Twelfth Night: Dude Looks Like a Lady

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To this day, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night remains one of his most widely read, performed and adored comedies. Wonder if it has something to do with the cross-dressing.

Seriously. There is a lot of cross-dressing in this one. Yes, true, it's only one character who does the dressing up, but it's a pretty central point of focus, and when you also consider that the women were all played by men in the first place in Shakespeare's time, you have a truly confusing (albeit entertaining) scenario. The issue stands out even more because plays about cross-dressing were simply not done back then. (Again - interesting, since half the actors on stage in any play during that time were cross-dressing.)

It was feared by certain members of the community that the very act of dressing in the clothing of the opposite gender would turn women into hermaphrodites. (There's a vocab word that may pop up on your PSAT.) Yeah, we're sure there were a lot of actual case studies of that happening for them to draw from. Nevertheless, the subject matter and treatment of it were frowned upon and heavily criticized, which probably thrilled Shakespeare, as he was such a controversy enthusiast.

Of course, today we all know the real truth, and that is that cross-dressing is just plain funny. No offense to the thousands of people who dress that way for reals - we're just referring to the comedic use of transvestism as applied in popular culture. Monty Python and Benny Hill figured it out, and in more recent years there have been such films as The Hot Chick, White Chicks and She's the Man (instant classics all of them) that have employed cross-dressing for humorous purposes. (She's the Man, by the way, was actually a modern retelling of - you guessed it - Twelfth Night.) You practically need to be an AP Calculus stud just to keep track of how many cross-dressing references there are in contemporary television and film. (Okay, so counting doesn't really entail having to know any calculus - you'll please forgive us for our hyperbole.)

But it must have been even funnier in Shakespeare's time, because there was that added 'should we be laughing at this?' vibe going on. Ah yes - he was the South Park of his generation. The playwright was no stranger to venturing into taboo or unexplored territory (that's one of the reasons he's the best!). Many of his female characters (such as Lady Macbeth and Kate in The Taming of the Shrew) were intelligent and strong-minded - something else that wasn't really being done. Romeo and Juliet was the first love story to be referred to as a tragedy, and his portrayal of certain historical figures came under fire as well.

So what have we learned? Well, that controversy is funny, obviously! Ever heard Robert Downey Jr.'s well-known speech in Tropic Thunder, or seen Borat or Knocked Up? If so, you'll know what we mean.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Twelfth Night, AP Calculus, and PSAT. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Life Is Not Futile If You Are Not Macbeth: You Have More Than One Chance on the SAT

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Although Macbeth is not exactly an idol for the ages, given that he committed murder in a crazed pursuit of power, he certainly does have some notable words to impart through the illustrious voice of Shakespeare. Catch this monologue:

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing (5.5.2)

In a nutshell, he is saying: ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Way before his time, Shakespeare in Macbeth created a nihilistic character far before the concept of nihilism came into being. While Macbeth's message is that life has no significance, he certainly utters the words in a significant way. At times in the play, we do not know if events are really happening, or the products of Macbeth's mind. We arrive so deep into his subconscious that his conflict becomes our conflict, no matter how horrific or unbelievable his actions are on the surface. It is much like the film American Psycho, in which we follow the logic of a serial killer. Although senselessly horrific, the film guiltily makes sense as it fascinatingly leads us into the depths of Christian Bale's twisted mind.

Macbeth speaks this monologue upon hearing word of his wife's death. He has plunged so far into regret that he shows no grief for her passing. Ironically, his wife often lit a candle when committing an illicit act, trying to bring light to a dark deed to justify her actions. Macbeth now sees the futility of her measures, just as he now believes in the futility of life. Faulkner was so taken aback by this monologue, that he took the phrase "the sound and the fury", and turned it into the title of one of his most famous novels. Upon accepting the Nobel prize, he alluded to the last line of this quote from Macbeth, asserting that life is neither worth living, nor writing about, if one does not explore universal truths. In other words, Macbeth became an idiot whose life signified nothing in the fictional universe, but is of great significance for the reader. His vie for power was but a stage play of a poor actor whose fame extinguishes quickly. Although Macbeth's descent into evil lead to his untimely end, his character has eternal significance: life is short.

Luckily for the rest of us, we in most cases have many chances to get it right, not just one. Life may be short, but it is certainly not futile when you make the most of it. This extends to the SAT. The test will not make or break you, since you have ample time and opportunities to practice. You just need to embrace them. In other words, if you did not do as well as you expected on the PSAT, the candle has not burnt out. It only means that instead of believing that you are controlled by the fates, as Macbeth mistakenly does, study, and you will certainly realize that willpower and hard work is the key to a prosperous future.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include SAT, PSAT, and ACT Prep. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.