Twelfth Night – Summative Essay
Due: Monday, December 14th (ODD) and Tuesday, December 15th (EVEN)
You will have three days in the computer lab to complete this Summative
Essay. If you are absent on any given lab day, it is your responsibility to
work on the essay outside of school. Even though you are being given days
in the lab to write, it is the expectation that you will work on this outside of
school. Please choose from the following four options:
1. M.O.A.I.: Crossing the Line Between Joking and Bullying: The joke played on Malvolio by
Maria, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian is designed to be embarrassing, degrading, and public.
It is designed to “put him in his place” because they are tired of his arrogance and the way he
treats them. This is a prank that gets out of control. Although audiences laugh at this joke at
Malvolio’s expense, explain how this prank can definitely be considered bullying.
First Body Paragraph: For which THREE reasons do these characters “bully” Malvolio?
Second Body Paragraph: Which THREE ways do these characters “bully” Malvolio?
Third Body Paragraph: What are THREE affects that the “bullying” has on Malvolio?.
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2. Rise and Fall: The Criticism and Satire of Foils: In your kitchen, a piece of aluminum foil has a
shiny side and a dull side. A person’s eyes are immediately drawn to the shiny side, the side that
is the best option. In Literature, a foil is a character designed to complement another character
in the same situation. Both endure a similar conflict with similar resources, but one handles the
conflict more effectively than the other; in effect, one emerges as the shiny side to be admired.
For example, Olivia and Viola have both lost their brothers and fathers, so they are foils for
each other. Other possible foil combinations include Roderigo (Sebastian) and Cesario (Viola),
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, Orsino and Cesario, and all of Olivia’s suitors versus Cesario.
First Body Paragraph: Name one set of foil characters and give THREE reasons why.
Second Body Paragraph: Name a second set of foil characters and give THREE reasons
why.
Third Body Paragraph: Name a third set of foil characters and give THREE reasons why.
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3. Straight Talk: The Truthfulness of the Fool: Feste is the one character in Twelfth Night that
continuously tells the truth through song and entertainment; however, his role as a fool
discredits his claims. Olivia admits that, “There is no slander in an allowed fool” (I.v.94). Feste is
“allowed” to speak to his superiors the way the he does because it is his job.
First Body Paragraph: Name THREE times throughout the play that Feste tells the truth,
when no other character will.
Second Body Paragraph: Which THREE characters approve of Feste’s honesty. Why?
Third Body Paragraph: Which THREE times does Feste admit that he has gone too far?
Why?
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4. I Love You, No You Don’t: The Role of Courtly Love: The process of “wooing” a love interest
was not as easy, or as simple, as it is today. Courtly Love required honor, courage, faithfulness,
and courtesy to ladies. Orsino’s love for Olivia is not sincere or genuine. It is, in fact, following
the rules of Courtly Love. A PowerPoint on “courtly love” is on the wiki and will also be
discussed in class.
First Body Paragraph: Which THREE ways are Orsino’s love for Olivia courtly love instead
of romantic love?
Second Body Paragraph: Which THREE ways are Olivia’s love for Cesario courtly love
instead of romantic love?
Third Body Paragraph: Which couple in the play exhibits romantic love instead of courtly
love? What are THREE scenes/plot twists/character admissions that let the reader know
this?
Checklist for Success:
___ Am I using textual evidence for EVERY claim?
___ Am I italicizing Twelfth Night because it is a name of a play? In my
TAG, did I acknowledge that it is a play by William Shakespeare?
___ Are my three body paragraphs aligned with the three components
of the prompt?
___ Am I citing lines from the play in MLA format? (Act, Scene, Line
Number[s]) For example: “There is no slander in an allowed fool”
(I.v.94).
___ Is my essay formatted in MLA format? Correct heading? Clever
Title? Double-Spaced?
___ Am I using my transitions packet? Am I using my essay notes in my
Interactive Notebook? Am I using my past essays for a reference?
___ Am I consistently referring back to the PURPOSE of my essay? For
example, am I consistently referring back to “courtly love plays an
important role in the way the characters woo one another in Twelfth
Night?”
___ Am I writing in Present Tense?
___ Have I removed all State of Being Verbs?
___ Am I writing in third person?
___ If I use TWO lines from the play, am I placing a backslash between
the lines? (e.g. “I don't know how or when,/no they were not voices,
they were not” (Neruda 4-5).)
___ Am I using elements of voice, domain vocabulary, and strong
vocabulary?
___ Do I have a STRONG Introduction (Hook, Thesis) and a STRONGER
Conclusion (Restated Thesis, Proof of Thesis, Final Hook or Call to
Action)?