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That instant was I turned into a hart,
And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,
E’er since pursue me
Twelfth Night, Act I Sc.1

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Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Act I Scene 1: Lines 1-41

Part 2: C.J.Jung (1875-1961), the Collective Unconscious and Twelfth Night

Part 3: The Biology of Attraction

Part 4: Olivia's reaction to Cesario - Act I Sc. 5: Lines 174-284

Part 5: The Gulling of Malvolio - Act II Sc.5 - The Biology of Smiling and Blushing (in prep.)

Introduction

Shakespeare’s comic play Twelfth Night or What You Will was probably written in 1601. The main title refers to the day when the play was first performed. The ‘twelfth night’ in Shakespeare’s day was 6 January, twelve days after Christmas and was similar to a period of carnival. That is, it was a time for carnal pleasures, celebration, frivolity, the reversal and mockery of social and sexual roles through disguise and mischief. The objective was to temporarily collapse society only to have it renewed afterwards. The play carries these themes and is designed to both amuse and confuse us.

The lesser title is What You Will, but it is not clear what this was supposed to mean. It may mean ‘whatever you like’, suggesting that the title of the play, Twelfth Night, is not important, and for that matter any title is superfluous. If it is connected to the themes of the play it could have suggested unexpectness, apparent craziness and confusion; that is, on the twelfth night you can be anything you like, or ‘what you will’, and anything can happen.

Part 1: Act I Scene 1: Lines 1-41

Here we see Count Orsino love sick for the disinterested Lady Olivia. Orsino is aware of her complete lack of interest. Nevertheless, he persists knowing full well that his passion is like an illness of his own making quite beyond his control.

Information exchange

Either

In groups of 4 read the lines 1-41 and answer the questions below. To make this task team work and to save time, divide the questions amongst you and work on them simultaneously. Once you have finished share your findings with the others in your group. Then present them to the class, comparing your interpretations with those inthe class who studied the same lines as you.

Or

The class could be divided into four groups. Each group is responsible for one of the four questions. Once each group has answered its question the answers should be shared seminar style.

1. Describe Orsino’s feelings about being in love. (Lines 1-8)
2. What does Orsino mean when he says:

…. so full of shapes is fancy
That it alone is high fantastical. (Lines 14-15)

3. Interpret the metaphor of the hart (female deer) and hounds in lines 19-24. *
4. Lines 37-41 reveal the way men viewed women in Shakespeare’s day. Check the commentary, this is difficult.

Part 2: C.J.Jung and the Collective Unconscious

*Engraving on page 1 by Virgil Solis (1514-1562) shows a scene from Greek classic poem Metaphoses by Ovid (43BC-18AD). Here the hunter Actaeon is transformed into a stag on seeing the goddess Diana naked. Source: http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/sep1999.html