UP Lingua Franca

“If it be true that good wine needs no bush,
’tis true that a good play needs no epilogue.
Yet to good wine they do use good bushes,
and good plays prove the better by the help
of good epilogues.”
- Rosalind from Shakespeare’s play As You Like It (5.5.3-7)

The fun and eventful Shakespeare Week may now be over, but the memories will always be here to linger. 📝💖

From our members’ educational entries showcasing a variety of Shakespearean aspects to a very special film viewing of 10 Things I Hate About You and a culminating Trivia Night filled with enjoyable games and prizes to be won, Shakespeare Week was truly a highlight for the month of April. 🥳🙌

But now… the players must commence their curtain call and take their exit. It is now time to let the curtain fall. 🍃

Pubmat and caption by Ves Soriano

“Just like an echo, let these marks and footprints of culture leave a lasting impact that resonates with us for a lifetime.” ✨

Last April 25, in celebration of English Language Day and National Literature Month, the Language Society and UP Lingua Franca held their two-part webinar, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎: 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, which highlighted the many roles of the English language in global and intercultural communication, as well as its place in preserving aspects of local culture (such as our history, beliefs, and lived realities) through Filipino literature written in English. 📚

UP Lingua Franca extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Language Society, and to all the participants, for making this event possible. Together, we explored not only the power of language and literature, but also the importance of opening and continuing the conversation around them – approaching English with both critical insight and deep appreciation, as we shape it into something truly our own.

"Voices aligned, a success defined" indeed! ❤️‍🔥

“If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your servant.” ❤️‍🩹

As we reach the end of our series, let us return the spotlight 🔦 to a character who does not quite get – but does deserve – a happy ending of his own. Meet Antonio, the steadfast sea captain of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night!

Having “many enemies” (2.1.44) in the court of Orsino, Duke of Illyria, Antonio is most known for the risks he takes out of love for Sebastian, his companion whom he harbors “love at first sight”-like feelings for (“and to his image, which methought did promise / most venerable worth, did I devotion” (3.4.381–382)). Notably, Antonio develops these feelings of intense devotion towards Sebastian both with, and without, his real name or elite status. Even when Sebastian reveals that he is of noble birth to Antonio, he chooses to stay with him, offering to be his bondservant (much to Sebastian’s disapproval), his love unwavering.

It is this unrequited love that motivates Antonio’s actions, up to the very end. His love pushes him to follow Sebastian, to subject himself to danger and arrest just to be with the man he loves. He mistakes a disguised Viola, Sebastian’s twin sister, for Sebastian himself (while the real Sebastian is rescued from a duel by Olivia, whom he eventually falls for). When Viola denies having ever known Antonio, he, understandably, feels fury and anguish – in his eyes, he has been abandoned by the one person he loved “without retention or restraint” (5.1.79). Until the real Sebastian’s arrival, Antonio is put into a position in which he finds himself alone, as he begins to doubt the past three months that he and Sebastian shared. And though they do reunite, Antonio ultimately remains an outsider, a ‘fifth wheel,’ among the ‘resolved’ couples of Twelfth Night – with his last words in the play being a question: “Which is Sebastian?” (5.1.235). Afterwards, he is never heard from, or acknowledged, again.

Appearing in only four of Twelfth Night’s scenes, the character of Antonio remains one interpreted, and re-interpreted, by scholars and artists throughout the years. b, who played Antonio in The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night, depicts the sea captain as a “fluid” character defined by his grit and experience, “having seen more of the world” than the rest of the cast. Such knowledge, depth, and potential, still unexplored – but it is here that artists of the modern day, such as theatre actors (and fan fiction authors), find opportunity in the narrative gaps.

Twelfth Night’s subtitle, “What You Will,” encourages art and adaptation to give Antonio the voice he did not manage to get in the play’s ending. Glances, changes in expression, and line deliveries are all capable of telling complex and compelling stories, even when the script is followed word-for-word. As the character of Antonio is discussed and fleshed out more as time passes, we ought to recognize and appreciate this underrated sea captain and all his qualities: he embodies love, faith, and sacrifice, in every way that counts; he also represents a sense of freedom, amidst binaries and structure. Antonio’s story is not “doomed,” but instead unfinished, left for those who resonate with and relate to him to tie up loose ends, follow the captain’s lead, and reforge the path anew. ⛵

Works Cited
b []. “On playing Antonio in Twelfth Night.” Interview by Emily Rome. Instagram, uploaded by Shakespeare’s Shadows [], 30 Aug. 2025, https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN_KZADkeYD/.

Tosh, Will. “Sebastian and Antonio's hidden q***r lives (Excerpt: Straight Acting: The Hidden Q***r Lives of William Shakespeare by Will Tosh).” Folger Shakespeare Library, 17 Sept. 2024, https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/sebastian-and-antonios-hidden-q***r-lives/.

Walton, Quintin. “Antonio's Lament: "Mightily Abused" in Twelfth Night.” Perpetua: The UAH Journal of Undergraduate Research, vol. 1, no. 1, Dec. 2016, pp. 17–28. https://louis.uah.edu/perpetua/vol1/iss1/3

Caption & pubmat: Ai Ignacio
Pubmat template: Ves Soriano

Hark ye, Hark ye! 'Tis time for the curtain call of our brilliant, week-long performance.

Join UPLF and its members **TONIGHT**, as we cap off Shakespeare Week with Trivia Night and Culminating Day! We've prepared 5 fun activities, with most of them testing your knowledge about the bard himself. From trivia about Shakespeare and his life, to contests to see who can name the most characters from his play, there's something for everyone! And of course, there are **prizes** up for grabs for the ones who can prove their knowledge.

To join, or not to join. That is the question.

And the answer, my friends, is to join.

https://meet.google.com/zeu-ipub-vaz

Caption & pubmat by Ram de Leon
Pubmat template by Ves Soriano

Revenge, power, love, crossdressing hijinks, transformation, and many, many more—what else could possibly be in Shakespearean plays, as such works of art are already jam-packed with relevant themes and iconic characters aplenty? Perhaps you are already quite familiar with some famous fictional men from these plays: one helping of Shylock from The Merchant of Venice, a dollop of Romeo from Romeo and Juliet, a spoonful of Hamlet from the play of the same name, and so on and so forth. However, we are not here to discuss these characters today. Instead, we are gathered together to appreciate some of the wonderful fictional women from Shakespearean plays!

Firstly, we have Imogen from the play entitled Cymbeline. According to Bonnie Lander’s article entitled “Interpreting the Person: Tradition, Conflict, and Cymbeline’s Imogen,” the character of Imogen, aside from being perceived by the Victorians as “the perfect realization of an ideal of respectable womanhood” (159), was also a heroine who displayed traits which were contradictory to this ideal. For instance, she is quite outspoken in regards to her scorn towards her suitor, she rebels against her father, and even cross-dresses as a boy named Fidele. She is incredibly strong and steadfast when she fights the numerous accusations framing her as an unfaithful wife to her husband Posthumus. Another fascinating thing about her is the way in which she performs gendered roles of masculinity—as the princely Fidele—and femininity—as the devoted and loyal wife—in the sense that it displays her social malleability and enables her to construct her identity, to which she remains loyal to.

Next, we have Rosalind from the play As You Like It. She is the daughter of the exiled old Duke. In fleeing to the Forest of Arden, she disguises as—yes, you guessed it—a young male shepherd named Ganymede, in which she showcases her own resourcefulness in ensuring her own safety during her travels; securing shelter for herself, her cousin Celia, and the court jester Touchstone; and enabling her to freely interact with Orlando, who is denied his rightful inheritance from his father Sir Rowland de Boys by his older brother Oliver. Her disguise as Ganymede serves as her creative outlet and allows her to play around, such as when she proposes to “pretend” that she is Rosalind—essentially she is using her disguise as a man who pretends to be her—in order to steer Orlando towards a romantic inclination that feels more grounded rather than excessive and impulsive. Her own experiences in the Forest of Arden provide her opportunities to showcase how she has been able to transform into a woman who utilizes her self-possession and autonomy to take the role of the leader in the need to survive in the forest and protect those who she holds dear.

More antics of gendered border crossing occur in the play Twelfth Night, with its protagonist being Viola, a survivor of a shipwreck who is separated from her twin brother in the process. She knows what she wants and is willing to go to lengths in order to attain it. In the article “Will Personified: Viola as Actor-Author in Twelfth Night,” a fascinating attribute of her identity lies in its liminality, as she is “on the threshold between youth and maturity, male and female, one identity and another” (Kietzman 264). Her act of disguising herself as the suitor Cesario in order to woo the Countess Olivia on Duke Orsino’s behalf introduces notions of gender fluidity and ambiguity, as well as the idea that love and desire could transcend binary ideas of gender and sexuality.
There is a wide variety of fictional women embedded within their unique socioeconomic contexts with their respective Shakespearean worlds, and it is important to note that they are both written as products of their time but also display characteristics that remain relevant even in the contemporary period. Numerous Shakespearean women scholars have been able to continuously glean meaning from these characters through multiple critical literary lenses such as feminist and q***r readings. If you ever decide to read or watch these plays, ask yourself how you would interpret the personalities and actions of these women characters. It is through continuous engagement with them in which they remain alive for a long time.

Works Cited
Kietzman, Mary. “Will Personified: Viola as Actor-Author in Twelfth Night.” Criticism, vol. 54, no. 2, 2012, pp. 257-289, https://www.jstor.org/stable/23267740

Kumar, Aman. “Rosalind.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Jan. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rosalind-fictional-character.

Lander, Bonnie. “Interpreting the Person: Tradition, Conflict, and Cymbeline’s Imogen.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 59, no. 2, 2008, pp. 156-184, https://www.jstor.org/stable/40210262.

Caption, pubmat, and pubmat template by Ves Soriano

Tonight is the Act IV before the curtain call of our series! 🎭🔦 Let us turn on the limelight for one of his underrated plays — a Roman class struggle…draped in “heated rivalry”? This is Coriolanus.

Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is believed to have been written around 1608, making it one of his later plays and last tragedies. Arguably the most politically charged of all his works, Coriolanus’ plot overflows with war, bloodshed, and the nuance of violence as it tackles the kindlings of a plebeian revolt. Through the play’s titular character, the even muddier politics of patriarchy and identity are brought to light. Coriolanus wrestles inwardly between his private and public image, subscribing to a social ideal of masculinity that quickly proves to be finite and erosive.

This central motif of depersonalization manifests most evidently in a long-standing and homoerotically charged feud with his nemesis, Aufidus – one that ends in dire outcomes for all involved. The play displays homoeroticism as a symptom of its recurring hypermasculinity, creating a tug of war between fervent admiration and malevolent revenge, only held together by a reciprocated principle of desire. Beneath the threats of violence lie subtle intimacies of shackled desire.

Shakespeare allows this inflated image of manhood to wreak havoc over Coriolanus, leaving it riddled with complex dynamics ranging from codependent to borderline cannibalistic. The work lives up to its genre, portraying in graphic detail the ill-fated consequences of losing one’s sense of self and the equally devastating lengths people will go to retain it.

Moreover, the play invites critical perspectives on how homoeroticism is situated within William Shakespeare’s time. In a time where homosexuality was often conflated with so**my, his works might have been deliberately obscuring these features into acceptable social standards. Who knows?

What are your thoughts on this play? Do let us know!

A copy of the play can be read from Project Gutenberg : https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1535

For an in-depth analysis of the play’s symbolism, Ralph Berry’s “Sexual imagery in Coriolanus” can be read using this link : https://sl1nk.com/cys3ik5

References :
Berry, Ralph. “Sexual Imagery in Coriolanus.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 13, no. 2, 1973, pp. 301–16. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/449741.

Bevington, David. "Coriolanus". Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Coriolanus-by-Shakespeare.

Lowe, Lisa. “‘Say I Play the Man I Am’: Gender and Politics in ‘Coriolanus.’” The Kenyon Review, vol. 8, no. 4, 1986, pp. 86–95. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4335762.

Caption & Pubmat: Sabina Ramos & Josue Palma
Pubmat template: Mary Collera

📌 REMINDER 📌
Our film viewing of 10 Things I Hate About You will commence today at 8 PM. This is open to all UPLF members and the rest of the UPD undergraduate student body. Please do join using this link if you can! 🩷

meet.google.com/prx-xmdc-qgb

“If I be waspish, best beware my sting.”
– The Taming of the Shrew; Act 2, scene 1

Draw back the curtains, put on a show! 🎭
We invite thee to come unwind with us, and pray that thou may go… 🍿

This Shakespeare Week, we celebrate both the classics and the modern-day adaptations that continue to tell the tales of The Bard in a variety of creative ways. This Friday, April 24, UP Lingua Franca will be having a 🎞️ FILM VIEWING 🎞️ of a classic high-school romantic comedy… inspired by a Shakespearean play! 👀

Come join us for a virtual screening of 10 Things I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger! The screening will be followed by a brief, informal, open-ended discussion, in which viewers are encouraged to share their reactions and insights on the film, be it their very first time watching the film, or their nth rewatch of it. 🤭

Do the couples of the movie stay together after the movie’s end? How do our perceptions and standards of romance and courtship change over time? These are the questions!

Overwhelmed, underwhelmed, or just whelmed with acads and the goings-on of life? Interested in a quick romcom break? Save the link below!

📌 meet.google.com/prx-xmdc-qgb

We’ll commence the screening at 8 PM. See you there! ✨

2 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗢 😌🔥

We’re getting closer to 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎: 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, and trust us, you don’t want to be the one hearing about it after it happens 👀

Language connects. Culture inspires. And your voice? It matters. 💬✨

Make sure you’re all set!
Register now and be part of something meaningful.

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSWZvmHIQAxxocWwaZYAJueh8ayyoHdRAvcXTRQ1alSHzP8g/viewform

‎__________________
‎
‎Stay tuned! Follow the official page of the Language Society to stay updated for exciting initiatives, events, and opportunities to get involved! 📩
‎

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.”

Few Shakespearean lines have remained as recognizable as this one from As You Like It. Spoken by Jaques in Act 2, Scene 7, the quote opens the famous “Seven Ages of Man” speech, where life is imagined as a performance and every person as an actor moving through different roles.

What makes this line powerful is its simplicity. Shakespeare turns something as vast as human life into an image his audience would immediately understand: a stage. Birth becomes an entrance, death an exit, and everything in between a series of parts we are expected to play. From childhood to old age, identity is constantly shifting depending on time, circumstance, and society’s expectations.

This metaphor also reflects Shakespeare’s deep connection to the theater itself. For a playwright whose work was written to be performed, it is fitting that he uses drama to explain the human condition. Even today, the line still resonates because people continue to inhabit different “roles” in daily life: student, friend, leader, child, professional, and countless others.

Perhaps that is why this quote continues to endure centuries later: it reminds us that life itself is a performance, ever changing from one act to the next.

Sources:
Shakespeare, William. As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7. Folger Shakespeare Library. https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/as-you-like-it/read/2/7/

As You Like It. Britannica, updated Feb 2026. https://www.britannica.com/topic/As-You-Like-It

Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man. State Library of New South Wales. https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/learning/shakespeares-seven-ages-man

Caption by Jin Ayuste
Pubmat by Angca Begino
Pubmat template by Ves Soriano

How now, what might this be? A special collaboration? 🤔💭

‘Tis so, dearest gentlereaders! In partnership with the Language Society, UP Lingua Franca heartily invites you all to 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎: 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, a two-part webinar highlighting English in global communication while valuing cultural identity! 🌏

As we celebrate many great occasions – Shakespeare Week (and Shakespeare’s birthday!), English Language Day, and National Literature Month, all in one – today, the collaborating organizations will discuss how English language and literature can be utilized in our interactions across different cultures and in shaping our own cultural identity. Through communication, through works of art, how do we transform the English language and make it ours? 📜

✨ April 25, 2026 (Saturday), 8:00 AM via Zoom. ✨

Save the date and sign up now! We hope to see you there!

💌 : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSWZvmHIQAxxocWwaZYAJueh8ayyoHdRAvcXTRQ1alSHzP8g/viewform

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧, 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬—𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬!

The Language Society, in partnership with the UP Diliman Lingua Franca, invites you to 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎: 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, a two-part webinar highlighting English in global communication while valuing cultural identity.

Join us on April 25, 2026, at 8:00 AM via Zoom as we explore how language and culture shape understanding, connection, and inclusivity in today’s diverse world.

Don’t miss this chance to learn, reflect, and engage in meaningful discussions that bridge language and culture.

You may register through the Google Form link provided to confirm your participation in this enriching event.

Google form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSWZvmHIQAxxocWwaZYAJueh8ayyoHdRAvcXTRQ1alSHzP8g/viewform

‎__________________
‎
‎Stay tuned! Follow the official page of the Language Society to stay updated for exciting initiatives, events, and opportunities to get involved! 📩

3 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐎 👀✨

Something big is coming your way, the 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎: 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬! Get ready to learn, engage, and express as we celebrate 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 together.

This is a space where ideas are heard, voices matter, and cultures shine 🌍💬

📌 April 25, 2026
⏰ 8:00 AM
📍 via Zoom

Haven’t registered yet? This is your sign so don’t miss out!
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSWZvmHIQAxxocWwaZYAJueh8ayyoHdRAvcXTRQ1alSHzP8g/viewform

See you!

‎__________________
‎
‎Stay tuned! Follow the official page of the Language Society to stay updated for exciting initiatives, events, and opportunities to get involved! 📩
‎