Context - Background Info
Author Bio
Full Name: William Shakespeare
Date of Birth: 1564
Place of Birth: Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Date of Death: 1616
When Written: c. 1601
Where Written: England
When Published: 1623
Literary Period: The Renaissance
Related Literary Works: Twelf
Character List: Viola (Cesario)
The protagonist of Twelfth Night. An aristocratic woman, she is tossed up on the coast of Illyria by a shipwreck at the beginning of the play and disguises herself as the pageboy, Cesario, to make her way. Throughout the play, Viola exhibits strength of c
Character List: Orsino
The Duke and ruler of Illyria. At the beginning of the play Orsino is obsessed by his unrequited love for Olivia . However, in the final scene, when Orsino discovers that Cesario is in fact the woman, Viola�and that Olivia has already married Viola's twin
Character List: Olivia
A beautiful noblewoman in Illyria. At the beginning of the play, she has rejected both Orsino and her ridiculous suitor, Sir Andrew Aguecheek. In mourning for her recently deceased brother, she has vowed not to receive any man, or to go outside, for seven
Character List: Sebastian
Viola's twin brother, whom she believes is lost at sea, and who likewise thinks she's dead. Sebastian is noble and capable of strong, deeply felt emotion, just like his sister. The constant powerful love he shows while grieving and when reunited with Viol
Character List: Malvolio
The steward in charge of the servants at Olivia's house. A stuck-up killjoy, Malvolio annoys the other members of the household by constantly condescending to and scolding them. In revenge, Maria, Sir Toby, and others play a prank on Malvolio that adds co
Character List: Maria
Olivia's clever, feisty lady-in-waiting holds her own in battles of wit with the other servants and devises the prank on Malvolio. Although vicious to Malvolio, she is devoted and attentive to Olivia. Her wit wins the affection of Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby
Character List: Sir Toby
Olivia's vulgar uncle, a drunkard, lives at and leeches off of her house. Sir Toby's crass double entendres and sex jokes offer an earthy contrast to Orsino's flowery love-poetry, and his antics help to overthrow Malvolio's efforts to impose order. Sir To
Character List: Sir Andrew Aguecheek
A friend of Sir Toby, he hopes to marry Olivia, despite the fact that his suit is obviously hopeless. Sir Andrew provides a comic foil for the higher characters, who are much more serious about their wooing.
Character List: Feste
A clown, Feste is allowed to poke fun at the higher characters. In this role, he turns upside down the conventional social order, just as occurred during the Twelfth Night holiday (see Background Info for more detail on the Twelfth Night holiday).
Character List: Antonio
A local from Illyria who rescues Sebastian from the shipwreck. Antonio's feelings for Sebastian push the boundary line between devoted male friendship and love.
Character List: Fabian
An attendant in Olivia's household.
Character List: Curio
One of Orsino's attendants.
Character List: Valentine
One of Orsino's attendants.
Plot Summary
Act I:Count Orsino of Illyria is introduced; he laments that he is lovesick, and wishes that "if music be the food of love," he could kill his unrequited love through an overdose of music. Orsino's servant Valentine, whom Orsino sent to give his affection
Major Themes: Desire and Love
Every major character in Twelfth Night experiences some form of desire or love. Duke Orsino is in love with Olivia. Viola falls in love with Orsino, while disguised as his pageboy, Cesario. Olivia falls in love with Cesario. This love triangle is only res
Major Theme: Melancholy
During the Renaissance, melancholy was believed to be a sickness rather like modern depression, resulting from an imbalance in the fluids making up the human body. Melancholy was thought to arise from love: primarily narcissistic self-love or unrequited r
Major Theme: Madness
The theme of madness in Twelfth Night often overlaps the themes of desire and love. Orsino talks about the faculty of love producing multiple changing images of the beloved, similar to hallucinations. Olivia remarks at certain points that desire for Cesar
Major Theme: Deception, Disguise, and Performance
Characters in Twelfth Night constantly disguise themselves or play parts in order to trick those around them. Some of the most notable examples of trickery and role-playing in Twelfth Night are: Viola disguising herself as the page-boy Cesario; Maria and
Major Theme: Gender and Sexual Identity
In connection with the themes of deception, disguise, and performance, Twelfth Night raises questions about the nature of gender and sexual identity. That Viola has disguised herself as a man, and that her disguise fools Olivia into falling in love with h
Major Theme: Class, Masters, and Servants
In Twelfth Night, as in many Shakespearean comedies, there are many similarities between a "high" set of characters, the masters or nobles, and a "low" set of characters, the servants. These separate sets of characters and their parallel plots provide com