Imagery Analysis Example Wordplay

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Raleigh Rumley

Imagery Analysis: Twelfth Night


10-13-10
1. Many of the metaphors used in Twelfth Night concern nature. Several
examples, along with their act and scene number, are as follows:
a. Act 1
i. Scene 1
1. Duke: That instant was I turnd into a hart, and my
desires, like fell and cruel hounds, eer since pursue me.
a. Concerning his desires and his inability to escape
them
ii. Scene 3
1. Sir Toby: Excellent; it hangs like flax on a distaff.
a. Comparing the color of Sir Andrews hair to flax
iii. Scene 5
1. Malvolio: Not yet old enough for a man, nor young
enough for a boy; as a squash is before tis a peascod, or
a codling when tis almost an apple;
a. Said to Olivia about how young Cesario appears to
be
b. Act 2
i. Scene 4
1. Duke: For women are as roses, whose fair flowr being
once displayd doth fall that very hour.
a. Viola: And so they are; alas, that they are so! To
die, even when they to perfection grow!
ii. Scene 5
1. Maria: Lie thou there; for here comes the trout that
must be caught with tickling.
a. Said to Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian about
tricking Malvolio
2. Sir Toby: O, ay, make up that! He is now at a cold scent.
a. Fabian: Sowter will cry upont for all this, though it
be rank as a fox.
b. Comparing Malvolio to a dog because he is having
trouble taking the bait in their trick
c. Act 3
i. Scene 1
1. Clown: Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun
it shines everywhere.
a. Said to Viola, indicating that foolishness is
everywhere
d. Act 5
i. Scene 1
1. Antonio: How have you made division of yourself? An
apple cleft in two is not more twin than these two
creatures.
a. Said concerning Sebastian and Cesario
2. I believe that Shakespeare used the natural imagery to emphasize the roles
of females and males. Although the natural roles were switch in the
beginning, by the end of the play nature was restored, resulting in the
happiness of two marriages. The males are the main characters that use

Raleigh Rumley
Imagery Analysis: Twelfth Night
10-13-10
imagery and most of them do so at some point in the play. Viola uses
imagery, but it is only a continuation of a metaphor started by the Duke.
Maria uses imagery before she tricks Malvolio; Shakespeare used metaphors
frequently throughout his plays during times of trickery, a trait that can also
be observed in Much Ado About Nothing. The characters mainly use imagery
to describe love or appearances, but it is also used to describe foolishness
and during times of trickery. I did not notice much of a change throughout
the play in the use of imagery, at least in terms of nature.
3. Shakespeare used several balanced pairs in Twelfth Night. Several examples,
along with their act and scene numbers, are as follows:
a. Act 1
i. Scene 2
1. Captain: Be you his eunuch and your mute Ill be;
when my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not see.
ii. Scene 5
1. Clown: I think his soul is in hell, Madonna.
a. Olivia: I know his soul is in heaven, fool.
b. Act 2
i. Scene 5
1. Malvolio: Some are born great, some achieve greatness,
and some have greatness thrust upon em.
c. Act 3
i. Scene 4
1. Malvolio: Not black in my mind, though yellow in my legs.
d. Act 4
i. Scene 2
1. Clown: Why, it hath bay windows transparent as
barricades, and the clerestories toward the south north
are as lustrous as ebony;
e. Act 5
i. Scene 1
1. Duke: One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons!
A natural perspective, that is and is not.
4. Shakespeare uses a lot of puns, riddles, language games, satire, and irony
throughout Twelfth Night. Several examples, along with act and scene
numbers, are as follows:
a. Act 1
i. Scene 3
1. Sir Andrew: Fair lady, do you think you have fools in
hand?
a. Maria: Sir, I have not you by th hand.
b. Sir Andrew: Marry, but you shall have; and heres
my hand
c.
d. Sir Andrew: But whats your jest?
e. Maria: A dry jest, sir.
f. Sir Andrew: Are you full of them?
g. Maria: Ay, sir, I have them at my fingers ends;
marry, now I let go your hand, I am barren.

Raleigh Rumley
Imagery Analysis: Twelfth Night
10-13-10
ii. Scene 5
1. Olivia:
a. Olivia: A comfortable doctrine, and much may be
said of it. Where lies your text?
b. Viola: In Orsinos bosom.
c. Olivia: In his bosom! What chapter of his bosom?
d. Viola: To answer by the method: in the first of his
heart.
e. Olivia: O, I have read it; it is heresy.
b. Act 2
i. Scene 3
1. Clown: How now, my hearts! Did you never see the
picture of we three?
2. Sir Andrew: Begin, fool: it begins Hold thy peace.
a. Clown: I shall never begin if I hold my peace.
ii. Scene 4
1. Duke: What kind of woman ist?
a. Viola: Of your complexion.
b. Duke: She is not worth thee, then. What years, i
faith?
c. Viola: About your years, my lord.
2. Viola: My father had a daughter lovd a man, as it might
be perhaps, were I a woman, I should your lordship .
iii. Scene 5
1. Malvolio: By my life, this is my ladys hand: these be her
very Cs, her Us, and her Ts; and thus makes she her
great Ps.
2. Malvolio: Mbut then there is no consonancy in the
sequel; that suffers under probation: A should follow, but
O does.
a. Fabian: And O shall end, I hope.
b. Sir Toby: Ay, or Ill cudgel him, and make him cry
O!
c. Malvolio: And then I comes behind.
d. Fabian: Ay, an you had any eye behind you, you
might see more detraction at your heels than
fortunes before you.
c. Act 3
i. Scene 1
1. Viola: Save thee, friend, and they music! Dost thou live
by thy tabor?
a. Clown: No,sir, I live by the church.
b. Viola: Art thou a churchman?
c. Clown: No such matter, sir: I do live by the church;
for I do live at my house, and my house doth stand
by the church.
2. Clown: Not so, sir; I do care for something; but in my
conscience, sir, I do not care for you. If that be to care for
nothing, sir, I would it would make you invisible.

Raleigh Rumley
Imagery Analysis: Twelfth Night
10-13-10
3. Clown: Now Jove, in his next commodity of hair, send
thee a beard!
a. Viola: By my troth, Ill tell thee, I am almost sick for
one; though I would not have it grow on my chin.
4. Viola: By innocence I swear, and by my youth, I have one
heart, one bosom, and one truth, and that no woman has;
nor never none shall be mistress be of it, save I alone.
d. Act 5
i. Scene 1
1. Clown: Truly, sir, the better for my foes and the worse for
my friends.
a. Duke: Just the contrary: the better for thy friends.
b. Clown: No, sir, the worse.
c. Duke: How can that be?
d. Clown: Marry, sir, they praise me and make an ass
of me. Now my foes tell me plainly that I am an
ass; so that by my foes, sir, I profit in the
knowledge of myself, and by my friends I am
abused; so that, conclusions to be as kisses, if your
four negatives make your two affirmatives, why
then, the worse for my friends and the better for
my foes.
2. Sir Toby: Then he is a rogue and a passy measures pavin.
I hate a drunken rogue.
5. The language games are mainly used by Viola and the Clown, but other
characters, such as Maria, Olivia, Fabian, and Sir Toby, use them as well.
While most of the characters seem to understand the language, Sir Andrew
and Malvolio do not. Malvolio doesnt even recognize when he uses the word
games himself. Sir Toby often abused his power and used his words to
manipulate others. Some would argue that Feste also abuses his power,
since he is more intelligent than some of the others, but his lower class
makes his language games more acceptable. Viola often used her words to
give hints that she wasnt who they thought she was.

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