The Problem Play Genre and Twelfth Night s Unwarranted Exclusion. Shakespeare has written many comedies that have fallen under the category of the

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1 Razzani 1 Taylor Razzani ENG 491 4/27/11 The Problem Play Genre and Twelfth Night s Unwarranted Exclusion Shakespeare has written many comedies that have fallen under the category of the problem play. J.S. Boas says that an important characteristic of this genre is that a perplexing and distressing complication in human life is presented in a spirit of high seriousness (Lawrence 4). Many scholars, like Vivian Thomas, have attempted to define this genre by analyzing certain aspects that they believe make up a problem play. Thomas constructed a list of ten characteristics that a problem play must have, and has attributed them to three plays, Twelfth Night not being one of them. It is contended that Twelfth Night is not part of this genre and is in fact the last of Shakespeare s true comedies. However, when looking at Thomas list of characteristics, I will argue that Twelfth Night should be considered a problem play because it fulfills many of these features. While this play does not fit all of the requirements, it does showcase the majority of the characteristics. The three most popular plays that are given the title of problem play are Troilus and Cressida, All s Well that Ends Well, and Measure for Measure. William Witherle Lawrence argues that the reason these three fit the genre is that they encompass the idea that the problem mood must not only be prominent in the action; it must dominate it (6). This is why some scholars dismiss Twelfth Night when they mention the genre. The situation created by Sir Toby Belch, Maria, and their companions to disgrace Malvolio makes up the secondary plot where the

2 Razzani 2 comedic characters reside. Even though this situation does not affect the main characters throughout the play, the way it winds itself into the main action near the end makes it uncomfortably close to a problem play. Malvolio s threat to the characters to be revenged on all of them unnerves the audience and does not allow for the play to wrap up with an entirely happy atmosphere. This invasion, which takes over and destroys the overly happy atmosphere, allows Twelfth Night to break down the first barrier shielding it from the problem play genre. However, Lawrence is not the only scholar to exclude Twelfth Night from the genre. Vivian Thomas has also tried to label problem plays through a list of certain characteristics. Once these characteristics are established, they are applied to comedic plays where some issue is present that does not allow the play to be fully comedic, but also does not cross the line into tragedy. The first characteristic is that there is a question raised concerning the action that does not allow for proper closure. These endings are not quite tragedies, but they also do not leave the audience feeling happy with the outcome. This unsatisfactory ending is what classified a play as problematic. The second characteristic deals with a single scene that brings about certain issues through a debate between characters. This scene can focus on a single theme or a collection of themes. Many of these themes deal with the characters behavior or their outlook on the institutions of the play. The third characteristic deals with the relationship between human behavior and institutions. These institutions normally deal with authority and hierarchy and they bring about

3 Razzani 3 certain behaviors in the characters. However, this characteristic is not the only one to deal with the behavior of the characters. The fourth characteristic explores the contrast between appearance and reality (Thomas 15). Often in problem plays the more noble characters turn out to be corrupted and vice versa. This contrast creates a sense of disconnection that makes the audience unsure of the true natures of the characters. This leads into the fifth characteristic which states that problem plays must provoke a considerable degree of detachment (Thomas 15). This detachment does not allow the audience to feel any strong connection with the characters in the plays. The characters in problem plays do not have dynamic personalities that lure the audience into identifying with them. Even the clowns in the plays do not follow the normal guidelines. The sixth characteristic talks about this difference in the comedic character. The clowns in the problem plays tend to demean the other characters instead of relying on funny antics to amuse and entertain. They do not come off as fools to be laughed at but wise men who see the truth more so than the major characters. The next characteristic states that the plays are caught up on the subject of honor. The only difference that makes such a focus a problem is when it gets tied up in all of the other themes. This causes honor to not only be a separate theme but it also binds all of the other themes together (Thomas 17). Another major theme that is consistent throughout the problem plays is the preoccupation with sex. This aspect is not as much a characteristic of a problem play as it is a characteristic of many of Shakespeare s plays. But looking more into this aspect brings up the ninth characteristic in Thomas list.

4 Razzani 4 This characteristic focuses on the disillusion created in the play, usually connected with love (Thomas 18). The desire for love in these plays causes the characters to conduct themselves in an irrational manner in order to obtain what they want. There is also another side to this disillusionment that looks at a character s view on their personal reality. This illusion that the characters place on their lives allow them to feel that their existence is full of integrity and beauty, even if it is a little misguided. Scholars apply these ten characteristics to explain why some comedies may be deemed as problem plays. Even though they exclude Twelfth Night from this list, and even go so far as to say that it encompasses the admirable humorous characteristics of the group of comedies which it completes (Thomas 1), it fits into many of the characteristics set down to explain a problem play. Twelfth Night takes place in Illyria, one of Shakespeare s many highly artificial societies, whose civilization is ripe unto rottenness (Lawrence 3). A setting such as this can only breed certain characters that will push one another and eventually seek revenge, creating a sense of seriousness that should not exist within a comedy. The setting alone is not what makes Twelfth Night a problem play, there are many other aspects that can contribute to changing the genre of this play. Following Thomas list, the first aspect that is attributed to problem plays that can relate to Twelfth Night is that the ending leaves the audience with questions raised by the characters actions. This would be in contrast to the sense of loss attained by tragedies and the feeling of joy which comes about through a comedic ending (Thomas 14). This characteristic can easily be attributed to Twelfth Night when the ending scene with Malvolio is considered. After being ridiculed and thrown into a dark room through the deeds of Maria, Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Fabian, and Feste, Malvolio is finally released. When it is found out that Maria played the trick on Malvolio, he

5 Razzani 5 storms out with the threatening statement to the assembled group that he will be revenged on the whole pack of you (V.i.375). This statement, while largely unnoticed by the characters, leaves the audience wondering what will happen to Malvolio and if he will come back to ensure that his threat becomes reality. This confusion does not give off the sense of loss that a tragic play does and it definitely obstructs the feelings of release and joy that a comedy should have at the end. If this scene is considered in this way than it is easy to imply that Twelfth Night could be considered as a problem play. Malvolio s threat not only leaves the audience wondering what will happen in the future but it also robs the audience of feeling the joy that the ending of a comedy should bring them. There are many other assertions as to what makes a problem play that can be applied to Twelfth Night. One of these is the inclusion of a crucial debate scene which focuses sharply on the central themes (Thomas 15). The is a debate showcased in the dark house scene, where Malvolio is locked in a dark room while Feste, disguised as Father Topas, tries to convince him that he is mad. The debate turns into more of an interrogation in which both Feste and Malvolio drive the action equally (Kemper 44). After Feste, as Sir Topas, tries to convince Malvolio that the dark house is light, the debate of Malvolio s sanity begins: MALVOLIO. I am not mad, Sir Topas. I say to you this House is dark. CLOWN. Madman, thou errest. I say there is no darkness But ignorance, in which thou art more puzzled than the Egyptians in their fog. MALVOLIO. I say this house is as dark as ignorance, Though ignorance were as dark as hell; and I say there Was never man thus abused. I am no more mad than

6 Razzani 6 You are. Make the trial of it in any constant question. (IV.ii.40-48) While they may not be the most central of themes, the issue of Malvolio s sanity and his relationship with the comic characters is brought up in this scene. By bantering back and forth, the two characters demonstrate the contrast between the comedic and the serious that continuously drives their half of the plot. Feste s interrogation also brings up the issue of madness and how Malvolio is being cruelly tricked into thinking that he is mad. The next characteristic follows along with this battle between the two different parties. This characteristic concerns the correlation between human behavior and social institutions in the plays (Thomas 15). The social classes of two of the characters in this side plot, Malvolio and Sir Toby Belch, repeatedly play a part in the observations made about the problematic conflict. Sir Toby has achieved knighthood while Malvolio is only a steward of Olivia s household. Even though Sir Toby is of a higher rank, Malvolio shows more restraint and responsibility than the constantly drunk and sloppy knight. Class is a constant point of tension between the two and it comes out through their arguments. Sir Toby and Malvolio have the ability to get underneath the others skin because they know each other s weaknesses (Leggatt, 238). When Sir Toby and his party are making noise, feasting and drinking in Olivia s quiet house, Malvolio insults him by saying Have you no wit, manners, nor honesty, but to gabble/like tinkers at this time of night? (II.iii.82-83). Sir Toby seems unaffected, but after a few more lines of joking around he turns on Malvolio and asks Art any more than a steward? (II.iii.106). Since Malvolio has grand dreams of rising above his station this reminder of his position is slap in the face to him. And his insult to Sir Toby has also set the knight against him and will eventually lead to the letter trick later on. Their behaviors are either mocked or supported by others due to their rank. When Malvolio tries to court Olivia he is considered mad

7 Razzani 7 by the entire household. On the other side, when Sir Toby enacts his revenge through Maria s note, his companions feel that it is justified because Malvolio is forgetting that he is of a lower class. Thus, the behavior of these characters relates to their social class which in turn dictates how the other characters act towards them. But this is not the only way their behaviors attribute to their problem play status. The fourth characteristic that Thomas applies to problem plays deals with the difference between a character s appearance and the actuality of their behavior. Again, this is most apparent in Malvolio and Sir Toby. When Malvolio comes to Olivia in yellow stockings and cross-gartered (II.v ) he appears mad, even though he is sane and is only doing what he believes she bid him to do. In Sir Toby s case, his title would be considered the appearance he betrays. Being a knight he should be courageous, courteous, and not prone to drink every chance he can get. Being the comedic drunk of the group obviously differs from what one would picture a knight to be. When Maria insists that Sir Toby should confine [himself] within the modest limits of order (I.iii.7-8) he replies that he will not confine himself anymore than he has already been. Once again, these two characters play a part in bringing Twelfth Night farther from a comedy and closer to a problem play. There is something else about the characters that can be applied to this list of problem play characteristics, which is the level of detachment. In order for a comedy to be considered a problem play there must not be a strong connection between the characters and the audience. While this is not too strong of a point when concerning Twelfth Night, some scholars have talked about the numerous amount of characters and their various interactions. The problem with this lies in the different narratives, rather than the different characters. The mass amount of narratives, from tricks being played to mistaken identities, would end up confusing the audience

8 Razzani 8 and make it easy to forget the main points of the story (Mangan 229). This can be seen through the use of fourteen main characters stretched across eighteen scenes, constantly being paired up with different characters. This method can make it difficult to establish any meaningful relationships between the characters thus making it hard for the audience to connect with them. However, Twelfth Night has still emerged as one of Shakespeare s most beloved plays. But despite this popularity, some of the characters still do not follow the conventions of a Shakespearean comedy. Feste is meant to be the fool of the play, but as Thomas list mentions for the other problem clowns, he is more aware than the other characters in the play. This awareness allows him to mock the other characters and to separate himself from their troubles. When Olivia is excessively mourning her dead brother Feste takes the opportunity to prove that she is the fool: CLOWN. Good madonna, why mourn st thou? OLIVIA. Good fool, for my brother s death. CLOWN. I think his soul is in hell, madonna. OLIVIA. I know his soul is in heaven, fool. CLOWN. The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother s soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen. (I.v.60-68). Feste is more aware of Olivia s fault of being so excessive and uses this knowledge to call her a fool. Feste is part of Olivia s household but he frequently makes an appearance at Duke Orsino s court. He is not bound to the plot line in either place but is allowed to drift back and forth without worrying about the conflicts which the other characters are facing.

9 Razzani 9 The next characteristic deals with a problem plays obsession with sex. This is not only true for Twelfth Night but also many of the other comedies that are not considered problem plays. Since the goal in Shakespeare s comedies is to end in multiple marriages, the pursuit of women is a major event in the plays. In Twelfth Night there are several characters who are preoccupied with the opposite sex or at least those that look like the opposite sex. Many of the plays conflicts arise when one characters attempt at marriage is foiled by another character. To say that problem plays are only obsessed with sex is off the mark because it can be applied to many of Shakespeare s unproblematic plays. One characteristic that is a little more difficult to apply to many of the plays is the element of disillusion. The character that suffers the most from this in Twelfth Night is Malvolio. His disillusion is brought on by the actions of the other characters, namely Maria, Sir Toby, and Feste. When they start their joke on the steward the disillusion is only that Olivia loves him. But when they take it farther, even when some want to stop, is when the outcome of the disillusionment goes beyond mere embarrassment. Malvolio gets thrown in to a dark room because the trick made him seem mad, which Feste tries to convince him that he is, only furthering Malvolio s disillusion. However, up until this point, Malvolio was happy with his world of disillusion. The final characteristic continues to focus on the idea of disillusionment but it expands to suggest that the illusion created is one that is beautiful and highly esteemed to the character (Thomas 18). The world that Malvolio lives in is separated from the reality of life in Illyria. Even before his dreams of class advancement he was lost in his own world that was more enjoyable than reality. Olivia comments on this after Malvolio after he insults Feste, saying O, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio (I.v.86). Malvolio feels that he is above everyone else in the

10 Razzani 10 household, besides Olivia, and treats them as lesser beings. The ill will he bears towards the comedic characters, such as Sir Toby, will eventually cause him his place in the household. His disillusionment has caused him to go above his rank and in turn insult those that have higher titles than he does. While nine out of the ten characteristics put down by Vivian Thomas to classify problem plays apply to Twelfth Night, it is still not fully welcomed into the genre. Excluding the characteristic concerning honor, Shakespeare s supposed final comedy exhibits all of the other traits. It would seem that this list is outdated and either needs to be fixed, or possibly open to new interpretations. There are a few points in Thomas list that either do not apply to problem plays or they apply to more than one genre. One of the main generalizations about problem plays that could be disputed is the assumption that they are concerned with sex. When looking at Shakespeare s other works, it is hard to accept this characteristic as one belonging to problem plays only. The problem play is said to fit somewhere between a comedy and a tragedy. However, this characteristic is not exclusive to the genre alone. Both comedies and tragedies exhibit some sort of obsession with sex that drives the action and usually causes the conflict within the story. Comedies like Much Ado About Nothing have male characters, like Claudio, falling in love with beautiful female characters, like Hero, based on looks and mannerisms alone. The male characters clearly show that they are motivated by sex and are charmed by the womanly manners of some of the female characters. On the other side of the spectrum, there are Shakespeare s tragedies, such as Romeo and Juliet. This play also demonstrates how a non-problem play is obsessed with sex. The two

11 Razzani 11 young lovers, Romeo and Juliet, are almost immediately caught up in the grown up world of love and sex. However, before the two meet, Romeo swears that he will never love another woman except his Rosaline. He is almost sick with melancholy over his unrequited love and still vows that there is no other woman for him. But when he lays his eyes on Juliet, he quickly forgets about his old love and focuses all of his attention on his new one. This quick change between women shows that this tragic play is also focused on sex. It is the draw of the opposite sex that entices Romeo to go after Juliet, who is also drawn to this stranger due to his sex. Their love for each other propels them to death in the end, sealing the fates of two children that were thrown into love and sex too soon. Another characteristic of Vivian s list that can be debated is the assertion that the audience does not connect well with the characters of a problem play. Some scholars may argue that the existence of so many characters within a short span of time can cause confusion and make it hard for the audience to connect with any one character. Despite this argument, there are many scholars, enthusiasts, and lovers of Shakespeare that would rank Twelfth Night among one of their favorite plays. Obviously, if the play did not have strong characters that connected with the audience than it would be hard for anyone to fully enjoy the play. Even though the conventions of a problem play involving sex and detachment were included in the list of why Twelfth Night should be included, they are still not a solid enough basis for a separate genre. The characteristic involving sex can be applied to almost any play in the Shakespearean canon, and so it is not a reliable way to separate problem plays from any other play. The point of detachment is also an issue when trying to create a new genre. Many characters in any of Shakespeare s plays have dynamic enough personalities to make some sort

12 Razzani 12 of lasting impression on the audience. It would be very rare for a play, no matter what the genre, to have no sort of attachment between the audience and the characters. If these two conventions are to be taken out of the list, there may be need for another characteristic to take their place. This list is overlooking one of the most important aspect of the problem play; the problem character. Many of the problem plays have a character, or even characters, that are neglected and dismissed at the end without any kind of resolution. These characters are often considered the problem characters because they stop the play from achieving a happy ending. I feel that in order to fully diagnosis a play as part of the problem play genre, this character should be considered. Of course, there is the theme that the problem character is different from the other characters within the play. Malvolio is labeled as a Puritan, setting him apart from the other characters and causing him to be a target for ridicule. However, there is more to a character than just being different. Much of the makeup of a problem character has to deal with their personality and how that personality clashes with that character s enemy. In the case of Twelfth Night, Malvolio has a very strict, selfish, and ambitious personality. He is stuck in his own fantasy-like world and refuses to come out of it. This eventually causes him to butt heads with his rival, Sir Toby Belch. Sir Toby is another character who is stuck within his own little world. He is a knight turned drunkard, who drinks and parties and does not wish to be confined. These two characters constantly bicker and argue with each other. What drives them the most is the opposite character s personality. Both Sir Toby and Malvolio dislike each other because they have the same flaw. They are both stuck within themselves because of their personalities and this is what pits the two against one another.

13 Razzani 13 This quarrel between two characters that are stuck within their own personalities can be applied to other problem plays. In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio and Shylock are foil characters. They maintain the same personalities throughout the play which are constantly clashing and eventually bring them to the final conflict, with Shylock, the problem character, losing in the end. Even in All s Well that Ends Well, Helena and Bertram are conflicting characters who are stubborn and this causes them to continuously clash throughout the play. The idea of two characters having conflicting personalities that drive the action and issues of the play should be considered among the characteristics of a problem play. The list put down by Vivian Thomas concerning the problem play genre has some areas where it needs improvement. The characteristics regarding sex and character detachment cannot be fully applied to the specific genre. The arguments used to solidify these points are either false, or they pertain to other genres. Such generalizations cannot be included in a list set up to create a new genre. In their place, I propose scholars look at the problem character and their relationship with their foil characters. Looking at the conflicting characters will show how they are trapped in their own personalities and how this entrapment forces the two against each other. This new characteristic could bring in a new element to the existing list. Vivian Thomas list sets up a good foundation for the problem play genre. The only problem with this list, and the scholars that agree with it, is that it does not include the play Twelfth Night. This supposed final comedy of Shakespeare s can be considered a problem play since it fits into nine out of the ten characteristics. However, there are a few points that need refining in order for them to still be relevant to the problem play alone. In the place of these two characteristics, relating to sex and detachment, the scholars could add a point regarding the problem character in a play. By discussing the problem character and his or her rival character,

14 Razzani 14 the list will expand its analysis on the characters and themes throughout the genre, adding more weight to the argument of what makes a problem play.

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