Topic - William Shakespeare (As You Like It) [#Q7/L/WS/290625]
1. In Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night', how does the use of cross-dressing by Viola serve as both a comic and thematic device to question Elizabethan gender identity norms?
2. How does the subplot involving Maria, Sir Toby, and the prank on Malvolio satirize social ambition and the performative nature of class behavior in Illyrian society?
3. What is the deeper significance of Feste’s songs in 'Twelfth Night', especially the closing song, in shaping the play’s reflection on time, age, and the boundaries of festivity?
4. Considering the multiple mistaken identities and twin confusion in the play, how does 'Twelfth Night' explore the instability of personal identity and the performative nature of selfhood?
5. Which element of the Orsino-Viola-Olivia triangle best reflects Shakespeare’s critique of courtly love traditions and their emotional superficiality?
6. What literary technique is used in the line 'Make me a willow cabin at your gate' and how does it redefine Viola’s role in romantic pursuit?
7. Why is Antonio’s affection toward Sebastian considered thematically significant in interpreting hidden homoerotic undertones within a festive comedy structure?
8. How does Shakespeare use dramatic irony through Viola’s disguise to engage the audience in moral and emotional dilemmas concerning truth and loyalty?
9. What role does the setting of Illyria play in allowing social inversion, mistaken roles, and free expression in contrast to structured Elizabethan society?
10. In the context of Twelfth Night’s themes, what is the symbolic implication of Viola and Sebastian being identical twins, especially in a play driven by visual misrecognition?
11. How does the character of Feste transcend the traditional role of a fool and function as a commentator on human folly, wisdom, and the ephemeral nature of joy?
12. How is Olivia’s mourning portrayed as a narrative device that juxtaposes grief with impulsive love, highlighting emotional inconsistency in human behavior?
13. What is the dramatic significance of Malvolio’s final vow for revenge and his unresolved exit in an otherwise festive comic resolution?
14. In what way does Sir Andrew Aguecheek function as a comic foil to characters like Viola and Orsino, exposing the shallowness of aristocratic pretensions?
15. What does the motif of letters (like the forged one to Malvolio) suggest about language, manipulation, and self-deception in the play?
16. How is gender fluidity reinforced by Orsino’s attraction to Cesario (Viola in disguise), especially before her identity is revealed?
17. How does Viola’s loyalty and moral clarity elevate her beyond comic disguise to a model of virtue and resilience in a world of confusion?
18. What symbolic role does the sea play in the opening of the play and its influence on character separation and transformation?
19. Which literary tradition does 'Twelfth Night' align with due to its festive tone, inversion of norms, and celebratory ending?
20. How does Shakespeare’s choice of the title ‘What You Will’ for 'Twelfth Night' invite interpretive freedom and reflect postmodern ideas of textual plurality?