Customer Reviews

Twelfth Night (Folger Shakespeare Library)

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Folger Shakespeare edition of this play gives it a leg up on other versions as far as homeschooling goes. First, the text of the play appears on the right-hand pages, leaving the left-hand pages for glosses, text notes, and illustrations that clarify numerous allusions in the play. Second, sections in the introductory material explain Shakespeare's language, life, and theater, as well as the print history of the play. In the closing material, the editors have included textual notes, an essay entitled "*Twelfth Night*: A Modern Perspective" by Catherine Belsey, an annotated list for further reading, and a key to famous lines in the play. Most useful for homeschooling, perhaps, are the lesson plans available at the Folger web site in either PDF or print version. This play served as the basis of the popular movie *She's the Man*, which can be viewed as a follow-up for comparison and discussion.

This play is about a girl who goes under cover as a man to try to find her twin brother who was lost in a shipwreck. she goes to work for the self indulgent Duke Orsino. the play is filled with comedic events such as the Duchess Olivia falls love with the main character, Viola, because Olivia thinks Viola is a man, as well as the drunken antics of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. overall it was a very funny play and I enjoyed reading it and I would reccoment it to anyone who likes Shakespeare.

The wording, the same as with any shakespeare play, was a little hard to get used to. When reading it I would get a vague understanding what the character was saying but then I would chekc the definition of specific words that are on the the opposite page. It would then become clear to me what was happening in the play. I enjoyed the comedic flow of the story. the series of different converging plots made for a little difficult comprehension but it all came together at the end of the play. This was definitely a funny play, and it was even better when I saw it on stage. There seems to be so much one misses when just reading a play, but when one sees it on stage the overall understanding of what is happening and why is greater. I thouroughly enjoyed reading the play as well as seeing it on stage and it was overall a solid comedy by William Shakespeare.

The information about the contents of this particular book is false. It promises summaries etc. none of which is included. All you get is the play.

Seriously, just spend the $3 and get THE COMPLETE PLAYS OF SHAKESPEARE (Special Kindle Illustrated and Commented Edition) All of William Shakespeare's Unabridged Plays AND Yale Critical Analysis ... (The Complete Works of Shakespeare). I have tried downloading these free versions of Shakespeare over and over and 75%-80% come up as blank documents.

Waste of $0.99. None of the Folger Library's excellent annotations are included.

DO NOT BUY THIS COPY

This content can be obtained for free in a variety of places.

This book was a required book for my daughter entering high school. She has not read it yet, but it arrived promptly.

Good timing on this book My daughter needed it right awat for school thank you

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's finest plays and has a plot that is amusing and serious all at the same time. Take a woman disguised as an eunuch, a court jester who is anything but funny, a poetic king and family members looking to find each other and you have Twelfth Night. I highly recommend this novel.

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's best loved and most accessible comedies. A brisk, comic farce, it hinges around two plots running concurrently - aristocrats mistake their lovers' gender, and a pompous steward is sent up by some clowns.

Watching this play recently (in London, with the sublime Derek Jacobi in the role of Malvolio the Steward), I was struck by how much this play can be seen as a satire on the aristocracy - both the Duke Orsino and the wealthy bereaved Olivia are moronic in their gulliability - they mistake Viola and Sebastian, twins separated by shipwreck, cannot tell their gender, fall for them anyway, and when their true identities are revealed don't seem to care much, so long as their lovers are of 'noble' blood.

Timeless comedy from the Bard.

And frequently all the same person. A cross-dressing young lady yclept Viola carries Duke Orsino's messages of undying love to Olivia. Olivia hurls harsh word at the Duke as her reply, and in the end gets her desire. Olivia's head servant, Malvolio isn't as smart as he thinks he is, but Feste, the fool, is smarter than anyone thinks he is. And Cesario isn't the man that Olivia and the Duke think he is (but it turns out that Cesario has a crush on the Duke...)

I can see why this one is considered one of Shakespeare's best. It's got confused identities, room for slapstick, bawdy word play, swordplay, a girl disguised as a boy (but originally played by a boy; I bet he didn't know whether to sit or stand after rehearsal), and all those traits of Shakespeare's best.

I loved it.

E.M. Van Court