Origins and history. A King or Lord of Misrule would be appointed to run the Christmas festivities, and the Twelfth Night was the end of his period of rule. In these celebrations, in place of Herod there was the Lord of Misrule. Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. In England, the Lord of Misrule – known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots – was an officer appointed by lot during Christmastide to preside over the Feast of Fools.The Lord of Misrule was generally a peasant or sub-deacon appointed to be in charge of Christmas revelries, which often included drunkenness and wild partying. Cakes were made, and a bean was baked into one. During the Twelfth Night festival, a bean was hidden in a cake. Men and women would dress up as the opposite; servants would take the place of … Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night is intended to take place at the Feast of Epiphany—the night of the twelfth day of Christmas, or January 5. Whomever found the bean in his cake was then elected king for the day. Shakespeare’s play illuminates the atmosphere of the feast, with Sir Toby exemplifying the lord of misrule. It is celebrated universally with the appointment of a ‘Lord of Misrule’ and inversion of hierarchies. Twelfth Night marked the end of the winter festival that started on All Hallows Eve (Halloween). Looking at the obvious comedic connections, answers appear to be heavily dependent on one's own opinion of Shakespeare comedy. On this day the King and all those who were high would become the peasants and vice versa. The festivities revolved around the Lord of Misrule, and it was a time of turning the world upside down. The common theme was … How could the lord of misrule be compared with Falstaff? “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.” The title ‘Twelfth Night’ refers to 6th January – the twelfth day after Christmas when Christ’s divinity was revealed to the three Magi. Hail, the Lord of Misrule! He can be seen to represent the spirit of Twelfth Night festivities, when the social order was turned upside down through traditions such as the Feast of Fools and the election of a Lord of Misrule. ... Later on in the day the Lord of Misrule, known as the King of the Bean, was selected. That is, what allows the 'jokers' in Shakespeare to excel. Pages: 5 There are 2 sources cited in the bibliography. Twelfth Night, Epiphany of Kore, and Persephone. The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck.Viola (who is disguised as Cesario) falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with Countess Olivia. In medieval and Tudor England, the Twelfth Night marked the end of a winter festival that started on All Hallows Eve — now more commonly known as Halloween.The Lord of Misrule symbolizes the world turning upside down. In particular, English Twelfth Night symbolized the world turned upside down. Twelfth Night was the culmination of the twelve days of feasting at Christmas; but the custom of the ‘Lord of Misrule’ was also used at other feasts, such as Shrovetide and Harvest. Feste has an almost omniscient role in the play, revealing the foolishness of those around him. On Twelfth Night whoever found a hidden bean in their share of cake became the King of the Bean and this person often also became the Lord of Misrule. Twelfth Night was celebrated in similar fashion in England, with plays and beancake. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Lord of Misrule and Malvolio In five pages this paper discusses the enigma that is Malvolio and his Lord of Misrule representation. 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