SHAKESPEARE TODAY AND

HIS THEMES 12TH NIGHT

Digital essay

Introduction
A classic is a book that has never finished saying what
it has to say.
Italo Calvino, The Uses of Literature
Shakespeare is accredited with writing many literary
classics, most of which are still commonly read today. His
plays and poems are used in modern classrooms,
teaching youth about the timeless values within them.
The main reason Shakespeares plays are still relevant
today, is due to the countless themes within his works
that are still seen today. These themes are especially
clear, in a notable one Shakespeares plays, What You
Will or Twelfth Night. The themes I found most the
compelling and relevant to todays society are, the perils
of ambition, class and how it relates to respect, and
deception. The use of these themes is what tethers
Shakespeare to modern life, and explains his prevalence
in todays classrooms and society.

AMBITIONS EVIL
First off, throughout Twelfth Night, Malvolios ambition is quite
clear (2.5.30) To be Count Malvolio! with him fantasizing about
being a Count, rather than a lowly servant. He has this desire to
continuously improve his estate, which isnt quite found with any
other character in the play. This ambition leads him to be cold
and rude, because all he seeks, is to improve himself, other
peoples emotions dont factor in. This blind ambition and
ambivalence to the other characters emotions, lead Maria and
Toby to fool Malvolio, get him committed, and thrown into a dark
prison cell. Malvolio suffers immensely simply because he was
more focused on his ambition that with being nice. We see
Malvolios sort of blind ambition, reflected in modern media. A
good example of this presence of blind ambition is in the Netflix
series, House of Cards. Throughout the show, we see the
protagonist, Frank, struggle for power, and his raw ambition to
become the president of the United States. In his quest for
power, Frank commits morally reprehensible acts, to achieve his
goals. Each time Frank seeks to rise up, he is seemingly brought
back down with misfortune, as if it was karma. Although House

THE COST OF RESPECT

Secondly, Twelfth Night makes many allusions to class
and status, and the respect they should command.
Maria jokes at Andrews expense, (1.3.78) Ay, sir, I have
them [jests] at my fingers' ends. Marry, now I let go your
hand, I am barren. this shows just how little Maria,
along with other characters respect Andrew. Despite
Andrews rank and status, of being a noble knight, he is
still a fool, and the other characters certainly see this.
On the other side, Feste is very well respected, despite
being a lowly fool, (3.1.61-62) This fellow is wise
enough to play the fool, And to do that well craves a
kind of wit. Both these examples show that Class
doesnt equal respect, which was true in the play Twelfth
Night as well as today. Respect today, is often given to
those of prove themselves worthy of it, whether its
through education, or having a noble profession. A clear
example of this respect is of people who enter the
military. People from all socioeconomic classes, races,

WEB OF
LIES
Finally, over the course of the play, Viola is disguised
as Cesario, a man. This lie complicates Violas life
further when, she falls in love with Orsino, and Oliva
falls in love with her as Cesario. Viola begs (2.3.40-41)
O Time, thou must untangle this, not I. It is too hard a
knot for me t untie. because her problems cant be
solved by taking off her disguise anymore, theyre
grown too complex. Viola has caught herself in an
elaborate lie, of which there is no easy way out of.
Telling lies today can still lead to the same
complexities. A real-life example of this is Lewinsky
scandal, in which President Clinton lied about having
extramarital affairs with Monica Lewinsky, leading to
his impeachment. If he had told the truth, he might not
have lost the presidency. This shows the consequences
of lying, of which we all know too well, and how even
today lying can create devastating intricacies.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion Shakespeare is still relevant today,
due to the many themes his work presents, and
how many of them are still present to this day.
The theme of ambition brings up how pure
ambition can be an overwhelming force, letting it
consume you can have repercussions.
Shakespeares use of class as a theme, shows us
the dichotomy between respect and class. Lastly
the theme deception, shows that lies can become
increasingly intricate and complex, with or
without our knowledge. Overall, Shakespeares
work has had a lasting influence on todays
culture and society. His work stands the test of
time due to the themes that were found in his
work, and how they still are, and will always be,
present in our society.

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