In Shakespeare's plays, the character of Feste is a recurring figure who serves as a fool or jester. In Elizabethan England, the role of the fool was to entertain and amuse, but also to offer wisdom and insight through their observations and commentary.
In the play "Twelfth Night," Feste is a wise-cracking, musical jester who serves the household of Duke Orsino. He is a clever and quick-witted character, able to turn a phrase and make a joke out of almost any situation. But beyond his humor and wit, Feste also serves as a voice of reason and sanity in a world filled with foolish and misguided characters. He often comments on the absurdities and follies of the other characters, and serves as a foil to their excesses and excesses.
Feste's role as a fool also allows him to speak truth to power and to challenge the authority of the other characters. In "Twelfth Night," he defies the commands of the Duke and speaks out against his unrequited love for Olivia. He also calls out the hypocrisy and vanity of the wealthy and aristocratic characters, such as Olivia and Sir Toby Belch.
In addition to his wit and wisdom, Feste is also a deeply melancholic character. He laments the loss of his former master, Sir Toby, and sings sad songs about the fleeting nature of life and love. Through his sorrow, Feste serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of finding joy and purpose in the present moment.
Overall, Feste is a complex and multifaceted character who serves a number of important roles in Shakespeare's plays. He is a source of entertainment and laughter, but also serves as a voice of reason and a foil to the excesses and follies of the other characters. Through his wit, wisdom, and melancholic nature, Feste adds depth and richness to Shakespeare's works and serves as a enduring and memorable character in the canon of English literature.
New Mexico Shakespeare Festival, Albuquerque, New Mexico
We believe a great city produces great theatre, and that there is no better venue for that than the beautiful Veterans Memorial Park where we perform the plays of William Shakespeare as acted by our company of professionals. He also moonlights, going to the houses of other wealthy people to perform for them. Through these words, the audience gets a glimpse into the mind of Feste. It also shows he must at least be extremely discerning, to deduce such a thing from simply observing the meetings between Orsino and Viola and Olivia and Viola. Feste acts as the voice of reason in a play filled with cross-dressing, disguises, confusion, trickery, and chaos. Overall, social status played a key role in the development of the characters, while some tried to increase their ranking in society others took advantage of theirs. His character is used in Feste somewhat becomes the narrator of the play by commenting on actions that occur within the play and foreshadowing events.
He deliberately presents himself to others as a mere fool, and despite the fact he is obviously much more than that, he is so proficient at this ruse that the only character to see through it is Viola, 'This fellow is wise enough to play the fool, And to do that well, craves a kind of wit. He is also a loyal friend to both Viola and Duke Orsino, and he helps them to see the truth about themselves and each other. Feste is one of the few characters in the play who is able to see through the disguises and deception that others use, and he frequently points out the folly of their actions. In contrast to Kempe, Armin was a much more muted comic presence, at once playful and philosophical, and possessed of a fine singing voice. This may also be because of Elizabethan attitudes towards allowed fools, who had gained popularity due to their presence in many royal courts.
Consideration Of The Role Of Feste In Twelfth Night Character Analysis Essay Example
Even though Feste is called a fool in name, he becomes the only character to not be foolish in nature. Pain In Shakespeare's Play 'Twelfth Night' 748 Words 3 Pages Twelfth Night coursework- Draft 1 Question: '' Plato argued that comedy blends pain with pleasure. He is a jester, employed by Olivia, a wealthy lady of Illyria. This play ridicules and criticizes the French aristocratic rule while revealing the foibles of man. . King Lear Fool The fruition of Shakespeare's tinkering with the archetype is realized in the Fool of King Lear. When Malvolio is freed, however, Feste does make certain to remind him of the scorn he has poured on his underlings.
A Short Analysis of Feste’s Song from Twelfth Night: ‘The rain it raineth every day’
The clown sings no fewer than seven songs throughout the play, and although the other characters see them as nothing more than a convenient source of entertainment, many have an underlying foresight far beyond the grasp of a mere jester. . Feste appears for the first time onstage as mysterious; he has been absent from Olivia's household but refuses to say where he's been. Kempe would entertain audiences in such roles as Falstaff, Bottom, and Dogberry. During the Elizabethan Era people were starting to gain hope that they could maybe change their social class, just as Malvolio and Feste. Secondary English Who is he? Though he joins in the plot against Malvolio, it is clear that his first loyalty is to Olivia: he runs to find her when Sir Toby and Sir Andrew set upon Cesario, and refuses to let Fabian read the letter the steward sends Olivia from his prison, apparently thinking the prank has gone long enough.
Feste, Twelfth Night: An Overview Of Feste Characters
Follow her on Twitter at. He and many other characters combine their uncommon actions and wit to provoke other characters that has largely withdrawn into their own form of foolery. In truth, he serves as a kind of observer—and frequent critic—of those around him. He is also a wise character who often comments on the foolishness of the other characters' actions. These characters may seem similar to one another in a lot of ways, but their outcomes at the end of the play are often very different. He is able to see the absurdity of the situation and provide comic relief. His life will not change.
Finally, he is a symbol of hope. Here he hints that a bad marriage may take place and that death is better than to be unhappy in life. Helen Mears is an English teacher who sits on the education committee of the British Shakespeare Association. The archetypal clown is a character who is laughed at for a lack of wits and a facile ineptitude with language. Throughout the play, Feste makes fun of numerous different characters for emotions that are exaggerated and insincere. In the play, there is no exploration of the ambiguities of life, everything is divided into black and white.
Feste reveals one of his flaws through his disguise when he does not know where is a safe place to stop teasing Malvolio and juggling words. His role as a fool allows him to say to her what other characters cannot, because he exists outside of social boundaries. Let us know if you would like to be a part of a creative and dynamic arts activity in our city - email. With his dramatic role in the play, and his conventional fool role, where he looks in at the action, he is both inside and outside the play, which makes him a marked innovation in drama, anticipating the postmodern plays of the 20th century. Shakespeare portrays Feste as a well-drawn, wise, cunning, adaptable character. Tartuffe being the main character in the entirety of this excerpt, he is a man that is valued and favored by many.
Photo by Steve DiBartolomeo. Feste appears to truly believe that Sebastian is Cesario, to the extent that he becomes frustrated and resorts to sarcasm as a defence,' your name is not Master Cesario; nor this is not my nose either. Feste: I think his soul is in hell, madonna. Perhaps it was a falling out; critics have pointed to Hamlet's speeches to the players particularly "Let those that play your clowns" and "Speak the speech, I pray you" as veiled rebukes of Kempe. As a licensed fool, Feste plays an integral role within the plot of the play.
Feste, The Decisive Fool Of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Essay
He is by far the wisest. The song goes through the life cycle from a "little tiny boy" and reverts all the way back around again to when the "world begun". This fool is also among the most confounding of Shakespeare's characters. Shakespeare Fun Fact Shakespeare used the word "fool" approximately 423 times in the lines of his plays, while "clown" is used 19 times. Some are used only once or twice; others are used for nearly the duration of the play.
How Does Shakespeare Present The Role Of Feste In Twelfth Night? Character Analysis Essay Example
And anon, sir, I'll be with you again, In a trice, Like to the old Vice, Your need to sustain. In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare presents love as the great social equalizer. In a novel peppered with subtle notions of deceit and illusion, it is fascinating how some of the most revealing truths about the characters actually lie beneath the innocent banters. My part of death, no one so true O, did share it. Alas, why is she so? Twelfth Night Feste Feste is also described as a clown and servant to Olivia.
