You might have guessed that Twelfth Night, or What You Will (William Shakespeare's only play with an

alternate title) has something to do with the popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Twelfth Night
(January 6) marks the Feast of the Epiphany, a holiday in Western Christian theology that celebrates the
day that the magi (a.k.a. three wise men) presented gifts to the newborn Jesus.
Critics argue about whether or not the play was written specifically for Twelfth Night. Leslie Hotson
argues that Twelfth Night was performed for Queen Elizabeth and her guest, Count Don Virginio Orsino, on
January 6, 1601. (Orsino, of course, is the name of Viola's love interest in the play.) Plenty of scholars
disagree and argue that the play was written later, but even those who refute Hotson's argument
acknowledge that the world of the play celebrates the spirit of Twelfth Night festivities.
Twelfth Night is a religious holiday but it marks the end of a period ofmajor celebration and revelry, and
boy did the Elizabethans know how to party. During the Twelfth Night season people ate, danced, and
drank themselves silly. Think Mardi Gras, which is another religious holiday associated with the inversion
of rules and social disorder. Elizabethan communities often appointed young boys as "Lords of Misrule"
to play king for a day and reign over the festivities. (They borrowed this from pagan winter celebrations
like the Roman Saturnalia.) Twelfth Night, then, was a way for people to let loose, blow off some steam,
and thumb their noses at authority.
This attitude can be seen pretty clearly in figures like Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, who party
like rock stars 24/7. Feste's singing and foolery also embodies the play's festive and rebellious spirit.
Check out "Quotes" for "Rules and Order" for more on this.
The second part of the play's title, What You Will, also seems to get at this celebratory, anything goes
attitude captured in the play, where all characters cross social boundaries and engage in foolery (even if
they're unaware of their behavior). Some theorize that the second part of the title was an afterthought.
The story goes like this: When someone asked the playwright "Hey Willy Shakespeare, what's the name of
the play you're writing?" Shakespeare replied, "Um, Twelfth Night, or what you will" (as in, "I don't know
whatever").
Regardless of whether or not Shakespeare was being dismissive or flippant, the second title seems to
invite the audience to make "what [we] will" of the play what it means, why it matters (if it matters at all),
and so forth. Sounds good to us. We'll definitely be taking up Shakespeare's invitation to lighten up and
open up to all the different interpretive possibilities in Twelfth Night, and so should you.

Act I - Comprehension Questions & Answers

1. Orsino, Duke of Illyria, sits in his palace listening to music and reflecting on the many emotions experienced by
people who are in love. Write three adjectives to describe Orsinos opening speech. List two images or metaphors
Orsino uses to describe his love-sick state.
Possible adjectives
fanciful, sentimental, romantic, extreme, over the top, metaphorical, poetic, obsessed, infatuated, love-struck, etc
Images or metaphors
There were many you could have chosen any of the five below
1. Love is associated with food, hunger, appetite, etc (music is presented as the food of love, Orsino is tormented by
his hunger for love, he wants an abundance or excess of music to feed and over-satisfy, and obliterate his appetite
for love).
2. Love is like the sea limitless, all-encompassing.
3. Love is like a sweet sound that gives and steals the scent of flowers.
4. Of what validity and pitch so eer, / But falls into abatement and low price / Even in a minute! Orsino reflects on
the fickleness of love (love as a kind of economy that inflates, values and depreciates) it doesnt matter of how
much the lover is worth or how much the love shared is valued, love can just as quickly depreciate.
5. So full of shapes is fancy / That it alone is highly fantastical because Love manifests itself in so many different
forms, Love itself is a highly imaginative and creative force.

2. Who is the object of Orsinos love pursuit?

Olivia

3. What sad event has recently happened to Olivia? What has she decided to do as a consequence of this sad
event?
Olivias brother has died. She has decided to mourn his death for seven years. She will cry in her room every day,
wear a veil and not see any men or suitors.

4. Who has been washed up on the shore of Illyria after a shipwreck? Who doesnt survive?
Viola, Captain and some sailors have washed ashore. Sebastian, Violas twin brother, does not survive.

5. What contemporary phenomenon do you think the line And the twas fresh in murmur as you know, / What
great ones do the less will prattle of (I.ii.32-33) is referring to? (CLUE: great ones = well known or famous people,
the less = ordinary people).
Ordinary people who talk about or who are fascinated by celebrities and popular icons (pop-stars, royalty, etc) the
phenomena of gossip magazines, celebrity TV shows, etc.

6. What does Viola ask the Captain to help her do?

Help her dress up as a boy and present her to the Duke. Viola wants to work for the Duke (initially she wants to go to
Olivias court but the Captain reiterates what Valentine tells Orsino in scene one that Olivia is in mourning and
wont see anyone). (NB. This is a device Shakespeare uses to give the audience expository and background
information).

7. Who is Sir Toby related to? Use three adjectives to describe Sir Tobys character.
He is Olivias uncle. (NB. Cousin was used to refer to kin/family in general in Elizabethan times).
Possible adjectives
Loud, boisterous, speaks his mind, rowdy, drunk, stays up late, parties, persuasive (he really wants Sir Andrew to stay
so he can use his money for gambling Sir Toby probably knows that Sir Andrew doesnt have a chance with Olivia).

8. Who is Olivias new suitor? List three positives attributes Sir Toby thinks he has, and list three negative
attributes Maria thinks he has.
Positive Attributes
Rich, wealthy (three thousand ducats.
Talented plays a musical instrument
Speaks three or four different languages
Negative Attributes
Foolish, idiotic and prodigal (wasteful)
Argumentative (quarreler)
Cowardly if he didnt back out of all the fights he started hed probably be dead by now.
9. Who is Cesario?
Viola dressed up as a male servant her disguise and other, false identity.
10. What mission does Orsino send Cesario on?
Orsino sends Cesario to woo Olivia (woo to charm or seek someones favour/affection). Orsino wants Cesario to
be really persistent and not to come back empty-handed like Valentine did Orsino does not want Cesario to leave
Olivias court until she has passed on his love message.
11. What does Violas aside at the end of scene four reveal about her feelings? (Yet a barful strife / Whoeer I
woo, myself would be his wife I.iv.41-42)
It reveals that Viola in fact loves the Duke. She is saying that it will be really difficult to woo anyone for Orsino or on
his behalf because she herself wants to be his wife.
12. What does the Clown/Feste mock Olivia about?
For mourning her brothers death Clown thinks that because Olivia believes that her brother is in heaven theres no
point in mourning his death (it would be a foolish thing to do so).

13. How does Olivia describe Malvolio?

Malvolio is Olivias steward Olivia describes him as egotistical, bad tempered and intolerant, and she thinks he
blows things out of proportion (things things for bird-bolts you deem as cannon bullets you make mountains out
of molehills).

14. At the end of Act I we learn that Olivia has fallen in love with Viola what does Olivia do to get Viola to visit
her again?
Olivia pretends that Cesario (Viola) left a ring behind and sends Malvolio after Cesario (Viola). Malvolio has to pass
on a message that Olivia is not interested in Orsino but would be happy to see Cesario (Viola) again if he (she)
wanted to stop by and tell her how Orsino took the news (Olivia is making an excuse to see Cesario (Viola) again).

1. Why did artists flock to the Greenwich Village?

The houses in Greenwich Village had Dutch attics and eighteenth century gables. These offered the ideal setting
for budding painters. Apart from this, the rent there was affordable for the painters who were still struggling in
their careers.

2. What brought the doctor to the house of Sue and Johnsy?

Pneumonia had struck Greenwich Village. Johnsy was down with the disease. Her frail body was unable to cope
with the severity of the attack. She lay in her bed miserable, forlorn and delirious. Her condition was deteriorating
fast. Alarmed at her friends plight, Sue had asked the doctor to come and examine Johnsy.

3. What was the doctors observation?

The doctor examined the ailing Johnsy. He was not sanguine about her ability to fight off the virulent pneumonia
which had virtually dragged her to the brink. He conveyed this to Sue, but assured her that Johnsy still had 10%
chance of survival. He promised to give the best medicine, but regretfully said that the patients mental submission
to the infection was undermining her bodys capacity to fight back. He advised Sue to do everything possible to
inject some hope and willpower back to the desolate Johnsy. If this happened, the efficacy of the medication would
be doubled, he assured. He suggested Sue to explore if Johnsy had any un-fulfilled desire that could be met to make
her recover her lost mental strength.

4. How did Sue react to the doctors advice?

Clearly, the doctors grim warning about the Johnsys slim chances of survival unsettled Sue. She was in a quandary
thinking about the way she could make Johnsy give up her lost desire to recover. But, being a pragmatic and
tenacious person, she was determined to pull her dear friend out of the abyss of despair. She held back her anguish
and began to think positive.

5. What was bothering Johnsy as she lay in her sick bed?

Pneumonia had ravaged Johnsys body and mind. The acute suffering robbed her of all desire to patiently wait out
the crisis. She convinced herself that the time to depart had indeed come. She became obsessed with an old vine
creeper that was shedding leaves one by one due to seasonal reasons. Quite illogically, she linked the dwindling
number of vine leaves to her remaining life span. She concluded that the fall of the last leaf would herald the arrival
of her death. Thus, she waited, quite foolishly, for the last leaf to fall.

6. Describe Behrman as a person, and the way he saved Johnsys life.

Despite his rough exterior, brash manners and blusters, Behrman was a man with a golden heart. Compassion,
altruism and readiness for extreme sacrifice were the hallmarks of his nature. When he realized that Johnsy would
cling to her life only as long as the last leaf remained in the creeper, he decided to outsmart the destructive power
of the night storm by painting an identical creeper with its lone leaf. He had the painting fixed in the window to
make Johnsy feel that the nights storm had failed to dislodge the leaf. In the process, he saved a precious life, but
lost his own. He succumbed to the pneumonia attack triggered by exposure to the rain, wind and chill of the night.
The painting was, no doubt his master piece, which he had all along boasted about without accomplishing it. Sad
thing is, he didnt live to receive the adulation.

Q1) Who were Sue and Johnsy and how were they living?
Ans1) Sue and Johnsy were young struggling artists. They lived together in a small flat. Their flat was situated on the
third storey of an old house.
Q2) Why did Johnsy keep looking out of the window?
Ans2) Johnsy was suffering with pneumonia. She was advised bed rest. She looked outside window an ivy tree whose
leaves were falling fast because it was autumn season. She had a strange feeling that she would die when the last
leaf fell. So she kept looking out of the window and counting the remaining leaves.
Q3) How did Sue try to make Johnsy cheerful?
Ans3) Sue was more worried due to depression and silence of Jhonsy. She tried to involve her conversation. She
talked about clothes and fashions. She brought her drawing board in Johnsys room to paint. She also whistled while
painting.
Q4) What saved Johnsys life?
Ans4) Behrman saved the life of Johnsy. He painted the leaf that sustained the stro of the night. But Beherman got ill
and lost his life. As the last leaf did not fall Johnsy got the willpower to live. It was the master piece of Behrman.
Q5) Who was Behrman and what was his dream?
Ans5) Behrman was an old bearded painter. He lived in the building where flat of Jhonsy and Sue was situated. He
wanted to make a master piece of his life. But he could not succeed for the last forty five years. Finally he painted a
leaf that saved a life. It was his master piece. He sacrificed his life for it.
Q6) What was Behrmans master piece?
Ans6) The last leaf which Behrman painted to save life of Johnsy was his master piece. It was so perfect that even
artists -Johnsy and Sue- thought it real. Behrman also scarified his life. Moreover the leaf instilled will to live in
Jhonsy that is the real purpose of any master piece.
1. What is Johnsys illness? What can cure her, the medicine or the willingness to live?
Answer: Johnsy is suffering from pneumonia. Pneumonia is a type of chest infection. Even in modern days if not
treated on time it can prove fatal. Medicines have a certain role to play and apart from them bodys defense
mechanism plays an important role in fighting a disease. Moreover, research has proved that patients mental
condition also has a role in curing or worsening a disease.
As per the doctor, Johnsy is feeling depressed and has lost all hopes. Doctor is giving her the required treatment but
her condition is not improving. It would be a combination of medicine and a willingness to live which is going to cure
her.
2. Do you think the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers?
Answer: Teenagers are full of energy. Because of hormonal changes going in the body they do experience mood
swings. A slight pep talk can work wonders for their motivation. Similarly, a little bit of set back can create a blue
mood for them. It is the way in which adults view teenagers which make them believe that teenagers are ore prone
to depression. Proper guidance and a caring upbringing can result in less depressed teenagers which will help them
realize their potential.
3. Behrman has a dream. What is it? Does it come true?
Answer: Behrman always dreamt of creating a masterpiece. A masterpiece is a creation which withstands the test of
time and people appreciate it for years to come. For example, Mona Lisa, the famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
was made in 15th century and people still get awestruck after seeing it.
Behrman dream comes true because the painting of leaf he made helped save Johnsys life.

4. What is Behrmans masterpiece? What makes Sue say so?

Answer: The painting of leaf which Behrman made after the last leaf fell was really a masterpiece. Sue has every
reason to say so because it was able inspire Johnsy to live her life. Quality or execution of painting can be debatable
but inspirational value of the painting can be vouched for because of the desired end result.
1. Where does the story take place?
2. Identify the main characters in the story.
3. What are the professions of Sue and Johnsy?
4. What did Mr. Behrman paint before he died?
ANSWER
1. Many would say that Mr. Behrman was the protagonist because he played a significant role in saving
Johnsys life.
2. The story takes place in Greenwich Village, which is in New York City.
3. The main characters are Johnsy, Sue, and Mr. Behrman.
4. Sue and Johnsy are artists.
5. Mr. Behrman painted the leaf on the wall to give Johnsy the will to live.
1. What are some of the themes in the story?
2. What are some of the symbols in the story?
3. Identify one example of how O. Henry used imagery.
4. Why does Sue refer to the painting of the Last Leaf as Behrmans masterpiece?
ANSWERS
1. Some of the themes are love, friendship, illness, sacrifice, poverty, hope, and survival.
2. One symbol in the story could be the falling leaves which symbolize both Johnsys failing health and her
diminishing will to live. Another symbol is the painting of the leaf on the wall, which could be seen as
symbolizing hope.
3. One example of imagery is the following paragraph. Pneumonia, stalked about the colony, touching one
here and there with his icy fingers. Over on the east side this ravager strode boldly, smiting his victims by
scores, but his feet trod slowly through the maze of the narrow and moss-grown places.
4. Sue referred to The Last Leaf as Behrmans masterpiece mainly because it looked so much like a real leaf, it
saved Johnsys life.