Twelfth Night | Criticism

This literature criticism consists of approximately 2 pages of analysis & critique of Twelfth Night.

Twelfth Night | Criticism

This literature criticism consists of approximately 2 pages of analysis & critique of Twelfth Night.
This section contains 397 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Critical Review by Michael Billington

SOURCE: A review of Twelfth Night in Manchester Guardian, August 23, 1974, p. 12.

Peter Gill made his name as a director with his meticulously realistic productions of D. H. Lawrence; yet paradoxically his Stratford production of Twelfth Night (his first for the RSC) seems curiously short on social and human detail. It is intelligent, well spoken and boasts a superlative Malvolio in Nicol Williamson; but at the moment it looks more like an X-ray plate of the play than the living article itself.

The dominant image is of a nonethereal bisexuality. William Dudley's plain box set confronts us throughout with a sketch of an ambisextrous Narcissus figure gazing into a pool; and there is nothing at all equivocal about the physical relationships. Orsino hugs Cesario to his breast with rapturous abandon: Antonio is plainly Sebastian's longtime boy friend: and Viola all but tears her hair in anguish at Olivia's unfulfilled...

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This section contains 397 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Critical Review by Michael Billington
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Critical Review by Michael Billington from Gale. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.