How does Shakespeare make use of comic conventions in Twelfth Night?

Comic conventions are utilised in a number of ways typical of Shakespearean comedies in Twelfth Night. The most obvious traditional Shakespearean conventions all appear in Twelfth Night, these include marriage as a central focus and concluding scene, festivities, music and disguise. The characters all partake in various plots which have humorous consequences and much of the comedy in the play derives from mistaken identity as well as the more obvious comedic witticisms. The characters themselves provide comedy through their personalities, Malvolio through his façade of puritanism, Olivia and Orsino through their fickle personalities, Feste through his role as witty fool and Sir Toby and Sir Andrew through their idiotic drunken behaviour. 

MB
Answered by Miriam B. English tutor

6652 Views

See similar English A Level tutors

Related English A Level answers

All answers ▸

How can I know how best to structure an essay, especially with a multi-text question?


How to assess Shakespeare's presentation of conflict in Macbeth


How does Mary Shelley create a 'frame narrative' in her 1818 novel 'Frankenstein'?


How does Roy tell the story in Chapter 9? (taken from the 2015 AQA English Literature A Level paper, regarding "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning