxford University Press.
