William Shakespeare’s comedic play ‘Twelfth Night’ has been adapted into film several times, the first being a short, silent production in 1910. Some other notable adaptations include “Just One of the Guys” in 1985 and “She’s the Man” in 2006, which more so revolve around American high schools and young love. However, in my opinion, Trevor Nunn’s 1996 film with the same name is the most accurate representation of Shakespeare’s play. Despite the fact that the movie remains faithful to the play in terms of plot, characters and themes, Nunn adapts certain scenes to take advantage of what films can portray and utilise that written and performed plays cannot. Nunn’s particular changes also makes the movie more appealing for modern audiences through the use and emphasis on acting skills, conflict, visuals and sound.
THE SHIPWRECK SCENE
The first plot difference found in the movie but not the play is Viola and Sebastian’s ship violently swaying amid a storm on course to Messaline, which provides additional context about the twins and the shipwreck that are not present in the play. When the ship goes off course and crashes into “submerged rocks”, the tension within the ship is immediately noticed by Viola and Sebastian, as well as the audience through diegetic sound. Cries and screams by civilians in the ship are heard. The sound of shattering glass and falling cups and plates are heard. Rain, thunder and lightning crash down onto the ship and wild waters. The sound of water bubbles are also emphasised in the scene as Viola and Sebastian plunge into the water from the ship as if they might drown, which is what each of them believed has happened to the other sibling.
All of these sources of sound indicate a mood of panic, fear and chaos and the foreboding background music and very dimmed setting only elevates the disorder and uneasiness present in the scene. Despite the absence of this scene in the play, the presence of the sea, shipwreck, sound effects and dark visuals would have been very hard to replicate in the play version, especially in Shakespeare’s time (mid 1500s to early 1600s) due to the lack of resources he would have had to achieve these elements.
Furthermore, the movie follows a more chronological and logical progression than the play, as it introduces the protagonist and emphasises her close relationship with Sebastian and relevance in the movie from the very first scene, with them cross-dressing and performing together. In contrast, the play starts in Orsino’s court and then, talks about Viola washing up on Illyrian shores after the shipwreck, which the audience may confuse Orsino as being the lead character.
THE SEPARATION
When Viola becomes separated from Sebastian during the shipwreck incident and washes up on the shores of Illyria, she cries out his name towards the ocean, wanting to believe that he is out there and still alive. However, the wide camera shot (found below) that shows the vast ocean implies that it would be extremely difficult for Viola to find him. Moreover, her cries of sorrow and the melancholy background music support the fact that Sebastian is believed to have actually drowned. All of these elements further affirm the strong and irreplaceable bond she has with her brother, especially since Sebastian is the only family she has, which is told to us in the shipwreck scene by the narrator.
However, the original version of “Twelfth Night” does not express Viola’s strong emotions of denial, pain and sorrow depicted in the film. Instead, she solely says this in response to her brother’s ostensible drowning: “O my poor brother! And so perchance may he be”. This is quite an indifferent reaction in comparison to the movie and at most, only displays Viola’s fear and the hope she tries to hold onto.
SENSE OF DANGER
A theme that the film emphasises more than the play is the idea of danger and war. Soon after Viola arrives at Illyria, she and the other shipwreck survivors are forced to hide from an Illyrian patrol to avoid capture. She is then told by the Captain that “we must not be discovered in this place” due to Messaline and Illyria being at war with each other, as stated by the narrator. The uneasiness Viola would have felt at that period could have been an additional factor into her disguising as a man and working for Orsino, which doing so have made her feel safer in the country and better assimilate into Orsino’s court.
CONFLICTED IDENTITY
Another potential reason of her disguise into Cesario was to preserve Sebastian’s memory within her, as her male persona looks nearly identical to Sebastian’s appearance, which can be seen towards the end of the movie. This sentiment of Viola’s to remember him is aided by her photograph of Sebastian but conflicted by the use of mirrors in the movie as she looks at herself.
Despite her appearance striking resemblance to her brother, the symbol of the mirror is meant to consider her true identity behind what she was wearing. She says to herself that she wishes to love Orsino as a woman but her male disguise does not permit her to express so, and Olivia loves her male persona but Viola does not love her. Although this is stated in the original play, the movie provides more complexity in regard to Viola and Sebastian’s conflicted identities, particularly Viola’s, and how this contrasts with their outward appearance, actions and dialogue to other people.
When Viola and Sebastian eventually reunite with each other in Illyria, an extreme close-up shot is used to highlight their similarities in terms of outward appearance but also their different identities they have developed during the film’s progression. Viola was initially utilising her disguise to help remember Sebastian but with her interest towards Orsino and Olivia’s interest towards her, she has managed to develop her true self, with meeting Sebastian again as the final step. This incident then progresses to the final scene, where she is seen in an elaborate dress, as her fully individualised self, as she marries Duke Orsino.
Overall, Trevor Nunn has adapted one of Shakespeare’s great works into a movie that captures the main essence of the original but takes full advantage of the use of film media. Nunn has also amplified the conflict, love and comedy present in the original to produce a complex, yet attention-grabbing piece of work, particularly through the use of Viola and Sebastian as characters.