Close Reads Podcast Twelfth Night: Act 5
Dec 22, 2017
They debate the play's abrupt, single-scene ending and whether its rapid wrap-up feels comic or cruel. They question unresolved threads like Malvolio, Toby, and Andrew and whether social repair truly occurs. They weigh the play's fixed characters and screwball form against earned transformation. They end by reading Feste's closing poem as a jaded commentary on maturity and pleasure.
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Sudden Comedy Resolutions
- Shakespeare often ends comedies with a rapid, almost miraculous untangling rather than slow moral transformation.
- This sudden resolution can feel disorienting because it leaves little time for character growth or catharsis.
Ambiguous Endings Intend Reflection
- Twelfth Night leaves many moral and social threads intentionally unresolved at the end.
- That ambiguity forces the audience to decide whether characters like Viola, Sebastian, or Malvolio will truly change.
Malvolio's Dignity Depends On Performance
- Angelina says she isn't a fan of Malvolio but notes Charles Lamb praised his dignity in the final speech.
- She argues actor choices shape whether Malvolio appears dignified or vengeful at the close.
