ABSTRACT

The beginnings of comedies usually involve an unexpected accident, which brings the heroes and heroines to a brand new place, accompanied by a succession of delightful surprises. Twelfth Night is the most blithesome of comedies, because it results from a shipwreck for which no one is to blame, and it is the harmless shipwreck that delivers the twin brother and sister to the unknown Illyria. A comedy named Twelfth Night is certainly related to the festival of the same name. During Carnival, there is no eternal or indisputable truth. Carnival is hostile to anything that is complete and immortalized. Carnival is a kind of play in itself: a play with no actors or spectators but a play for those who live in it, playing out a life they wish for. Carnival is an entire stage where the distinction of reality from ideals disappears. Life is full of wonders – this is Carnival.