Twelfth Night

"Twelfth Night, or What You Will" is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602. It was created as a special play for the Twelfth Night holiday, which marks the end of the Christmas season.

The story follows twins Viola and Sebastian who get separated during a shipwreck. Viola disguises herself as a boy named Cesario and falls in love with Duke Orsino. Orsino, in turn, loves Countess Olivia. When Olivia meets Viola, she believes Viola is a man and falls in love with her too.

The play includes fun and playful moments typical of the holiday season, mixing music and humor. It was first performed publicly on February 2, 1602, and later published in 1623 in a collection called the First Folio.

Characters

• Viola – a young woman who was shipwrecked and disguises herself as a page named Cesario
• Sebastian – Viola's twin brother
• Duke Orsino – the Duke of Illyria
• Olivia – a wealthy countess
• Malvolio – a steward in Olivia's household
• Maria – Olivia's gentlewoman
• Sir Toby Belch – Olivia's uncle
• Sir Andrew Aguecheek – a friend of Sir Toby
• Feste – Olivia's servant, who is a jester
• Fabian – a servant in Olivia's household
• Antonio – a sea captain and friend to Sebastian
• Valentine and Curio – gentlemen who attend the Duke
• A Sea Captain – a friend to Viola

Synopsis

Viola ends up on the shore of Illyria after a shipwreck and, with the help of a captain, she pretends to be a young man named Cesario to work for Duke Orsino. Orsino believes he loves Olivia, but Olivia, who is heartbroken, refuses to see him or anyone else for seven years. Orsino asks Cesario to tell Olivia his feelings, but Olivia falls in love with Cesario instead, even though she had promised to wait. Meanwhile, Viola has fallen in love with Orsino, creating a love triangle where Viola loves Orsino, Orsino loves Olivia, and Olivia loves Cesario, who is really Viola in disguise.

In a funny side story, several characters trick Malvolio, Olivia’s proud steward, into thinking Olivia loves him. They forge a letter with silly instructions for him to follow. Malvolio believes the letter and starts acting strangely, which shocks Olivia. His friends then pretend he is mad and keep him in a dark room.

Meanwhile, Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian, is saved by Antonio, a sea captain who fought Orsino before but admires Sebastian. Sir Toby and Fabian convince Sir Andrew to challenge Cesario to a fight, but the duel is stopped by Antonio, who thinks Cesario is Sebastian. Orsino’s officers arrest Antonio. Sir Andrew then hits Sebastian, thinking he is Cesario, and Sebastian fights back. Olivia sees this and scolds Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian. She then asks Sebastian, thinking he is Cesario, to marry her, and they secretly get married. When both Cesario and Sebastian appear before Olivia and Orsino, everyone is surprised by how similar they look. Viola then reveals who she really is, and she and her brother are reunited.

Sebastian and Viola are together again, and all the mix-ups are cleared up. Orsino marries Viola, and Fabian tells everyone about the trick on Malvolio. Sir Toby marries Maria. The play ends with a song sung by Feste.

Setting

Illyria is the special place where the play Twelfth Night happens, and it helps create a happy, romantic feeling. Illyria was an old area along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, including parts of modern-day Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania. One of its cities was the Republic of Ragusa, which today is called Dubrovnik in Croatia.

The story might have been inspired by an older Roman play called Menaechmi, which also had twins who got mixed up. Some characters in the play have Italian names, but others have English names, like Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch. The play also includes some fun hints about England, like Viola saying “Westward ho!” — something London boatmen used to shout — and a character suggesting “The Elephant” as a good place to stay, which was a real pub near where Shakespeare’s plays were performed.