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Theatre and Performance Studies

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University of Central Florida

Theses/Dissertations

2011

Fools and jesters in literature

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Inheriting The Motley Mantle An Actor Approaches Playing The Role Of Feste, Shakespeare's Update Of The Lord Of Misrule, Andrew Clateman Jan 2011

Inheriting The Motley Mantle An Actor Approaches Playing The Role Of Feste, Shakespeare's Update Of The Lord Of Misrule, Andrew Clateman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Playing role of Feste in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night presents a complex challenge to the actor. Feste is at once a character in the world of the play and a clown figure with specific dramatic functions having roots in the Lord of Misrule of the English holiday and the Vice of the morality play. How can the actor playing Feste create a believable psychological portrayal that is aligned with the functions Shakespeare assigns the role? And be entertaining as well? I suggest that actor will benefit greatly from an exploration the traditional function of the clown its development in society …