Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Characterization of the Fool Feste in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page paper which examines how Elizabethan convention regarding clowns and fools affect characterization. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGtnfool.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Even in an Italian setting, Shakespeare would satirize conventional Elizabethan society at every opportunity, and poke fun at its rigid courtly class structure of master and servant. Often,
Shakespeares most memorable characters were neither his protagonists nor antagonists, but rather the secondary characters usually described as fools or clowns. By Shakespeares time, the term fool referred to
"a professional entertainer" (Novelli 186). The Bard expanded upon the concept that was deeply rooted in the classical dramatic tradition of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and used it
"as a major contribution to the understanding of the play" (Videbaek 1). Far from being an imbecile, the character fools Shakespeare created were often more intelligent and insightful than
the masters and mistresses they entertained. They were only fools in the sense that they were not bound by the social dictates that constrained the average Elizabethan citizen.
The fool displays an innocence or "na?vet?, which often serves him well when he delivers home truths to unwilling ears" (Videbaek 2). In his commentary on the quintessential Shakespeares
fool, Bente A. Videbaek observed, "His freedom of speech and social mobility leave him free of deep involvement in the proceedings of the play, and enable him to comment on
the actions and feelings of his fellow characters with some distance. He is not fully integrated, yet not apart either" (3). Most critics agree that Shakespeares most inspired
use of the fool character was that of Feste in his comedy of mistaken identity, Twelfth Night. Feste moves freely throughout the play and interacts with the other characters
and also the audience as a kind of commentator. He "is equally at home operating alone and as an element in a group" (Videbaek 95). Feste does not appear
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