Shakespeare's Fools?

As suggested by my English professor I am posting my second essay from her class. Thanks Professor Lay!

Shakespeare’s Fools?


Shakespeare’s Sonnet XV could have been said by the fool Feste, who is witty and seems to have a funny insight to all of the characters in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night. Feste is a representative of the theme of the play and adds the comedy and humor to help understand the dynamics of Shakespeare’s characters. Shakespeare wants the reader to seem that the characters are pure and have virtue, but during the story the other side of the characters comes forward. Feste is a fool but has extraordinary cleverness and intellect and he conveys that situations are not what there are portrayed to be. One of Shakespeare’s themes throughout the play is a tangling of pure, fair, honest characters with their alter egos, tainted, vulgar and dirty. Feste himself a jester but yet talented and knowledgeable, actually does not come across a fool or jester, whereas Sir Andrew who is a noble and should act gallant turns out to be the foolish one. Shakespeare tricks the reader into thinking one way about a character, but actually sneaks up and grabs the reader into the opposite direction. Feste also splits himself between Olivia’s and Orsino houses so it is interesting to see him play both sides and use the knowledge while in the other’s house. Feste the fool himself is pure but circumstances cause him to be sarcastic playing both sides and cunning among the characters. Feste has a good heart and means well but playing the role of the fool becomes an actor with a mission and it is by this role that he makes his living.

The Sonnet XV begins “When I consider everything that grows…” (Shakespeare, Sonnet XV), because this speaker attempts to address all creation, he is much like Feste in The Twelfth Night. Feste is an overseer in the play and crosses paths with all the characters thus giving him special insight and in turn helps him to consider all that surrounds him: “That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows; whereon the stars in secret influence comment” (Sonnet XV) meaning that the huge stage that in front of you, this earth, will show the stars through their hidden power and thus show their illusions. Feste again watches all the scenes and the characters that show their true colors through their veils. The speaker of Sonnet XV reacts to this sort of disguise, commenting: “Sets you most rich in youth before my sight” (Sonnet XV) Feste sees the characters in their youth and at their peak in time: Likewise “As he takes from you, I engraft you new” (Sonnet XV) as the time takes it all away, Feste will make it new again, by song and humor. Feste, the fool, can give all the advice he wishes to and get away with it, whereas other characters would not be given the freedom and flexibility to convey it in such a way. In Twelfth Night Viola realizes how astute Feste is: “This fellow’s wise enough to play the fool” (III.i.61). Her recognition suggests he is not as pure as she thought.

In Twelfth Night Shakespeare threads the strand of purity and fairness in the characters but when push comes to shove they begin to stretch their wings and the true colors of their feathers come out. Viola from the first few lines of the play seems to be a pure innocent lady that is now lost and helpless, but immediately she comes up with a plan to conceal herself as a woman and go to Orsino as a man and ask her hero to keep it a secret “Conceal me what I am, and be my aid for such disguise as haply shall become the form of my intent.” (I.ii.56). In my visual media project I used the photo of the sink facet with clear, pure water pouring forth from it and in the next slide used a photo of a pipe coming out of the earth and flowing from it, dirty, nasty tainted water. This shows that what appeared to be pure at one end was transformed into just the opposite on the other side or end when situations and reasons are added.

Similarly, Olivia mourns the loss of her brother and vows to see no one but ends up quickly falling in love completely going opposite of what the audience was just meant to believe was her will. Olivia reveals: “Methinks I feel this youth’s perfections with an invisible and subtle stealth to creep in at mine eyes. Well, let it be.-“(I.v.302-305). Olivia is thinking that she is falling in love with Cesario and makes up a story that Orsino leaves behind a ring only to use as a pawn to bring Cesario back to her house. She has Malvolio go and bring it back to Cesario: “Run after that same peevish messenger…” (I.v.307). This act misleads Malvolio into thinking she doesn’t think much of Cesario, but the readers know that Olivia is concealing her lust for Cesario. A photo of a fair maiden most likely virtuous and then transitioned into a photo of a sexy Snow White wearing a leather garter was used during my Visual project to help depict this transformation. How quickly Olivia goes from a mourning fair lady to vixen looking for love in all the wrong places.

Aside from Olivia, Malvolio is character that Shakespeare uses as the character you love to hate. Malvolio is full of his own love and thinks himself above everyone and treats everyone with contempt. After the trick is played on him and he is led to believe that Olivia loves him secretly and is forced to be treated as if he is insane Malvolio transforms into a guiltless character and you feel sorry for him. In my visual project again using a photograph I choose a single white rose in its fair form. I chose a rose not only for its purity, and beauty but also because of its thorns. I had the photo transpose into a floral arrangement set upon a coffin to depict the fact that so quickly can a rose in its own beauty along with thorns can then be displayed with other flowers and be used for something so poignant and humbled, Olivia reveals to Malvolio “Oh, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio, and taste with a distempered appetite…Nor no railing in a known discreet man, though the do nothing but reprove.” (I.v.87-88). Shakespeare uses Malvolio as the hated character only to have him turn him inside out and in the end show his humbleness and weakness. Malvolio perceives himself to be a puritan, pure, one to be admired and looked up to above his contemporaries, he is perceived by the reader to be snobbish, obnoxious and haughty. After the deceitful trick played upon him by Maria, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste, the reader then feels sorry and gives pity to Malvolio as well as a change of heart and empathy as he falls victim to his own perception and gets a taste of his own medicine.

Shakespeare throughout the Twelfth Night quickly transforms what you think the characters are all about into the opposite by the end of the play. Shakespeare uses what the readers believe would be pure and fair to show that even the purest and fairest has a dark side and it will come out when it presents itself. Human nature tends to want to see the good in everything first and thus Shakespeare uses our natural instincts to the fullest. Feste the fool throughout the play sees the characters both sides and loves to poke fun at them and use his insight against them even when they don’t get it. Olivia’s quick infatuation from her state of mourning and Viola’s fair innocence quickly using a disguise to manipulate as well as Malvolio’s snobby attitude and then into a begging humble person are all examples of Shakespeare’s method into what human nature wants to see, but yet what we really enjoy seeing deep down inside. Using visual photos to portrait these thematic schemes and music using violins and soft and low notes is what I wanted to convey of what our perception of what we believe we see but what is really happening in the background.



Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. "Twelfth Night." Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, n.d.

Shakespeare, William. "XV Sonnet." n.d.