Critical Interpretations (Edexcel A-Level English Literature): Revision Notes

Critical Interpretations

What are Critical Interpretations?

From the exam board: "As part of their study of their selected Shakespeare play, students should engage with different interpretations."

How should Critical Interpretations be used?

• Grasp the interpretation being presented regarding the literary text(s).
• Contrast the critic's viewpoint with your reading of the text (or that of another critic or classmate). Note any similarities or differences.
• Agree with the critic's point and find further evidence in Shakespeare's text to support and expand it.
• Disagree with the critic's stance and identify evidence in Shakespeare's text that might bolster your counterargument.
• Adjust the critic's position by finding one aspect you can endorse and another that you wish to refine and clarify with evidence from the text.
• Choose specific quotations that either support or challenge your interpretation of the text to enhance your discussion or literary essay.
• Make sure to reference critical quotations in your essay by using quotation marks and writing down the critic's last name!

Critical Interpretations with Analysis

C. L. Barber - Shakespeare's Festive Comedy

The comedy of the piece centres not so much on what is acted in it as in the continual failure to translate actor into character."

C.L. Barber, in Shakespeare's Festive Comedy, 1972.

• Barber suggests that the humour in Twelfth Night arises from the characters' inability to fully embody their roles.
• The play is driven by the discrepancies between appearance and reality, with characters often failing to convincingly perform their adopted identities.
• This interpretation underscores the theme of disguise and mistaken identity, which is central to the play's comedic effect.

Supporting Evidence

"Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness, Wherein the pregnant enemy does much." (Act 2, Scene 2)

• Viola acknowledges the complications her disguise causes, highlighting the play's focus on the difficulties of maintaining false identities.

"If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction." (Act 3, Scene 4)

• Fabian's comment points to the artificiality of the characters' actions and the improbability of their situations, aligning with Barber's idea of failed translation from actor to character.

Opposing Evidence

"I am all the daughters of my father's house, And all the brothers too." (Act 2, Scene 4)

• Viola's ability to embody both her male and female roles suggests a successful adoption of her character, challenging Barber's assertion of continual failure.

Kieran Ryan - Shakespeare's Comedies

"The annexation of Act V to mount the mechanicals' unwitting spoof is the climax of a process of sly usurpation, which is all the more effective for being inconspicuous."

Kieran Ryan, in Shakespeare's Comedies, 2009.

• Ryan discusses the subversion of traditional roles and the effectiveness of comedic elements that unfold subtly within the play.
• The humourous and chaotic climax in Act V reflects the culmination of various schemes and deceptions.
• This interpretation highlights the play's clever manipulation of plot and character dynamics to achieve its comedic resolution.

Supporting Evidence

"I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you." (Act 5, Scene 1)

• Malvolio's enraged exit underscores the upheaval and disruption of social norms, fitting Ryan's view of subtle yet effective comedic usurpation.

"Madam, you have done me wrong, Notorious wrong." (Act 5, Scene 1)

• Malvolio's accusation against Olivia in the final act adds to the comedic confusion and resolution, illustrating the climax Ryan describes.

Opposing Evidence

"He hath indeed, almost natural: for besides that he's a fool, he's a great quarreller." (Act 1, Scene 5)

• Sir Toby's straightforward mockery of Sir Andrew suggests overt comedy, contrasting with Ryan's emphasis on subtlety.

R. W. Maslen - Shakespeare's Comic Timing

"Comedy, by contrast, dealt with the dangerous present, whose inhabitants have an awkward propensity for taking umbrage and seeking revenge."

R.W. Maslen, 'Introduction: Shakespeare's Comic Timing', 2004.

• Maslen asserts that comedy in Shakespeare's plays often engages with the immediate and volatile nature of human interactions.
• Characters in Twelfth Night navigate a world of quick tempers and sudden retaliations, which drive the comedic tension.
• This perspective highlights the precarious balance between humour and conflict within the play.

Supporting Evidence

"I'll confine myself no finer than I am: these clothes are good enough to drink in; and so be these boots too." (Act 1, Scene 3)

• Sir Toby's disregard for decorum and readiness to indulge in revelry reflect the dangerous present Maslen describes.

"And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges." (Act 5, Scene 1)

• Feste's comment on the cyclic nature of revenge underscores the theme of retaliation within the play's comedic framework.

Opposing Evidence

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." (Act 2, Scene 5)

• Malvolio's aspiration and the resulting prank on him are more light-hearted and less vengeful, contrasting with Maslen's focus on revenge.

Francois Laroque - Shakespeare's Festive Comedies

"Shakespeare's subplots that take up the tricks of humours and the cruel games of deception and exposure - illustrated in the conflicts between... Sir Toby, Feste, and Malvolio... - insist on dissonance and cacophony or on men who have no music in them."

Francois Laroque, 'Shakespeare's Festive Comedies', 2003.

• Laroque discusses the role of subplots in highlighting the discord and trickery among characters in Twelfth Night.
• The interactions between Sir Toby, Feste, and Malvolio exemplify the chaotic and deceptive nature of the play's comedic elements.
• This interpretation underscores the play's festive yet discordant atmosphere, driven by humourous yet cruel deceptions.

Supporting Evidence

"Do you make an alehouse of my lady's house?" (Act 2, Scene 3)

• Malvolio's reprimand of Sir Toby and the company highlights the conflict and dissonance within the household.

"Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun; it shines everywhere." (Act 3, Scene 1)

• Feste's observation reflects the pervasive nature of trickery and deception, aligning with Laroque's view.

Opposing Evidence

"She did commend my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my leg being cross-gartered." (Act 2, Scene 5)

• Malvolio's misguided enthusiasm suggests a lighter, less discordant aspect of the subplots, contrasting with Laroque's emphasis on dissonance.