Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Quintilian’s Insight on Humor

 Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Quintilian’s Insight on Humor

Understanding Humor: Quintilian and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (Draft/not editted yet)

Humor is complex to produce because many factors determine whether people will consider a concept humorous. Often, it is difficult to explain why people construe an event or individuals to be funny in one social context and yet find the same event or individual boring or repulsive under a different context. Nevertheless, Quintilian, who asserts that humor arises from “nature and opportunity,” contributes partially to its understanding. Events in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night validates Quintilian’s implication that individuals possess unique characteristics that make them humorous, that humor relates to social class, and that the wittiest people craft their humor from reactions.

Specific individuals have a unique set of decipherable and indecipherable characteristics that makes them appear funny to particular audiences more than other people. In what Quintilian refers to as the salsus of an individual, the author argues that people possess comedic appeals “in their looks or manners” that vary from one person to another (358). While most of this charm is innate, individuals can make limited effort to increase or decrease their salsus. In Twelfth Night, Feste exhibits both innate and artificial traits that make some people consider him funny. Artificially,  Feste’s clown costume contributes to his funny appearance. Festes tells Olivia, “Lady, ‘Cucullus non facit monachum’—that’s as much to say as I wear not motley in my brain” (I.v.31), indicating that he regularly wears a clown costume and that the cloths influence his character. However, Feste also has inherent, indecipherable characteristics that make him comedic. For instance, despite his insolent attitude and the fact that he contributes no labor in his master’s household, Olivia enjoys having him around. She even terms Feste’s insults as “birdbolts” that cause no damage (I.v.35). Also, in the attempt to be funny, Malvolio clads a clown costume and exaggerates his character, but his techniques fail as he lacks inherent comedic charm. Instead of laughing at Malvolio when he starts behaving absurdly, people perceive him as insane and lock him away. It is ironical that Malvolio and Feste’s act similarly, at least in their dressing, yet people take Feste to be normally functioning while treating Mavolio as insane. Therefore, a combination of both outward, manipulatable characteristics and inherent characteristics, which are unique to a particular social setting, is necessary to appear funny.  

There also seems to be a form of hierarchical dominance in funniness, in which people who identify with lower social hierarchies tend to be funnier than those who occupy higher hierarchies. In this case, people acquire their place in the social hierarchy by combining three components: modesty, physical appearance, and wealth. Modesty refers to the ability to conform to behaviors that society regards as respectable. In the Elizabethan society, people who practice monogamy, wear decent dressing, and drink little alcohol are considered more modest (Roducanu 22); hence, other factors constant, a person will occupy a higher social class than those who overdrink or act promiscuously. Also, the more wealth one possesses, and the more desirable their physical appearance, the higher their social class. However, as a person climbs the social hierarchy, the number of individuals who consider them to be funny reduces (Quintilian 359). A good example is Orsino’s and Olivia’s rather serious characterizations as compared to the funny characterizations of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. Even though both pairs come from the same economic class, going by their titles, the latter pair arguably attract slightly lower respect due to their heavy-drinking habits. Similarly, to lower their "social value," clowns have to exaggerate their physical appearance by adorning adorn clown costumes and behaving absurdly. In other words, people who look normal or desirable physically, economically, and behaviorally are less likely to cause laughter. Therefore, the less social status one occupies, the more likely the person to appear funny.

Perhaps this propensity of the disadvantaged people to be funny is because such individuals often possess more non-desirable characteristics that expose them to derision. "Laughter is never far removed from derision," says Quintilian, who further asserts that people often use the deformities in others to create comedy (Quintilian 359). Individuals with higher social statuses tend to be admirable hence have fewer follies that other individuals may criticize for comedic effect than those of low social standing. This concept also implies that an environment increases its capacity for comedy as it amasses people with socially undesirable characters. For instance, a hall full of drunken people (assuming that society derides drunkenness) will be arguably more comedic than a hall full of teetotalers. A similar trend in the relationship between comedy and social status is noticeable in the play: Sir Toby, knowing Sir Andrew's foolishness, influences the latter to behave foolishly for his enjoyment. For instance, he praises Sir Andrew’s dancing skills and convinces him to dance (I.III.21). Moreover, Sir Toby seems to derive joy in seeing Sir Andrew's desperate gestures to Olivia, and that is why he deceives his friend to continue with the romantic pursuits. Also, by saying that his niece cannot marry "above her degree, neither in estate, years, nor wit” (I.iii.21), Sir Toby indirectly insults his friend, who does not notice.  Therefore, people who are socially deviant and who occupy low social statuses are more likely to serve as sources of laughter than those of higher statuses. 

Lastly, Quintilian implies that wit is often more effective if it is reactionary, which is evident in Twelfth Night. “Wit always appears to greater advantage in reply than attack” (Quintilian 359). Indeed, many characters in Shakespeare derive their funny comments from responses to other people's statements. For instance, when Maria criticizes Sir Toby’s drinking habits, the latter quips that he will drink "as long as there is a passage in my throat" (I.III.15).  Similarly, when Olivia orders her servants to eject Feste from her household, telling them to “Take away the fool,” Feste challenges her, stating that Olivia's dead brother has gone to hell. Olivia insists that her brother is in heaven. Feste then pronounces, “The more fool, madona, to mourn your brother’s soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen!” (I.V.33). Moreover, when Malvolio says that he will report Maria to her mistress for misbehaving, Maria humorously compares Malvolio to a donkey, telling him, "Go shake your ears" (II.III.68).  Therefore,  many instances of wit arise from responses, as evident in the play.

In conclusion, Quintilian identifies various aspects of humor, thereby contributing to its partial understanding. Notably, specific individuals are naturally humorous based on their charm and tendencies to behave or dress in a particular way. Also, people who possess a higher proportion of socially undesirable characteristics are likely to be funnier than those who align with norms. Lastly, an individual's ability to craft wit as responses increase their tendencies to be regarded as funny. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night contains examples of individuals and circumstances that Justify these claims.

Works Cited

Raducanu, Adriana. "The Ghost Tradition: Helen Of Troy In The Elizabethan Era." Gender Studies 13.1 (2014): 22-36.

Shakespeare, William. “Twelfth Night,” edited by John Andrews. Doubleday Books and Music Clubs. (1994).