A Review on Humour and Carnivalesque Thought in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" (eBook)

Essay from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 80.0, , course: Shakespeare, language: English, abstract: Shakespeare is undoubtedly one of the most memorable and meritorious names in English literature. Indeed, one of the underlying reasons for this is that Shakespeare can describe the human being with both good and bad aspects and also projects these on his plays ably. Therefore, it can be said that the success of Shakespeare stems from this. He is seen as a mirror which reflects people from all strata.

In addition to reflecting people’s imitations to his plays, it is possible to say that he also benefits from some concepts and notions in order to increase the effect and success of his plays. To give an example to these concepts and notions, in his comedies, ‘humour’ and ‘carnivalesque thought’ can be shown, but these are just two of the most important building blocks of a wall that build Shakespeare’s influence and success in his comedies. In this regard, "Twelfth Night", which is the only Shakespearean comedy with an alternative title called "What You Will", can be addressed because the playwright, whose name is frequently mentioned not only in English theatre but also in world theatre, adds meaning and depth to the play thanks to ‘humour’ and ‘carnivalesque thought’.

Also, it should be noted that the famous playwright brings a new breath to plays with such concepts and notions. In any case, this is his main goal. Therefore, in the same manner, it would not be wrong to say that Shakespeare has reinforced the foundations of this play in this way. Nevertheless, not only these concepts and notions, but the fact that Shakespeare, as in his other plays, animates real-life people no matter how they are also supports the previous sentence. So, just looking at the foundations or building blocks that make up this play separately is not enough to understand the depth and meaning of the play. At the same time, it is necessary to take their contribution to the play as a whole into account as well.

Accordingly, in this study, characteristics of ‘humour’ and ‘carnivalesque thought’ will be considered, and how Shakespeare has represented these in Twelfth Night will be analysed together with their contributions to the play.