Twelfth Night (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Book Description

Each edition includes:

• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

• Scene-by-scene plot summaries

• A key to famous lines and phrases

• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Catherine Belsey

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

Customer Reviews:

Twelfth Night : An amazing book.......2007-08-17

Twelfth Night is a very amazing book full of true love, confusion, and adventure. It starts out with a shipwreck on a fictious island of Illyria where Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are staying and neither of them thinks the other is alive. So therefore, they both go into Illyira and Viola posing as a man who is a messenger for Duke Orisno. Results in big trouble for all of them in Illyria. This is only some events that happen in the book. Other things are Duke Orsino is madly in love with Olivia who does not love him. Malvolio thinking Olivia loves him when she doesn't. Things just aren't going so well in Illyria for all the characters. But overall this is an excellent book and I truly enjoyed reading it.

great play.......2007-01-01

I saw she's the man in theaters, then I went on the internet and read about it. Then I found out it is based on twelfth night. So I read the play and I like it. I've also read A midsummer night's dream. I like twelfth night more. It's a great play.

Great Comedy.......2005-12-16

This play is about a girl who goes under cover as a man to try to find her twin brother who was lost in a shipwreck. she goes to work for the self indulgent Duke Orsino. the play is filled with comedic events such as the Duchess Olivia falls love with the main character, Viola, because Olivia thinks Viola is a man, as well as the drunken antics of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. overall it was a very funny play and I enjoyed reading it and I would reccoment it to anyone who likes Shakespeare.

The wording, the same as with any shakespeare play, was a little hard to get used to. When reading it I would get a vague understanding what the character was saying but then I would chekc the definition of specific words that are on the the opposite page. It would then become clear to me what was happening in the play. I enjoyed the comedic flow of the story. the series of different converging plots made for a little difficult comprehension but it all came together at the end of the play. This was definitely a funny play, and it was even better when I saw it on stage. There seems to be so much one misses when just reading a play, but when one sees it on stage the overall understanding of what is happening and why is greater. I thouroughly enjoyed reading the play as well as seeing it on stage and it was overall a solid comedy by William Shakespeare.

Sixty-Minute Shakespeare : A Midsummer Night's Dream

Average customer rating:

A disappointment
A letter from a customer in Baku, Azerbaijan

Sixty-Minute Shakespeare : A Midsummer Night's Dream
Cass Foster
Manufacturer: 5 Star Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1877749370

Book Description

The works of William Shakespeare are timelessand they are time-consuming. Too valuable to be passed over by todays younger generation, Shakespeares plays are, nonetheless, all too often avoided by students and teachers alike. Author Cass Foster, who has been involved in all aspects of theatre for over 35 years, has provided a solution. The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series is an ideal alternative for those who lack the time to tackle the unabridged versions of the worlds most widely read playwright. Foster has condensed the Bards language, but has left the integrity of Shakespeares writings intact so that students can experience the thrill of his stories as well as the beauty of his prose. In addition, the author has provided footnotes explaining some of the more arcane words and phrases so that the reader can better understand and, therefore, enjoy the plays. This new series contains Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, A Midsummer Nights Dream, and Hamlet. Foster, is quick to point out that The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series is intended to be merely a stepping stone in the study of Shakespeare, not a substitute for the original works. He urges readers, Go beyond the Sixty-Minute versions, using the appreciation and self-confidence you gained to go further. The more you read, the more you gain. An ideal companion piece, Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach was co-authored by Foster and Lynn G. Johnson. This manual helps teachers prepare and present the teachings of Shakespeare from as early as second grade all the way through high school. Foster is the director of a theatre program in a small college in central Arizona and currently the fight choreographer for the Grand Canyon Shakespeare Festival. He has directed shows and staged fights at theatres and universities throughout the country.

Customer Reviews:

A disappointment.......2000-12-07

I saw the other reviews of this book,and I have to wonder if the reviewers really read this abridged version of the play. This is one of our family's favorite plays, and I bought this book to allow us to do a living room performance of it in one evening. I was disappointed. First, the copy has many errors in it that make performing it confusing. For instance, in Act I, Scene 1, when Egeus brings Hermia and Demetrius and Lysander before Theseus, there is a stage direction that says "Demetrius exit and Helena follow." although Helena has not appeared (in this or any other version of the play) until later in the scene. Second, every person who has to make cuts in this play does it differently, but Cass Foster has cut some parts that I really miss, especially Bottom's playing the "tyrant" in Act I, Scene 2, and the rest of Thisby's death speech in Act V. Those scenes seem wooden and hurried without those lines. If I had known what this book was like, I would have ordered a different book with the full text and cut out lines myself. It would be easier than going through this text and correcting typos and adding lines that I feel need to be there.

A letter from a customer in Baku, Azerbaijan.......1999-03-07

March 5, 1999

Dear friends at Five Star Pub.,

We have a small school on the other side of the planet from you in a country called Azerbaijan. It's kind of a home school coop. Two years ago we performed your version of Romeo and Juliet and last year, A Midsummer Night's Dream. We really enjoy your versions because of the suggestions for staging (we're all rookies) and your notes of explanation on difficult phrases. I have to admit that the kids liked the Romeo and Juliet notes the best because there were more of them but we also like the new layout of Midsummer. It's easier to use.

Thanks for your help,

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on Twelfth Night, you follow several separate groups of characters whose stories are flawlessly woven together to produce one of Shakespeare's lightest, most popular, and most musical comedies — full of intricate plots and subplots and witty banter that only Shakespeare could write.

Summaries and commentaries take you through Shakespeare's masterpiece, and character analyses of such memorable characters as Viola, Olivia, and Duke Orsino clue you in on their motivations. You also get these additional features:

A section on the life and background of William Shakespeare
A review section that tests your knowledge
A selected bibliography

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Download Description

This is one of Shakespeare's most popular, lighthearted, and musical comedies, and its staging continues to delight audiences all over the world.

Book Description

Here are the books that help teach Shakespeare plays without the teacher constantly needing to explain and define Elizabethan terms, slang, and other ways of expression that are different from our own. Each play is presented with Shakespeare's original lines on each left-hand page, and a modern, easy-to-understand "translation" on the facing right-hand page. All dramas are complete, with every original Shakespearian line, and a full-length modern rendition of the text.

Customer Reviews:

helpful.......2007-01-15

I have my degree in English... I like reading and teaching with this version as "help" not as a substitution. It gives a clearer understanding to Shakespeare for people who have difficulty with it.

The thrust of greatness.......2005-05-11

"Twelfth Night" is built upon the reliable comedic premise of mistaken identity. We begin with a shipwreck and a twin brother and sister, Sebastian and Viola, each of whom believes that the other has died at sea. Viola disguises herself as a boy and, assuming the name of Cesario, gets a job as a page for Orsino, the duke of Illyria, with whom she is in love. Orsino, however, is in love with a lofty young countess named Olivia, who has no interest in him and furthermore is mourning her own brother's recent death. Orsino dispatches Cesario/Viola to relay his amorous entreaties to Olivia, hoping that Cesario's youth may make him a more appealing messenger and soften her heart; but, wouldn't you know, Olivia becomes attracted to Cesario instead.

Meanwhile, Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby Belch, a knavish and idle aristocrat, is distressed by his niece's apparent desire to remain unmarried and tries to prepare his protege, the dimwitted but affable Sir Andrew Aguecheek, as a suitor. As part of a secondary plot, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew cooperate with Olivia's maid, Maria, to play a practical joke on Olivia's steward Malvolio, a humorless stuffed shirt whose conceit has finally piqued them all, by forging a letter that leads him to believe that his beautiful employer is in love with him. The ruse pays off, and Malvolio is imprisoned for madness after satisfactorily making a spectacle of himself in front of Olivia. Rounding out this retinue of clowns is Olivia's jester, named Feste, who, like King Lear's fool, seems to know more about the people around him than they know about themselves.

"Twelfth Night" is not just a comedy but, as the title indicates, a festive play in which songs and holiday spirit figure into the mood, providing a relaxed and joyous atmosphere in which the audience may feel privy to an elaborate jest. Certainly the plot is predictable, but its predictability is part of what makes it truly funny. We all (Shakespeare not the least of us) know how absurd it is that Viola disguised as a boy would look and sound so exactly like her twin brother as to make the two indistinguishable to the other characters in the play, but this is the indispensible device that holds the comedy together. Pretending to be someone or something you are not is the essence of the act, the idea encapsulated in "Twelfth Night" and expressed by Feste's sarcastic riposte to Sebastian, "Nothing that is so, is so."

This is the best fooling, when all is done..........2005-05-05

After reading Twelfth Night, I realized that I have never read a better Shakespearean work. Not only does this have signs of comical mischef, but it has so many deeper meanings as well. The first deep message that I uncovered was the fact of gender confusion. Viola, using the power of a man to her advantage, begs the question to whether or not she is struggling with issues of gender identity. Her conversation even begs the question much futher, and by the end of the play leaves the reader with so many questions....This was a wonderful read, and quite possibly one of Shakespeare's best works.

Some Plays Achieve Greatness!.......2003-08-24

Of all Shakespheare's plays I've read so far, I like Twelfth Night the best. I read it so many times I even lost my dependence on the modern language translation and I could read the Elizabethan language with the right conversational rhythm, losing all the awkwardness. I particularly liked the role of the snobby servant Malvolio, who tries to move up to the level of his Countess Olivia and leave his other "inferiors" behind. There is a couple of elaborate pranks being played upon characters in the play, in which Malvolio becomes one of the victims. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria are the comic "team" that set these pranks in motion, all with amusing results. I just like the playfulness of these characters and their continual search for fun.

The main plot of the play is little less interesting involving the old disguised, mistaken, or confused identity ploy that Shakespheare uses from time to time. This time out a woman named Viola is a character pretending to be a man who is sent to woo Countess Olivia for Duke Orsino. She has a brother that looks just like her, especially now since she is dressed like a man. Identity confusion ensues. Also the pranks of the subplot mesh with the main plot for an amusing end.

What language!.......2003-01-09

I liked the play. It was pretty interesting. Shakespeare writes in the most beautiful language I know. Even though I did not understand everything, I really enjoyed reading it.
However I think the end is a little bit too facile. I do not like love stories with such easy happy endings. I suppose the play should have been a little bit longer so that Orsino could have had enough time to fall in love with Viola. This just went on too fast. Maybe it is the way men are. But well, such is life...

Shakespeare Set Free: Teaching Twelfth Night and Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Average customer rating:

Aimless Shakespeare
Great for lesson planning
Reluctant seniors loved the Othello unit
Student's (and a teacher) love it!
A useful tool

Shakespeare Set Free: Teaching Twelfth Night and Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library)
Teaching Shakespeare Institute
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Lesson Planning | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0743288513

Book Description

FOLGER Shakespeare Library

THE WORLD'S LEADING CENTER FOR SHAKESPEARE STUDIES

The Folger Shakespeare Library is one of the world's leading centers for scholarship, learning, and culture. The Folger is dedicated to advancing knowledge and increasing understanding of Shakespeare and the early modern period; it is home to the world's largest Shakespeare collection and one of the leading collections of books and materials of the entire early modern period (1500-1750). Combining a worldclass research library and scholarly programs; leadership in curriculum, training, and publishing for K-12 education; and award-winning performing arts, exhibitions, and lectures, the Folger is Shakespeare's home in America.

This volume of the Shakespeare Set Free series is written by institute faculty and participants, and includes the latest developments in recent scholarship. It bristles with the energy created by teaching and learning Shakespeare from the text and through active performance, and reflects the experience, wisdom, and wit of real classroom teachers in schools and colleges throughout the United States.

In this book, you'll find the following:

Clearly written essays by leading scholars to refresh teachers and challenge older students

Effective and accessible techniques for teaching Shakespeare through performance and engaging students in Shakespeare's language and plays

Day-by-day teaching strategies for Twelfth Night and Othello that successfully and energetically immerse students of every grade and skill level in the language and in the plays themselves -- created, taught, and written by real teachers

Customer Reviews:

Aimless Shakespeare.......2007-03-17

This book has many great ideas, but as a high school English teacher I found it lacking as a teaching guide. Essentially, one has to cobble together aims and learning objectives, not to mention learning standards, for him/herself. Its best feature is that the lessons, while not complete lessons for those of us who teach, are creative, original, and fun for students. Yet given the cost of this teaching guide, more of a companion, I felt it came up short.

Great for lesson planning.......2006-03-24

I'm an English Education major and as I'm just starting to develop lesson plans and units, this book has come in handy. There are a ton of great ideas and worksheets ready to be copied and used in the classroom. This book also believes in the idea that students learn through doing; therefore many of the lessons focus on performaning the plays to understand them. I almost wish I was in high school again just to participate. The section on teaching sword fighting was particularly interesting. I highly recommend checking this book out.

Reluctant seniors loved the Othello unit.......2003-11-25

I teach an English 12 class for regular high school students. They complained about the Othello unit, until I used this book. We begin the unit with the swordfighting exercise at the beginning of the book. It's a scary leap of faith, but the kids love it. Buy extra dowel rods.

I only used the Othello part of the book, but it was great. The kids were worried about not understanding anything in Othello at first, and I didn't translate a word. They created meaning themselves and did very well.

The final activity--a performance and promptbook--was a huge success. That's the activity that students felt was most worthwhile from the entire unit. They not only enjoyed it, but also they learned something. Much more fun than correcting essays, too!

Student's (and a teacher) love it!.......2000-12-15

This was a great approach to teaching Twelfth Night (have not use the Othello part). Pre-reading, reading activites, daily assessment, actitivites to grade, everything--even daily lessons plans (for block or regular scheduling). I bypassed the lessons on sword fighting because I didn't have time, but they looked interesting. One complaint: to do everything planned, it takes over a month. The author does include shorter lesson structures if you are in a time crunch.

I used the guide for a class of seniors and juniors in April and May -- it kept them interested and coming to class. It was invaluable and saved me many hours of planning. Reproducable pages are included. I just ordered the Hamlet version and can't wait to use it.

A useful tool.......2000-05-16

I teach Shakespeare on both the high school, and college level. I found this book to be useful in getting across the ideas in Twelfth Night, and I plan to use it next year to teach Othello.

The ideas are clear and inventive. My students responded positively to the activities that I used from this book and came away with a clear understanding of plot, characterization, and language. The only negative comment I have is O'Brien can get a little flighty once and awhile. She stretches some activities from the artistic to the downright silly and acknowledges this herself. I wouldn't recommend using this book in its entirety, however there are a number of useful things to be used in it.

Book Description

In Twelfth Night, one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, love, ambition, mistaken identity, and a confusing shipwreck toss a motley crew of characters into a tangle of relationships that becomes hilariously complicated before it finally and wonderfully unfurls by the end of the play. The actual "Twelfth Night" is a night of festivity -- the final night of what used to be the extended period of celebration of the Christmas season -- and a night that marks the boundary between the time for games and the business of the everyday world. As the characters seek to right the wrongs of others and find true love, the play shows us a world that we would all choose to enjoy, if we only could, while illustrating Shakespeare's belief that love can be as delightfully confusing as any illusion, and as full of folly as it is of fun.

THE NEW FOLGER
LIBRARY SHAKESPEARE

Book Description

"Who is William Shakespeare?" For more than 20 years, Lois Burdett has asked that question of her elementary school students in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, leading them on a voyage of discovery that brings the Bard to life for boys and girls ages seven and up.

Twelfth Night for Kids, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Customer Reviews:

Skakespeare Is Fun.......2002-10-01

I like Lois Burdett's version of Twelfth Night because I think it is funny and the drawings are by kids. Lois Burdett's second grade Twelfth Night book is easier to read than Shakespeare's original version. It's a good book for kids who don't know Shakespeare and for kids who like Shakespeare. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars being the best, I rate Twelfth Night 4 stars because a few of the words, like "thee", are difficult to understand.

Great Intro to Shakespeare.......2000-04-25

This is one great book. It explains the story very clearly so very young children can understand but still appeals to older children. I think this is a great series to introduce children to Shakespeare. It is so simply written it could be used at bed time, yet it still gets the story very well and is not degrading to the original plays. I highly recommend it.

Twelfth Night: A Guide to the Play (Greenwood Guides to Shakespeare)

Average customer rating:

A guide to Shakespeare's most puzzling play

Twelfth Night: A Guide to the Play (Greenwood Guides to Shakespeare)
John R. Ford
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Twelfth Night is one of the most accessible yet elusive of Shakespeare's plays. It has enjoyed enormous popularity in performance, but it continues to challenge students. It has experienced numerous revivals and has provoked some of the most brilliant critical responses from Shakespeare's critics. Written for students and general readers, this guide is a comprehensive introduction to Shakespeare's play. The volume begins with a look at the play's textual history. This is followed by an exploration of its historical and cultural contexts and its sources and analogues. The book next turns to Shakespeare's dramatic art and then examines his themes of identity, sexuality, and madness. The final chapters look at the critical response to the play and give special attention to the play's performance history. The guide closes with a bibliography.

Customer Reviews:

A guide to Shakespeare's most puzzling play.......2006-04-28

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's many classics; yet the play remains the most puzzling of all. It's popular but challenging: thus the need for John R. Ford 's TWELFTH NIGHT: A GUIDE TO THE PLAY , which joins others in the 'Greenwood Guides to Shakespeare'. Plenty of other titles have offered critical analysis: what makes this one different is its inclusion of the play's textual history and changes, explanations of underlying history and influence, and a gathering of criticism and analogues under one cover. The inclusion of the sum of critical thinking about Twelfth Night makes A GUIDE TO THE PLAY an essential addition to any serious high school or college-level collection where Shakespeare's works are studied.

Average customer rating:

Twelfth Night (No Fear Shakespeare)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: SparkNotes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1586638513

Book Description

Get your "A" in gear!

They're today's most popular study guides-with everything you need to succeed in school. Written by Harvard students for students, since its inception SparkNotes™ has developed a loyal community of dedicated users and become a major education brand. Consumer demand has been so strong that the guides have expanded to over 150 titles. SparkNotes'™ motto is Smarter, Better, Faster because:

· They feature the most current ideas and themes, written by experts.
· They're easier to understand, because the same people who use them have also written them.
· The clear writing style and edited content enables students to read through the material quickly, saving valuable time.

And with everything covered--context; plot overview; character lists; themes, motifs, and symbols; summary and analysis, key facts; study questions and essay topics; and reviews and resources--you don't have to go anywhere else!

Average customer rating:

Great introduction to Shakespearian comedy
What a great idea!
Twelfth Night is a Twelve out of Ten
Very good

Twelfth Night
Bruce Coville
Manufacturer: Dial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0803723180

Book Description

Bruce Coville follows his earlier critically acclaimed retellings of Shakespeare's works with a lively interpretation of one of the Bard's most beloved comedies. In this boisterous tale of hidden identities and misplaced love, Coville once again weaves his own lyrical prose together with pivotal lines from Twelfth Night.

Tim Raglin has captured all the hilarity of the play in his expressively comic illustrations. Shakespeare enthusiasts and newcomers alike will delight in this faithful, merry adaptation.

Customer Reviews:

Great introduction to Shakespearian comedy.......2007-06-03

This is a wonderful adaptation of one of Shakespeare's lighter works... Richly detailed artwork accompanies a brisk, skillful prose adaptation of this broad farce of mistaken identity and misplaced love... An ideal entry point for younger readers, one of several fine adaptations by Bruce Coville.

What a great idea!.......2007-03-26

I love the stories that Bruce Coville writes, and was browsing some other books of his, when I saw that he had retold some of Shakespeare's plays for children. I first bought Romeo and Juliet, and have been buying them all as they come out. What a great way for kids (and adults) to learn about Shakespeare's plays! The illustrations are appropriate to the plays, and beautifully done. Twelfth Night, like the others, is well written and easy to read, and includes quotes from the play. I enjoyed this version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Twelfth Night is a Twelve out of Ten.......2006-04-20

Originally written by William Shakespeare and retold by Bruce Coville, Twelfth Night is a wonderful book. Coville really captures the Shakespearean feel of the original in this delightful picture book. The story revolves around a young woman named Viola. The story begins as Viola finds herself in an unfamiliar land with no means of food or shelter. To survive in this new place she dresses as a man to go and work for the duke of the land, Orsino. It is not long before Viola develops strong feelings for the kind duke. However, Orsino is already infatuated with Lady Olivia. Orsino sends Viola to Lady Olivia to deliver his letters professing his love to her. Upon meeting the gentle messenger Olivia falls in love with her. Little does anyone know that the messenger is indeed a woman! It is all a crazy mess that is both comical and entertaining. Anyone looking for quality entertainment could find it in this great book.

Very good.......2000-05-17

I really liked this book, how could i not? It's Shakespeare. I liked Twelfth Night also because it doesn't end with happiness and laughter like most comedies, it ends with the fool's sad song. very good.

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