twelfth night vs she's the man essay

Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” vs. “She’s the Man” Film Essay

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Twelfth Night raises the issue of gender inequality, forcing us to think about the formation of social conventions. For the period of the play (early 16th century), the theme of inequality is generally relevant and is reflected a greater extent in Shakespeare’s works (Shakespeare). Instead, the emphasis in the play is on the moral and ethical makeup of the characters rather than on gender. In contrast, modern interpretations focus on gender as the title theme. In She’s the Man , the problem of gender inequality is expressed more precisely: the soccer team, in which there is no place for girls because of their gender, is happy to meet Viola dressed as a boy (Fickman). The main reason for hiding Viola’s identity is not her desire to be better than her brother. She desires to keep her vulnerability a secret and not let people think of her weakness because of her gender. Social gender inequality is revealed in masculine clothing and habits to build status and respect from other students.

The modern interpretation of Twelfth Night’s theme is directed mainly toward the changing world around us. Fighting for women’s rights and bringing them into all walks of life without comparison based on gender is the primary purpose of the play’s interpretation. She’s the Man is mainly about disguising one’s identity to achieve success, and the moral aspect is not as pronounced as the social differences (Fickman). For a film of the noughties, when feminism was not so popular, the work perfectly reflects the problem of inequality.

The differences between the film and the play are expressed in the central theme and genre of the work. In Twelfth Night , the viewer is exposed to the moral conflict and the severity of mental suffering due to the need to hide one’s identity. In She’s the Man , the characters are inadvertently involved in a love triangle because of the need to transcend gender boundaries. The leitmotif opens new opportunities for women and their equality with men.

Works Cited

Fickman, Andy, director. She’s the man . DreamWorks Pictures, 2006.

Shakespeare, William. “Twelfth Night.” The Complete Works of William Shakespeare , Web.

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Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' vs. 'She's the Man' Film Essay

1. introduction.

"She's the Man" is about soccer and initially deals with a girl named Viola who plays soccer at Cornwall High School and wants to boost their soccer team up to a higher level of competition. Even though she is told she is good, she is never given the chance to prove this due to her gender. When the boys' team gets cut at Illyria, a prestigious boarding school, due to budget issues, Viola is devastated. Considering the situation she is presented with, she decides to go to Illyria in disguise with her twin brother Sebastian, who had secretly decided to go to London for a few weeks. At this point, the two stories, although vastly different, become quite similar. "She's the Man" is clearly based almost completely on the storyline of "Twelfth Night." Both the film and the play deal with similar conflicts and themes, such as mistaken identity, love, and gender confusion. Because of this, the character names, personality, and physical appearances are quite similar. Both the film and the play also have many similar scenes. Through plagiarism and the modern adaptation of the scenes, "She's the Man" has Viola making a deal with Duke to coach him to make the Illyria soccer team so that she can prove her skill in playing soccer because she knew that she was better than most of the other boys. In Act I Scene IV of "Twelfth Night," after Viola's shipwreck, she is seen talking with the captain who "borrows" the names of the characters from the film and describes Viola's hope of gaining an audience with Orsino. This is only one example of many which demonstrate that "She's the Man" was heavily influenced by "Twelfth Night" during its production.

1.1. Background of 'Twelfth Night'

The Twelfth Night is a play written by William Shakespeare and has many entertaining features in its plot, devices, and language. The play revolves around defining love and how it relates to other emotions. The scene opens on Duke Orsino, who is talking about his love for Olivia, a wealthy lady. The fact that the play is set at a time in which only men were allowed to act is an interesting aspect, as the main part of the story involves Viola (a girl) disguised as a man. Through this disguise, she becomes a servant to Orsino and attempts to carry out the acts of a man. This results in many farcical actions and often slapstick humor. The comic devices of the plot are often used in modern TV drama and soaps, which therefore make Twelfth Night more watchable and understandable for modern audiences. Another comparable section is when Feste the jester is singing a song of misplaced love to the duke, using many different arguments about the nature of love. This situation would be comparable to a modern love song, and thus the content is again very relevant to the present day.

1.2. Overview of 'She's the Man'

The film 'She's the Man' is a modern inspired version of the famous play 'Twelfth Night' by William Shakespeare. The plot of the movie is based on the play: a girl, Viola, is separated from her brother in a strange storm and makes her way to Illyria. The movie uses many identical situations to those used in the play, and the character has very similar qualities and characteristics to those in the play. For example, Viola disguises herself as her brother in the play; in the movie, Viola disguises herself as her brother to attend the school he was enrolled into so that she can prove that she is just as good as the boys. One thing I noticed in the movie was the similarities in character relationships and the roles the characters played. In the play, Duke Orsino is in love with Olivia. Viola, disguising herself as a young man, is employed by Orsino to woo Olivia on his behalf. A love triangle is formed with Viola falling in love with Orsino, and Olivia, thinking Viola is a man, falls in love with her. In the movie, Duke is a guy who plays soccer, and is in love with Olivia, who is not shown much in the movie. Viola, who is pretending to be her brother, promises to help the soccer team win the championship to get back at her old school for cutting the girl's soccer team. She then decides to secretly join the boy's soccer team so she can get close to Duke, who is the captain of the Illyria soccer team, and get back at her old school.

2. Plot and Characters

While both "Twelfth Night" and "She's the Man" have their own unique plots, the main premise behind the two is very similar. In both stories, Viola dresses up as Cesario in order to gain acceptance into a society that she is not able to enter as a female. In "Twelfth Night," Viola is determined to not give up looking for her brother who has been lost in a shipwreck. She decides to dress up as a man and use the identity of Cesario to get a job looking for the countess Olivia who lives in Illyria. In "She's the Man," Viola's main motivation is to prove that she has what it takes to get on the all-male soccer team at Cornwall and live up to her former first-string position on the girls' soccer team. This element of competition is crucial in the progression of the story and helps to build the romance that is evident in both versions. Olivia is a very wealthy and beautiful young lady who ends up falling in love with Orsino's male identity, Cesario. In "She's the Man," Olivia is the lady of the house where Viola disguises herself as her brother. She quickly becomes the love interest of Duke, who is also in love with another girl. This complex love triangle involving the two girls posing as males builds an intriguing dynamic in both stories. In "Twelfth Night," Duke is a noble Orsino who has a passionate love for the countess Olivia. He employs Viola to help him win Olivia's love but unbeknownst to him, Olivia ends up falling in love with Viola's male identity. This causes problems between the two sisters and leads to a series of misunderstandings by many characters in the story. In the modern version, there is a Duke character who falls in love with the Olivia character but is a very minor character and does not compare to the complexity of the Duke character in "Twelfth Night." He is no love interest for Viola and is a self-centered jock whose only desire is to "get it on" with Olivia. Both versions contain the twins' complicated reunion and the unmasking of Viola's true identity, but the focus seems to steer away from the more comedic and intriguing aspects of the story in "Twelfth Night."

2.1. Comparison of main plotlines

Both the play and the film have main plotlines that are much the same. The two separate works share the same basic story line: a young woman disguises herself as a man in order to further her love with a man that she is infatuated with. Yet, both offer different elements that provide for a variety of different interpretations of the same story. In "Twelfth Night," Viola is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria and believes that her twin brother, Sebastian, is dead. In order to secure a job with Duke Orsino, she disguises herself as a eunuch named Cesario. The story continues with her serving the Duke and trying to woo him on behalf of her feminine self. This is quite different from "She's the Man," which is set in a modern-day high school. After finding out that the girls' soccer team has been cut from her school, Viola is inspired by her brother Sebastian to join the boys' team. However, he is not going to school and she can take his place. He shall be in London for a few weeks taking his band on a tour. Seeing it as an opportunity for her to show her skills as a soccer player, Viola agrees and requests his help in making her look like a guy and teaching her how to act like one.

2.2. Analysis of major characters

The protagonists of "Twelfth Night" and "She's the Man", Viola and Sebastian, are nearly identical. In "She's the Man", Viola is disguised as her brother Sebastian to prove that she can succeed in the male-dominant sport of soccer. In doing so, she takes her brother's position at Illyria Preparatory School in a last-ditch effort to beat the "snobby" and pretentious Cornwall school, championing her hope for a brighter soccer future. She is a clever, strong, and resolute figure, always pushing forth to accomplish her goals irrespective of the severe obstacles in her way. Her character in the movie reflects that of Viola in the play. Viola also has a great aspiration: to rise above her low-class status in Illyrian society. She has a fairly outgoing side shown through her quick wit and often sarcastic humor. This is then offset by her forlorn and very melancholic side thrust upon her after a grave shipwreck, where she presumes both her brother and herself dead. Her parallelism with Viola continues to grow more evident as she too assumes her brother's persona to make a living in a foreign place and ultimately provide for herself. Like "She's the Man", Viola also enters Duke Orsino's service, betting on a "disguise" to get closer to him, in efforts to change his love for Olivia to love for her. Both characters are very strong, resolute, and sly, always devising a plan and pushing forth to accomplish a goal.

2.3. Differences in supporting characters

In Twelfth Night, Viola lands in a city where she is virtually unknown. This works in stark contrast to She's the Man as Viola attends school pretending to be her brother Sebastian. Seemingly the most major character in Twelfth Night, Feste was the king's jester. Knowing Viola's true identity, he has the potential to turn the entire plot. Feste is also the first to meet Sebastian when he first comes to Illyria. In the movie, Feste is a very minor character with nothing more than a name borrowed from the play. He does not interact with Viola and is only seen as the DJ at the party at the debutante club. Malvolio is Olivia's steward in Twelfth Night. He goes out to "sicken of self love" in his mistress's desires to take care of Cesario, who he believes is his master Orsino. In the movie, Malvolio is played by the character Malcolm who falls in love with Olivia. His love for Olivia is similar in relation to the play, but in striking contrast. Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby Belch, expresses his love for partying by using a motto. In the Play acts 2:3 and 3:4 use of literary devices and prose mostly exhibited by Viola. In the movie, Sir Toby is seen as much less of a round character. It is not shown that he is Olivia's uncle, and the character constantly acts as a drunken fool. Twelfth Night has many other characters that are unidentifiable with the counterparts in She's the Man, such as Maria and Andrew, but these are the most distinguishable comparisons.

3. Themes and Interpretations

Shakespeare's play 'Twelfth Night' was written as a tribute to the feast of Epiphany. This marks the end of the traditional festive season and was chosen as it is a time of misrule and foolishness. The basis of the theme in the play is one of the main characters, Feste, and his opportunity to use his wit to take revenge on Malvolio. However, the theme of the play, Acts of Twelfth Night, is another example of the tradition where passengers pay shipmen to be seasick. Sir Toby Belch and Maria decide to trick Malvolio into thinking that he is mad. The best way to cure Olivia of her love for Cesario is to do the act of insanity to show that her love truly is insane. This results in Malvolio being locked up as the theme descends into absolute madness. The plan thought up by Sir Toby Belch, Andrew Aguecheek, Feste, and Maria is to convince Malvolio that he is possessed by convincing him to smile at all times, which is the complete opposite of his serious nature, and treating him with such disrespect in his cross-gartered yellow stockings. This act of deception continues until Malvolio convinces himself that he was never mad and always wise, and Olivia is persuaded that Cesario is the lunatic and Malvolio is still true to his nature.

3.1. Love and Identity

Identity is a fuzzy concept in both the play and the film. In both the play and the movie "Twelfth Night", Viola/Cesario assumes the identity of a male, although this is a much more comical coming about than in the film. Viola does it in order to secure a job with Duke Orsino, who has taken her in after she has been shipwrecked and thinks her brother is dead. In "She's the Man", Viola disguises herself as her twin brother Sebastian, who has run away to avoid going to Illyria Prep School. In both instances, Viola is trying to accomplish something that would be unlikely for a woman to do, like playing soccer in the movie and working for the Duke. Both times, by becoming a man, she is able to attain her goal. This shows that the theme of identity and roles in society has not been lost in the translation from play to movie. In fact, in "She's the Man", just about the entire plot revolves around who Viola is when she is pretending to be her brother. The only reason people fall in love with the right person is because of who they think Viola is at the time. This is particularly noticeable in the relationships between Viola and Duke in both the play and the movie. However, in "She's the Man", Duke only falls for Viola after he finds out she is not really a boy. This is in stark contrast to the play, where Cesario is actually Viola, and Orsino states that he shall continue to love Cesario until he finally realizes that she was, in fact, a woman.

3.2. Gender Roles and Stereotypes

There are two different sorts of women presented in both the play and movie. It gives not only a contrast between male and female, but a contrast of two different types of females. In the movie, the girls' school is presented where the girls are shown as tomboys. For instance, in the movie, Viola says: "In football, I believe you use the hands, not the hands and a tiny 40 pounds Italian begins to make a very clear case for himself" [Act II, scene I]. Viola is stating that women are weak players compared to men, and the same thing can be said for "She's the Man". "Unlike you, I don't walk in slow motion. These candy wrappers will help, and with my low center of gravity, I rarely get knocked off my feet," says Viola, a person then inserts playing football and says, "Guy: 'Hey, I want you to show up at halftime with your pads. I can hardly get the ball by the time you keep picking snacks.'" In comparison, there is Viola from the movie (cross-dressing), who is tough and resilient when she says: "Make me a willow cabin at your gate and call upon my soul within the house..." / "Give me to the boy." Viola from the play has a lot of manly qualities in her, which are elaborated by her attire and job role, etc. Both female characters that are cross-dressing have taken on a typical male role to achieve the feat of being close to the man they love.

3.3. Humor and Deception

In Shakespeare’s comedy, "Twelfth Night," deception and disguise are the keys to many problems. Beginning with Viola's decision to disguise herself as a young man, which creates a spiral of events including the fooling of Malvolio and the marriages of Olivia and Orsino. Viola’s disguise becomes increasingly masculine, which is a form of dramatic irony whereby she is in love with Orsino but cannot express her love due to her disguise as Cesario. This leads to many confusing situations whereby Olivia falls in love with 'Cesario' and at the same time Orsino’s complex for Olivia lessens as he has 'Cesario' over to express his love for her. All these situations can only end badly and they do until the truth of Viola's identity is revealed. This dramatic irony ensures a greater impact on the comedy as the audience is constantly aware of the situations arising whereas the characters are not. It is also debatable as to whether Viola’s disguise reflects gender roles and stereotypes at the time where she believes her real talent of courtship, words, and fighting will prove that a woman can do a man's job, addressing women's capabilities not to conform to their stereotypes. Comparing to the play, the movie “She’s the Man” also revolves around a female character named Viola who decides to disguise herself as a young man. In this case, the purpose remains the same; however, the main motive is to prove that a woman can be just as good as a man in the case of playing soccer. From the beginning, Viola’s mother does not believe that her daughter will be able to cope with the pressure of living up to a man’s standards in a boarding school that has just begun to accept females. Here, Viola believes that the only way to change her mother’s opinion is to become a man, and what better way to prove that she can be as good as any man than beating the boys' soccer team at their own game. This leads to comical scenes involving John, as she is constantly challenged by him and his arrogant behavior to a soccer duel. This can be seen as a comparison to the duel scene involving Aguecheek and Viola in Twelfth Night, and there are many more similarities between the two pieces. She’s the Man recalls the love triangle between Viola, Orsino, and Olivia of Twelfth Night as Duke has a growing affection for Viola and indirectly pushes her away due to his infatuation with Olivia. The purpose of these similarities in the film is unknown, yet they do relate to the issues of love and gender roles, spinning a modern interpretation of Twelfth Night's comedy with suitable changes.

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She's the Man vs. Twelfth Night

Favorite Quote: "Keep your fears to yourself, but share your inspiration with others." -Robert Louis Stevenson

Do you ever wonder how in the world the modern-day movie ‘She’s The Man’ could possibly be based off of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night? Well it is, mostly. Being a modernized version of the movie, it is alike and different in many ways. Their basic plot is very similar, as are most of the characters names. There are also small differences, such as Viola becoming Sebastian in She’s The Man, instead of Cesario. You may wonder how is She’s The Man’s plot anything like The Twelfth Night’s plot? Well, Duke Orsino, The Duke of Illyria in Twelfth Night and the soccer captain in She’s The Man, is in love with Olivia in both. Olivia falls in love with Viola, who was disguised as Cesario in Twelfth Night, and Sebastian, her twin brother in both movies, in She’s The Man. Also, in both the movie and play, Viola is in love with Duke, who thinks she’s a male in both. Another way the plots are alike is that, Duke Orsino enlists Viola, whether she be disguised as Sebastian or Cesario, to help her win Olivia’s heart, which was a mistake considering Olivia falls in love with the disguised Viola. Also, in She’s The Man and Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino ends up with Viola, and Sebastian ends up with Olivia. They all get their happy ending. Another thing that makes the plots similar is that when Olivia professes her love to the disguised Viola and kisses her, it’s really Sebastian, accidently run into her in both. Another way, is that Olivia is grieving in both movies and that’s why she doesn’t want to date Duke, but in She’s The Man, it’s over her ex-boyfriend who had just dumped her because they had a bad relationship, and in Twelfth Night it was because of her brother and father dying. One last example is that Olivia has a man trying to woo her in both the play and movie. In She’s The Man, it’s Malcolm Feste, and in Twelfth Night it’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek. So, yes in both movies the plot, and it’s love triangle is very similar. Another way you can tell She’s The Man and Twelfth Night are alike are the names used in the play and movie. Malvolio, who is Olivia’s steward in Twelfth Night, is also the name of Malcolm’s tarantula in She’s The Man. Feste, the clown in Twelfth Night, is also the last name of Malcolm in She’s The Man. Valentine, Duke Orsino’s page in Twelfth Night, is the last name of Monique, one of Viola’s friends in She’s The Man. Andrew and Toby, a man who loves Olivia and Olivia’s uncle in Twelfth Night, are the names of Duke Orsino’s soccer buddies in She’s The Man. Maria, Olivia’s woman in Twelfth Night, is the name of Olivia’s best friend in She’s The Man. Antonio, the sea captain in the Twelfth Night, is the last name of Paul, Viola’s friend who helps disguise her as a boy in She’s The Man. Orsino, Duke of Illyria in Twelfth Night, is simply Duke Orsino, the soccer captain, in She’s The Man. Duke being his first name and Orsino being his last name. Viola and Sebastian, twins in Twelfth Night, are also twins in She’s The Man. They keep the same names. Olivia, the countess Duke Orsino is infatuated with in Twelfth Night, is Olivia, a simple girl at their high school who Duke Orsino likes and has a huge crush on her in She’s The Man. The writers of She’s The Man found many ways to incorporate the names from Twelfth Night into their movie. There are also many small references and likenesses to Twelfth Night in She’s The Man. One example, is when Viola, disguised as her twin brother Sebastian, walks through the Illyria Prep campus for the first time in She’s The Man, she passes a bulletin board that is advertising the school’s production of What You Will, the other name for Twelfth Night. Another example is that the pizza parlor where all the teenagers from Illyria Prep like to hang out in She’s The Man, is called Cesario’s, which is Viola’s alias in Twelfth Night. Also, Duke says the famous Shakespearean quote, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them!” (II. V. 129-130.) This is a popular saying from Twelfth Night. The quote was in the letter Malvolio read, which he thought was from Olivia, but was actually from Maria, who waned him to think it was from Olivia. Another way, and an obvious way, is that in Twelfth Night, Illyria, the name of the high school in She’s The Man, is also the name of the land where Twelfth Night is set. Also, Cornwall, the name of Viola and Sebastian’s former school in She’s The Man, is the country were Viola and Sebastian were originally from in Twelfth Night. One last small example, is that, In She’s The Man, Sebastian is returning home from London on the Twelfth, and it’s supposed to reflect on the name of the play She’s The Man was based off of, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. There are also quite a few differences between She’s The Man and Twelfth Night. Such as, in Twelfth Night, Viola discovers that Olivia fancies her, well her disguised self, in different ways. In Twelfth Night she figures it out when Malvolio giver her the ring that Olivia insists that the disguised Viola gave her, but Viola did not. We find out Viola’s realization in the soliloquy, “I am the man.” I left no ring with her. What means this lady?Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her.She made good view of me; indeed, so muchThat, as methought, her eyes had lost her tongue,For she did speak in starts distractedly.She loves me sure; the cunning of her passionInvites me in this churlish messenger.None of my lord's ring? Why, he sent her none.I am the man. If it be so, as 'tis,Poor lady, she were better love a dream.Disguise, I see thou art a wickednessWherein the pregnant enemy does much.How easy is it for the proper falseIn women's waxen hearts to set their forms!Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we,For such as we are made of, such we be.How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly;And I (poor monster) fond as much on him;And she (mistaken) seems to dote on me.What will become of this? As I am man,My state is desperate for my master's love.As I am woman (now alas the day!),What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe?O Time, thou must untangle this, not I;It is too hard a knot for me t' untie. (II. ii. 14-30) Whereas in She’s The Man, we see Viola’s realization about Olivia fancying her disguised self when Viola, as herself not Sebastian, is talking to Olivia in the restroom at a party, and Olivia confesses that she has a huge ‘thing’ for Sebastian, and instead of the soliloquy in Twelfth Night, they do a modern twist where Viola thinks about it in a shocked, wordless state, in which she stares in a mirror, touches her face and smiles, before realizing just how wrong all of this is, and what a mess she is in. Another way is in Twelfth Night, Viola uses Cesario as her alias, becoming a whole new person, instead of becoming her brother. In She’s The Man, Viola dresses as her own twin brother Sebastian, which nobody at Illyria Prep had seen before. Another good example is that in Twelfth Night, Olivia wasn’t communicating with men because it was her way of grieving over the loss of her father and brother. In She’s The Man, she had just gotten over a bad relationship and didn’t want to be hurt again. In She’s The Man, Sebastian is away at a gig for his band in London, whereas in Twelfth Night, Sebastian went missing at sea and was thought by Viola to be dead. Another example, is that in She’s The Man, they put a comedic twist on the ending when all the drama unfolds, marking out the darker tones of the ending in Twelfth Night. So yes, obviously, She’s The Man is much more modern than Twelfth Night, and keeps almost none of the same script, except the basic plot, the main characters names, and a few quotes here and there. Many reviews from She’s The Man say it is and is not a good Twelfth Night teen picture. Such as Roger Egbert. I didn't for one second believe the plot of She's the Man, but Idid believe for the entire movie that Amanda Bynes was lovable.She plays a girl who pretends to be a boy in order to playsoccer. That this story is recycled from Shakespeare's TwelfthNight is something I report right here at the top so that wecan work together to put it out of our minds. (Roger Egbert,She’s The Man) Roger Egbert also says, Bynes plays Viola, the twin sister of Sebastian (James Kirk),who at the start of the movie conveniently sneaks away to Londonfor two weeks without telling anybody. This is much easier onViola than the Shakespeare version, in which she fears herbrother has perished at sea. (Roger Egbert, She’s The Man.) There are many reviewers who would agree with him, but also many that would disagree. Jeremy C. Fox says that, “And now the writers of 10 Things, Karen McCullah Lutz andKirsten Smith, are back to prove once again their ability toread Cliffs Notes, this time as co-writers (with Ewan Leslie) ofan adaptation of Twelfth Night, starring a couple of TVactresses as Viola and Olivia and an Abercrombie & Fitch modelas Orsino. Like I said, I’m not so sure what this says aboutShakespeare’s work.” (Jeremy C. Fox, Those That Are Fools, LetThem Use Their Talents.)So yes, She’s The Man is based off of Twelfth Night in many ways, but it also mocks and plays with the meaning of the play quite a bit. It also is very different, in small and large ways, considering the time different between the play and movie. If you really want to know how, pick up a copy of the play, read it, and watch the movie yourself. Works Cited Shakespeare, William, and Alan Durband. Twelfth Night, Or, What You Will: Modern English Version Side-by-side with Full Original Text. Woodbury, N.Y.: Barron's, 1985. Print. She's the Man. Dir. Andy Fickman. Prod. Lauren Shuler-Donner and Ewan Leslie. By Ewan Leslie. Perf. Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, and Laura Ramsey. DreamWorks Distribution LLC, 2006. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Essay, Summary, Quotes and Character Analysis." Absolute Shakespeare – Plays, Quotes, Summaries, Essays... Web. 17 May 2010.<http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/twelfth_night/twelfth_night.htm> . Bloom, Harold. William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Print. "She's the Man :: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews." Rogerebert.com :: Movie Reviews, Essays and the Movie Answer Man from Film Critic Roger Ebert. Web. 20 May 2010.<http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/REV IEWS/60314005>. "She's the Man | Pajiba - Scathing Reviews for Bitchy People." Pajiba - Scathing Reviews for Bitchy People (Reviews, Trailers, News, and Booze). Web. 20 May 2010.<http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/shes-the-man.php>

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She's the Man vs. Twelfth Night

Do you ever wonder how in the world the modern-day movie ‘She’s The Man’ could possibly be based off of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night? Well it is, mostly. Being a modernized version of the movie, it is alike and different in many ways.

Their basic plot is very similar, as are most of the characters names. There are also small differences, such as Viola becoming Sebastian in She’s The Man, instead of Cesario. You may wonder how is She’s The Man’s plot anything like The Twelfth Night’s plot? Well, Duke Orsino, The Duke of Illyria in Twelfth Night and the soccer captain in She’s The Man, is in love with Olivia in both. Olivia falls in love with Viola, who was disguised as Cesario in Twelfth Night, and Sebastian, her twin brother in both movies, in She’s The Man. Also, in both the movie and play, Viola is in love with Duke, who thinks she’s a male in both. Another way the plots are alike is that, Duke Orsino enlists Viola, whether she be disguised as Sebastian or Cesario, to help her win Olivia’s heart, which was a mistake considering Olivia falls in love with the disguised Viola.

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Also, in She’s The Man and Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino ends up with Viola, and Sebastian ends up with Olivia. They all get their happy ending. Another thing that makes the plots similar is that when Olivia professes her love to the disguised Viola and kisses her, it’s really Sebastian, accidently run into her in both. Another way, is that Olivia is grieving in both movies and that’s why she doesn’t want to date Duke, but in She’s The Man, it’s over her ex-boyfriend who had just dumped her because they had a bad relationship, and in Twelfth Night it was because of her brother and father dying. One last example is that Olivia has a man trying to woo her in both the play and movie.

In She’s The Man, it’s Malcolm Feste, and in Twelfth Night it’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek. So, yes in both movies the plot, and it’s love triangle is very similar. Another way you can tell She’s The Man and Twelfth Night are alike are the names used in the play and movie. Malvolio, who is Olivia’s steward in Twelfth Night, is also the name of Malcolm’s tarantula in She’s The Man. Feste, the clown in Twelfth Night, is also the last name of Malcolm in She’s The Man.

Valentine, Duke Orsino’s page in Twelfth Night, is the last name of Monique, one of Viola’s friends in She’s The Man. Andrew and Toby, a man who loves Olivia and Olivia’s uncle in Twelfth Night, are the names of Duke Orsino’s soccer buddies in She’s The Man. Maria, Olivia’s woman in Twelfth Night, is the name of Olivia’s best friend in She’s The Man. Antonio, the sea captain in the Twelfth Night, is the last name of Paul, Viola’s friend who helps disguise her as a boy in She’s The Man. Orsino, Duke of Illyria in Twelfth Night, is simply Duke Orsino, the soccer captain, in She’s The Man.

Duke being his first name and Orsino being his last name. Viola and Sebastian, twins in Twelfth Night, are also twins in She’s The Man. They keep the same names. Olivia, the countess Duke Orsino is infatuated with in Twelfth Night, is Olivia, a simple girl at their high school who Duke Orsino likes and has a huge crush on her in She’s The Man. The writers of She’s The Man found many ways to incorporate the names from Twelfth Night into their movie.

There are also many small references and likenesses to Twelfth Night in She’s The Man. One example, is when Viola, disguised as her twin brother Sebastian, walks through the Illyria Prep campus for the first time in She’s The Man, she passes a bulletin board that is advertising the school’s production of What You Will, the other name for Twelfth Night. Another example is that the pizza parlor where all the teenagers from Illyria Prep like to hang out in She’s The Man, is called Cesario’s, which is Viola’s alias in Twelfth Night. Also, Duke says the famous Shakespearean quote, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them!” (II. V.

129-130.) This is a popular saying from Twelfth Night. The quote was in the letter Malvolio read, which he thought was from Olivia, but was actually from Maria, who waned him to think it was from Olivia. Another way, and an obvious way, is that in Twelfth Night, Illyria, the name of the high school in She’s The Man, is also the name of the land where Twelfth Night is set. Also, Cornwall, the name of Viola and Sebastian’s former school in She’s The Man, is the country were Viola and Sebastian were originally from in Twelfth Night.

One last small example, is that, In She’s The Man, Sebastian is returning home from London on the Twelfth, and it’s supposed to reflect on the name of the play She’s The Man was based off of, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. There are also quite a few differences between She’s The Man and Twelfth Night. Such as, in Twelfth Night, Viola discovers that Olivia fancies her, well her disguised self, in different ways. In Twelfth Night she figures it out when Malvolio giver her the ring that Olivia insists that the disguised Viola gave her, but Viola did not. We find out Viola’s realization in the soliloquy, “I am the man.

” I left no ring with her. What means this lady?Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her.She made good view of me; indeed, so muchThat, as methought, her eyes had lost her tongue,For she did speak in starts distractedly.She loves me sure; the cunning of her passionInvites me in this churlish messenger.None of my lord’s ring? Why, he sent her none.I am the man.

If it be so, as ’tis,Poor lady, she were better love a dream.Disguise, I see thou art a wickednessWherein the pregnant enemy does much.How easy is it for the proper falseIn women’s waxen hearts to set their forms!Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we,For such as we are made of, such we be.How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly;And I (poor monster) fond as much on him;And she (mistaken) seems to dote on me.What will become of this? As I am man,My state is desperate for my master’s love.

As I am woman (now alas the day!),What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe?O Time, thou must untangle this, not I;It is too hard a knot for me t’ untie. (II. ii. 14-30) Whereas in She’s The Man, we see Viola’s realization about Olivia fancying her disguised self when Viola, as herself not Sebastian, is talking to Olivia in the restroom at a party, and Olivia confesses that she has a huge ‘thing’ for Sebastian, and instead of the soliloquy in Twelfth Night, they do a modern twist where Viola thinks about it in a shocked, wordless state, in which she stares in a mirror, touches her face and smiles, before realizing just how wrong all of this is, and what a mess she is in. Another way is in Twelfth Night, Viola uses Cesario as her alias, becoming a whole new person, instead of becoming her brother. In She’s The Man, Viola dresses as her own twin brother Sebastian, which nobody at Illyria Prep had seen before.

Another good example is that in Twelfth Night, Olivia wasn’t communicating with men because it was her way of grieving over the loss of her father and brother. In She’s The Man, she had just gotten over a bad relationship and didn’t want to be hurt again. In She’s The Man, Sebastian is away at a gig for his band in London, whereas in Twelfth Night, Sebastian went missing at sea and was thought by Viola to be dead. Another example, is that in She’s The Man, they put a comedic twist on the ending when all the drama unfolds, marking out the darker tones of the ending in Twelfth Night. So yes, obviously, She’s The Man is much more modern than Twelfth Night, and keeps almost none of the same script, except the basic plot, the main characters names, and a few quotes here and there.

Many reviews from She’s The Man say it is and is not a good Twelfth Night teen picture. Such as Roger Egbert. I didn’t for one second believe the plot of She’s the Man, but Idid believe for the entire movie that Amanda Bynes was lovable.She plays a girl who pretends to be a boy in order to playsoccer. That this story is recycled from Shakespeare’s TwelfthNight is something I report right here at the top so that wecan work together to put it out of our minds. (Roger Egbert,She’s The Man) Roger Egbert also says, Bynes plays Viola, the twin sister of Sebastian (James Kirk),who at the start of the movie conveniently sneaks away to Londonfor two weeks without telling anybody.

This is much easier onViola than the Shakespeare version, in which she fears herbrother has perished at sea. (Roger Egbert, She’s The Man.) There are many reviewers who would agree with him, but also many that would disagree. Jeremy C. Fox says that, “And now the writers of 10 Things, Karen McCullah Lutz andKirsten Smith, are back to prove once again their ability toread Cliffs Notes, this time as co-writers (with Ewan Leslie) ofan adaptation of Twelfth Night, starring a couple of TVactresses as Viola and Olivia and an Abercrombie & Fitch modelas Orsino. Like I said, I’m not so sure what this says aboutShakespeare’s work.

” (Jeremy C. Fox, Those That Are Fools, LetThem Use Their Talents.)So yes, She’s The Man is based off of Twelfth Night in many ways, but it also mocks and plays with the meaning of the play quite a bit. It also is very different, in small and large ways, considering the time different between the play and movie. If you really want to know how, pick up a copy of the play, read it, and watch the movie yourself. Works Cited Shakespeare, William, and Alan Durband.

Twelfth Night, Or, What You Will: Modern English Version Side-by-side with Full Original Text. Woodbury, N.Y.: Barron’s, 1985. Print.

She’s the Man. Dir. Andy Fickman. Prod. Lauren Shuler-Donner and Ewan Leslie.

By Ewan Leslie. Perf. Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, and Laura Ramsey. DreamWorks Distribution LLC, 2006. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Essay, Summary, Quotes and Character Analysis.” Absolute Shakespeare – Plays, Quotes, Summaries, Essays.

.. Web. 17 May 2010.<http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/twelfth_night/twelfth_night.

htm> . Bloom, Harold. William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Print. “She’s the Man :: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews.” Rogerebert.com :: Movie Reviews, Essays and the Movie Answer Man from Film Critic Roger Ebert. Web. 20 May 2010.<http://rogerebert.

suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/REV IEWS/60314005>. “She’s the Man | Pajiba – Scathing Reviews for Bitchy People.” Pajiba – Scathing Reviews for Bitchy People (Reviews, Trailers, News, and Booze). Web.

20 May 2010.<http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/shes-the-man.php>

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Compare and Contrast Essay: Twelfth Night vs. She’s The Man

She’s the Man is based on Twelfth Night, and they have many similarities but also have differences. Their main plots are fairly similar, as are the names of the majority of the characters. There are also slight variations, such as Viola's transformation into Sebastian instead of Cesario in She's The Man. In both Twelfth Night and She's The Man, Orsino in Twelfth Night and the soccer captain in She's The Man are both in love with Olivia. In She's The Man, Olivia falls in love with Viola who played Cesario in Twelfth Night, and Sebastian her twin brother in both. Viola is also in love with Orsino in both the movie and the play, who believes she is a man in both.

One of the main themes in both of these are mirror images and that the world is upside down. Even though the fool is absolutely wrong about Sebastian's identity, he is entirely correct in his evaluation of the world. "Nothing that is so is so," he adds, and he is perfectly correct. The fight with Sir Andrew and Olivia's conversation are two further instances of how the mirror images are evenly distributed throughout the play. Viola is torn between two identities at the start of She's the Man. She is not able to try out for the guys' soccer team. 

She isn't feminine enough to be good at something girly so she wants to try out for soccer. Viola is able to combine the two parts of her identity throughout the film by acquiring the character of Sebastian. She takes his role and gets to play on the soccer team and by the end everyone realizes how good she is. She not only wins the soccer game, but she also enters into the debutante ball with her boyfriend. She's the man examines how high school students cope with the combination of sexual identity hobbies and heterosexuality.

Instead of becoming her brother Viola takes on the identity of Cesario in Twelfth Night and becomes a completely different person. Viola dresses up as her own twin brother Sebastian in She's The Man, something no one at Illyria Prep had ever seen before. Olivia also refused to communicate with boys in Twelfth Night since it was her method of dealing with the death of her father and brother. She recently had been in a terrible relationship in She's The Man and didn't want to be broken again. Sebastian is in London for a performance with his band in She's the Man, although, in Twelfth Night, Sebastian went missing at sea and was presumed dead by Viola.

Viola finds in Twelfth Night that Olivia is in love with her, or rather her disguised self, in a variety of ways. She figures it out in Twelfth Night when Malvolio hands her the ring Olivia thinks the disguised Viola gave her, but Viola did not. Instead of the soliloquy in Twelfth Night, they do a modern twist where Viola thinks about it in a surprised. She is in a speechless state she stares at herself in the mirror and touches her face, she smiles until she realizes how wrong the whole situation and everything is.

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Shakespeare on Film ENG 394

Examining parody, summarized, educational, appropriated,adapted, abridged versions of the Bard's work

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Final analysis twelfth night vs she's the man: appropriation vs adaptation, no comments:, post a comment.