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The Twelfth Night

By 09:34:00 , ,

I made a mistake in one of my blog posts the other day I said; "Watching 'The Twelfth Night' by Shakespeare isn't really blog post worthy. Then My dad read the post. Now here I am trying to write a post about The Twelfth Night.

It was interesting and at times immensely funny. Some Shakespeare plays seem to me quite silly like Romeo and Juliet. But I have enjoyed a few of them like 'The Taming of the Shrew'. I think that how I first heard them has a lot to do with whether I like them or not. Shakespeare plays can be really confusing and if you have to sit there and analyze them no doubt they can be trying. But think, they weren't written to be analyzed they were plays! So will probably they will be most enjoyed as plays.

Though they were written a long time ago, the humor that comes from plays on words (which I really like) still works. To really enjoy Shakespeare you need to hear it. We watched the BBC performance of The Twelfth Night. At times they talked so fast what they were saying was hard to catch all of and of course it was all in Shakespearean. There was much that had the whole family laughing though, especially near the end. 

When I first read The Taming of the Shrew my mum and I were both finding it so confusing. So what we did was get some people made of cardboard and write a name for the person on them and any other people they were pretending to be, or who they were servants, daughters ect. of. In each scene we would bring 'onto stage' whoever was in that scene. Then Mummy and I would read out what people said. Doing things that way made everything so much less confusing and enjoyable. After we had finished that we also watched a reproduction of it too.

A funny part of The Twelfth Night that was near the beginning is this.

OLIVIA
Take the fool away.
Clown
Do you not hear, fellows? Take away the lady.
OLIVIA
Go to, you're a dry fool; I'll no more of you:
besides, you grow dishonest.
Clown
Two faults, madonna, that drink and good counsel
will amend: for give the dry fool drink, then is
the fool not dry: bid the dishonest man mend
himself; if he mend, he is no longer dishonest; if
he cannot, let the botcher mend him. Any thing
that's mended is but patched: virtue that
transgresses is but patched with sin; and sin that
amends is but patched with virtue. If that this
simple syllogism will serve, so; if it will not,
what remedy? As there is no true cuckold but
calamity, so beauty's a flower. The lady bade take
away the fool; therefore, I say again, take her away.
OLIVIA
Sir, I bade them take away you.
Clown
Misprision in the highest degree! Lady, cucullus non
facit monachum; that's as much to say as I wear not
motley in my brain. Good madonna, give me leave to
prove you a fool.
OLIVIA
Can you do it?
Clown
Dexterously, good madonna.
OLIVIA
Make your proof.
Clown
I must catechise you for it, madonna: good my mouse
of virtue, answer me.
OLIVIA
Well, sir, for want of other idleness, I'll bide your proof.
Clown
Good madonna, why mournest thou?
OLIVIA
Good fool, for my brother's death.
Clown
I think his soul is in hell, madonna.
OLIVIA
I know his soul is in heaven, fool.
Clown
The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen.

And now if you wish to know what else is funny about it then I bid you find a copy of it and watch and laugh. Well there you are Daddy a post on The Twelfth Night! And I didn't even spoil the story.

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6 comments

  1. I believe I've actually read Twelfth Night, and I found it really funny! :)

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  2. Hi Clare! :) We saw you had commented on our blog so we jumped over to check out yours. :) You have a beautiful blog and we just loved looking at all the photography! You are very talented.

    We noticed that you had said on your "about" section that you believe that everyone who is saved was predestined. We also believe that God predestined everyone who would be saved before the foundation of the world! It is so unusual to find someone who believes like that! :)
    So just curious, but what religion are y'all?

    It is so nice to "meet" you. :)
    In Christ,
    ~Hannah, Ruth, and Sarah Keller~

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    Replies
    1. Thanks and thanks and thanks. Yes I do believe we are predestined and have free will of choice, even if I don't understand exactly how that works. I am a Daughter of Lord Jesus, a Christian and I suppose I have in particular more Baptist beliefs, as the church (part of the world wide church) I have always gone to is a Baptist church.

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    2. Though I don't know what most Baptists believe about being predestined, but that is what I and my immediate family believe.

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    3. :) Yes, we would be sorta baptist too, although we would not believe we have free will. :)

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