Character Analysis

First off, it's important to realize that Shakespeare's work in general has gone through many makeovers since the time they were first released until now. If Central Washington University plans to put on "Twelfth Night", there will need to be a lot of consideration put in to making sure that the younger demographic at the school find the show relatable, entertaining and interesting. There have been adaptations that have changed the setting, the time period, etc. Therefore, the characters have been through many changes as well. The two main characters I would like to take focus on are Viola and Sebastian; the twins. According to Ed Friedlander, M.D. "Sebastian is a man of action and strong feeling, loving his sister, ready to fight, self-effacing, and solicitous for Antonio's welfare. He is clear-headed even when nothing seems to make sense, and he welcomes the happiness that Olivia offers. Actually, everything we see about both of the twins is likable."


VIOLA
Viola could be seen as a Tom-Boy, seeing as how she is willing to dress as a man on a day to day basis and clearly is able to pass herself off as one believably. However, there is another option that you could possibly go with, which would add to the comedic element of the show, and that is to make her girly and allow us to see her struggle with fitting into the male role she is trying to fill. How many times could she possibly slip out of character, and then catch herself in panic?

SEBASTIAN
Sebastian gives the actor portraying him an excellent opportunity for a really fun role. He is often played down quite a bit, because he doesn't come into the show until much later. But this role could really be playboy. As someone who agrees to marry someone within moments after meeting them because they are wealthy and beautiful says a lot about the Sebastian's character. 

Sebastian (left) and Viola (right) in the film version of 'Twelfth Night'

In the film "She's the Man" (directed by Andy Fickman), a modern-day adaptation of the play, Sebastian is an irrisponsible teenager who runs away to England to escape having to go to a private school. All he wanted was to live without responsibility and scam on girls. He dated girls who were rich and beautiful, dumped them, and then moved on to other women that were also rich and beautiful.

Often these days Shakespeare can be done quite lifelessly because all of his shows have been done so many times that all originality is lost. A show as lively and funny as "Twelfth Night" has so much potential to make an impact. The underlying theme of the play is love: being in love with someone who loves someone else and just wanting to see them happy. This is a common part of life and therefore this play could be made very appealing to a young audience at CWU if the director had a clear vision.

Friedlander, M.D., Ed. "Enjoying "Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare." Pathology Guy n. pag. Web. 10 Mar 2011.