William Shakespeare s Twelfth Night And Thomas Middleton...

The Renaissance: Essay 1 revisited The Renaissance was a time of cultural and social revolution in England, at least in the south of it. The plays and playwrights of the time challenged the societal norms and pushed boundaries into never before thought of areas, this essay will show how Renaissance drama was subversive and created the world we live in today. The two plays I will be focusing on are: William Shakespeare s Twelfth Night and Thomas Middleton s Women beware Women . Both share similar themes yet go about them very differently to one another. Twelfth Night (or What You Will ) was written in 1601, near the middle of Shakespeare s career, and a mere 15 years before his death in 1616. Considered by many critics as one of his greatest comedies, Twelfth Night is about deception, disguises and madness, along with the bizarre things caused by love itself. This play is also one of Shakespeare s plays that include a female protagonist, pretending to be a man. (At the time of the play all parts where played by men, so Viola would have been a man pretending to be a women who was also pretending to be a man!) Viola, the female protagonist, like many of Shakespeare s heroines is likeable from the get go with no real character flaws to note of and no serious faults to note of. (Discounting her decision to dress as a man, as it sets the plot in motion.) And while other character s love is a fickle thing, such as Orsino who can t decide between Olivia and