Is Twelfth Night Predominantly a Romantic Comedy or Predominantly a Satire?
Although one may argue that Twelfth Night contains many features that are typical of romantic comedies, it can be more accurately described as a satire, parodying such conventions. Shakespeare has purposely written a romantic comedy with the intent of highlighting the absurdity of the genre. It could be said that Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy but the term ‘satire’ is more fitting as the play exposes the stupidity of techniques associated with romantic comedy.
Shakespeare uses many stereotypes of love in Twelfth Night and ridicules them to form his satire. At the beginning of the play Orsino makes it known what he believes love entails, “Away before me to sweet beds of flowers. Love thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers” (I.i.40). Music and flowers are both commonly associated with love. The fact that Orsino feels the need to have flowers and music around him so he can think about love properly is intended to be humorous. Twelfth Night depicts elements of love coupled with exaggeration for comedic purposes and could therefore be called a Romantic Comedy. However, this quote occurs in the very first scene of the play, before the audience even meet Olivia, and is clearly setting the satirical tone for the rest of the play.
It may be argued that Shakespeare is ridiculing the works of romantic writers at the time, perhaps including himself. One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays (in his lifetime and still to this day) was Romeo and Juliet, a story of two young lovers who, like Orsino, fell in love upon first sight, “Oh, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, Methought she purged the air of pestilence. That instant was I turned into a hart” (I.i.18). Shakespeare is perhaps mocking that Petrarchan style of writing. Also in this quote, the play on the word hart - meaning male deer -