--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1996, Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'…" description: "\"In 1996, Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' was removed from classrooms after a school board passed a 'prohibition of alternative lifestyle instruction' act..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/richard-lagravenese-13232_act_in-1996-shakespeare-s-twelfth-night-was_2863031.jpg" --- # In 1996, Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' was removed from… ![“In 1996, Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' was removed from classrooms after a school board passed a 'prohibition of alternative lifestyle instruction' act. Apparently, a young female character disguised as a boy was a danger to the youth of Merrimack, New Hampshire.” quote by Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/richard-lagravenese-13232_act_in-1996-shakespeare-s-twelfth-night-was_2863031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/richard-lagravenese-13232_act_in-1996-shakespeare-s-twelfth-night-was_2863031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/richard-lagravenese-13232_act_in-1996-shakespeare-s-twelfth-night-was_2863031.jpg) > “In 1996, Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' was removed from classrooms after a school board passed a 'prohibition of alternative lifestyle instruction' act. Apparently, a young female character disguised as a boy was a danger to the youth of Merrimack, New Hampshire.” [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shakespeare’s play was banned due to gender‑role concerns in a school district. **In simple terms:** Play removed for gender reasons. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge censorship. Themes censorship gender education Mood critical concerned Type historical educational When to use this quote - school curricula - policy advocacy - literary studies Key Concepts freedom of expression gender norms Questions to Reflect On - Why was the disguise seen as dangerous? - How can inclusive curricula be protected? A Different Perspective Opposition may persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1996 Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1996-shakespeare-3873152/) [Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act/) [After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) [Alternative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternative/) [Apparently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apparently/) [Board](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/board/) [Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Classrooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classrooms/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Disguised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disguised/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Female character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-character/) [Hampshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hampshire/) [Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruction/) [Lifestyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifestyle/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New hampshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-hampshire/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Passed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passed/) [Prohibition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prohibition/) [Removed Classrooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/removed-classrooms-3873153/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School board](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-board/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Shakespeare Twelfth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-twelfth-1004084/) [Twelfth Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twelfth-night/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Some are born great, others achieve greatness. 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He was putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/they-keep-an-eye-on-forgery-illegal-dealing-and-overtly-free-thespian/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [For me, the two weeks between Christmas and Twelfth Night have come to be reserved for desultory reading. The pressure of the holiday is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/for-me-the-two-weeks-between-christmas-and-twelfth-night-have-come-to/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [We did a lot of high school productions. My first was 'Twelfth Night.' I played Viola. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/what-i-do-usually-is-read-the-book-first-for-pleasure-to-see-if-my/) [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) > [I think musical theater fans - obsessive fans - are very much like Comic Con fans in our personalities. We're very possessive, and we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/i-think-musical-theater-fans-obsessive-fans-are-very-much-like-comic/) [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) > [The thing that I love is human behavior - why people do what they do, who they are, and the choices that they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/the-thing-that-i-love-is-human-behavior-why-people-do-what-they-do/) [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) > [I'm not really a believer in romantic, happily-ever-after love stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/i-m-not-really-a-believer-in-romantic-happily-ever-after-love-stories/) [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) > [There is a musical rhythm to great writing, especially if it's performed correctly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/there-is-a-musical-rhythm-to-great-writing-especially-if-it-s/) [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) > [I always thought that if you don't feel the breath in the actors' bodies, you lose all the intimacy and truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/i-always-thought-that-if-you-don-t-feel-the-breath-in-the-actors/) [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) > [I've been a teenager. 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I believe she represents the best of what dedicated teachers can be because she chose to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/connie-heermann-is-a-freedom-writer-teacher-i-believe-she-represents/) [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) [Explore all 51 Richard LaGravenese quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) ## More Act quotes > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. 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