Analyzing The Class System In Twelfth Night Duchess Of Malfi English Literature Essay

Analyzing The Class System In Twelfth Night Duchess Of Malfi English publications EssayThe feast of Twelfth Night where the play takes its name, was celebrated in a date when social hierarchies were turned upside d hold. That analogous spunk is alive in Illyria, and Shakespe atomic number 18 has nitty-grittyd business offices that create a comedic yet farcical belief to the play. I am going to compare and contrast the ways in which hierarchy comp whatsoever are calld as plot wiles, a means create comedic circumstance and for mistaken identity. Hierarchy is series of consistent groupings of people or things within a system, and in the role of ordinal night the constrains of time have to be taken into consideration, as the views of modern-day auditory modalitys would give the play a new interpretation and a injury of satire or comedic value.Feste as a means of a biography feature if fairly incohesive in his role a yen the side of constitutions such(prenominal) as S ir Toby whose actions dictate the plays outcome (his manipulation of Sebastian) rather we jockey of his intellect although his career does not suggest thathe is intelligent single who professionally Counterfeits folly for the pleasure of others, a jester, Clown or 1 who has little or no reason or intellect although we put one over Feste as a crisply and witty jester Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. And be stick of his configuration no sleep with like Maria is shown for small(a) roles (although in some adaptations all characters are connected for an orthodox keen ending) O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O, taking into custody and hear your confessedly basks coming. .he is intelligent one who professionally Counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others, a jester, Clown or one who has little or no reason or intellect although we see Feste as a sharp and witty jester Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. And beca employment of his illuminate no savor like Maria is shown for minor roles (although in some adaptations all characters are connected for an orthodox happy ending) O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O, stay and hear your true loves coming.The close to farcical relationship between Sebastian and Antonio is created by Shakespeare for a hinted comedic motion or just for structure If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your servant. Antonios language can be seen as simply the expression of a purely platonic passion. However, Antonios words can also be seen as carrying an obvious homoerotic charge. It seems safe to say here that if Antonio were a char, we would allege her speech and actions as an unambiguous expression of her love for Sebastian and hope that he would return this love. In a play so c one timerned with change shape gender roles-a play in which Orsino can seem to be attracted to genus ViolaMalovolio portrays a ground levelic image of a Puritan. As Olivias servant, he dreams of big business man and his status within the inner ring, and wants nothing else than to adopt his mistress. This would have seemed monstrous and impossible as there are societal normalitys that would prevent such an unfortunate marriage. Although social mobility was beginning to take place, there was still a division among the crystalisees. It would have been quite out of place for a cleaning woman of Olivias status to attach one so far beneath her. Although for Malovolio, the circumstance of how it would be between him and Olivias uncle, Sir Toby Belch, if he had gained the hand of his mistress, he said, I extend my hand to him thus, quenching my familiar smile with an austere forecast of control You must amend your drunkenness Malovolios presence in this scenery adds a new uncertainty to the play and we start to loose the empathy we once had for the idiotic Malovolio rather we see his pretentious pompous way of displaying his ludicrous hope and misguided love. We can see why Maria does nt incur cathartic about the plot and its unfitting end. The manor in which Malovolio speaks shows that he truly believes he deserves to be above his manikin and talks or so condescending to Sir Toby whose reaction shows his disapproval. Malovolios desire to rise above his class sets a course for his own demise though the relationship with Olivia this shows the audience that Sir Toby and the others find his delusions to preposterous. Malovolio is an unsuitable match for Olivia not only of his unlikeable temperament but also because he is not of magisterial blood. He is within his class a lower class citizen and to Sir Toby a commoner, while Olivia is a woman of noble blood with money and a high social status.The Duchess (within the duchess of malfi) is an independent and defiant woman who has a unvoiced personality and I think was urged on to remarry by her brothers threats and warnings not to remarry down her social status. I believe that she wanted to accommodate her brothe rs, she wanted to rebel, because thats in her nature. Websters primary source for his story ( nearly true to history), William Painters palace of Pleasure(1567), shows less sympathy for the Duchess, taking a strict, moralistic tone, condemning her for existence too lustful and for breaking the accepted rules of her social status deceitfulness is woven of a fine small thread, Subtler than Vulcans engine yet, believet,Your darkest actions nay, your privatst ideas,Will come to light. .Webster created, in the Duchess what Shakespeare never did, a tragic female suspensor (Juliet doesnt act on her own, Cleopatra shares the world stage with Antony) who represents a challenge to social hierarchy and innateorder, violas shoes was resolved also. As a woman she refuses to be implemental to men she ignores her brothers commands not to marry, and she takes the initiative to woo Antonio. A easy widow woman presented a special threat to male-dominated families, as she was now free to marry of her own choosing for love, and to give the family wealth to another man. The problem in a rigid society. Her crime is choosing a husband not from the ruling class but from the upwardly mobile middle class (using the term rattling slackly). The ruling class, in the shape of Duke Ferdinand and the Cardinal, resist the idea of a woman making a free choice, especially when that choice transgresses class strata. It is necessity for her to be eliminated in order to maintain the status quo. In the case of the Duke an obsession with blood, breeding and pedigree tips over into murkily incestuous desire, a rage to control his sisters sexuality and eventual madness.Jane Eyreis critical in the exploration of neo- twee Englands social hierarchy. Brontes exploration of the complicated social position of governesses is perhaps the freshs most pregnant treatment of this theme. Like Heathcliff inWuthering Heights,Jane is a figure of ambiguous class standing and, consequently, a source of ext reme tension for the characters around her. paradoxically for Malvolio his treatment creates a comedic effect of his outcome delinquent to his class and personality and similarly to Sebastians effect of the propulsion of the play and festes catalytical effect to the narrative, In her novelJane Eyre, Charlotte Bront explores the possibility that class relationships have no absolute boundaries that cannot be crossed. Her protagonist Jane is placed in between economic classes and drifts among the lower, middle, and upper classes of Victorian England. Janes plastic class status allows her to try other characters on their actions and personalities rather than on their economic status and physical appearance. She forms deep relationships with members of the other classes and holds animosity towards individuals that others efficacy respect based on their achievements in life but who did not act appropriately to Jane. Other characters in the novel judge Jane in much the same way as she judges them they note her class status and physical appearance at first but accordingly learn to appreciate her for her behaviour and thoughts. Bront ends the novel on a outstanding turn of events that completely flip Janes class status. Yet, Jane still remains the same character that we have seen through and throughout the entire novel. Charlotte Bront uses Jane Eyre as an example that class boundaries are not finite and that individuals can transcend them.Jane tends not to evaluate other people based on their class status. Instead, she evaluates peoples superiority or inferiority based on their behavior and forms either deep friendship or animosity based on it. During her childhood at Gateshead, Jane is much emotionally attached to the servant Bessie than to any of her wealthy family members. She bases her adoration on Bessies personal characteristics rather than her economic status. Fraiman tells us that during Christmastime, instead of yearning toward the well-bred compan y, Jane would rather spend a quiet evening with Bessie (617) because of the motherly characteristics that Bessie displays towards Jane. Jane longs for the eye of a motherly woman rather than the glamorous company of her rich family.Janes characters disposition manifests, sophistication, education and higher status this would have been expected of an aristocrat, because Victorian governesses, who tutored children in etiquette as well as academics, were expected to possess the market-gardening of the aristocracy. Yet, as paid employees, they were more or less treated as servants thus, Jane remains penniless and powerless while at Thornfield. Janes understanding of the bivalent standard crystallizes when she becomes aware of her feelings for Rochester she is his intellectual, but not his social, equal. Even before the crisis environ Bertha Mason, Jane is hesitant to marry Rochester because she senses that she would feel indebted to him for condescending to marry her. Janes distress . This situation corresponds to that of MalvolioJane herself speaks out against class prejudice at certain moments in the book. For example, in Chapter23she chastises Rochester Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am someoneless and heartless? You think wrong-I have as much soul as you-and full as much heart And if God had dexterous me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. However, it is also important to note that nowhere inJane Eyreare societys boundaries bent. Ultimately, Jane is only able to marry Rochester as his equal because she has almost magically come into her own hereditary pattern from her uncle.Bronte distils a perfect argument of love and its aforementioned dependency on class distinctions she has used her characters in a way that there is her own symbolic meaning behind the novel. Brontes has created a direct contrast with the ii other texts I am studying, wi thin one-twelfth night Shakespeares use of class as a means for separation and forbidden love have been used for comedic effect, not to question or contrive against any social limitations, the duchesses situation was not to question but create dramatic effect using class as a division and boundary. paradoxically to viola and the duchess janes class indifference and ambiguous history created a go of self discovery and because of her unknown class, a way of finding true uncontrived love was found. The idea of social distinctions setting apart relationships now is considered archaic because of its absurdity and because of the transition within tolerance and rationality, it matters little about wealth and social hierarchyLove in Jane Eyre is a paramount theme and is projected and differed through the hindrance of the class system and its effect on love. I find a similarity within Janes character to Shakespeares viola because of their social difficulties leading to a positive conclusio n in both cases. Whereas violas characters social misconception is used primarily for comedic and satiric effect Janes in used as a reflection of the constrains of the written content at the time and like a Christmas carol it has been written to inform and to create a fictional account of how class hindrance can cause suffering and a struggle to achieve and apprehend whats achievable. Brontes used of a first person narrative also gives the novel connotations of factual accounts and gives the unharmed novel a theme of realism and not directly implied intolerance.The duchess similarly to Janes character is portrayed trough a struggle, also in the duchess of malfi is through love though the class divide. Because of the time constrains within this novel, a incompatible connotation was meant in the meaning of the theme of love though hierarchy. Websters use of class was distinctively a means of a plot device similarly although slightly contrived to twelfth night whereas the plot seems so farcical to his contemporary audience and shocking in the case of the duchess of malfi.Jane Eyre, The duchess of malfi twelfth night all share the confidence that all the characters whose social class is effect when looking fro love are all female. This is partly due to some of the constrains within the novels such as Jane Eyre where a womans ability to accept a partner was dictated their parents and this meant that a class hindrance (neglect from Mrs. reed and her children I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to phone you when I am grown up and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick. Jane asserts her fiery spirit in her tirade, and she displays a keen sense of nicety and a recognition of her need for love) made it harder than males to meet agreeable men. Whereas the duchess is of noble blood similarly to the situation of viola in that we know of her situation and the other characters are unaware of her noble blood and she falls in love below her class when in disguise as a man and a lower class than she is actually situated. the duchess is in love with a man from below her own class and because of the aforementioned time constrains this relation was seen as inappropriate and would have been contested by her family because of the effect on their families reputation and her future marital prospects.