Twelfth night or what you will is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare. This comedy was written in around 1601-1602 as a twelfth night’s Entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. It is a reference to the Twelfth night after Christmas day, also called the eve of the Feast of Epiphany. It was a Catholic holiday. In this day servants often dressed up as their masters, men as women and so forth.
About the Author
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and
actor. He is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the
world’pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called
Summary of Twelfth Night
Orsino is the Duke of Illyria. He is in love with the countess Olivia. Olivia will avoid men’s company for seven years because she is mourning the death of her brother. So Orsino’s advances are rejected.
Viola comes to the shore with the help of captain. She has survived a shipwreck in a storm. She has lost her Twin brother Sebastian. She believes is drowned. She disguises herself as a boy. She calls her Cesario. With the help of the sea captain, she inters in Duke Orsino’s service as a page. Duke Orsino Shares with Cesario about his love for Olivia. He sends Cesario to meet Olivia and woo her for him. In the meantime, viola herself fallen in love with the duke Orsino. She cannot express her love as she is in the male’s dress.
Cesario comes to meet Olivia. As soon as Olivia sees Cesario, she falls in love with her. It creates love Triangle. Viola loves Duke Orsino. Duke Orsino loves Olivia. Olivia loves Viola, disguised as Sebastian.
Viola’s twin brother Sebastian is alive. He is rescued by Antonio. Antonio is a sea captain and
also the enemy of Orsino. Sebastian comes to
Malvolio is Olivia’s steward. The comic characters make him believe that Olivia loves him. The comic characters include sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Ague-cheek, Maria fabian and Feste. All of them want to take revenge on Malvolio.
Sir Toby is the uncle of Olivia. He encourages Sir Andrew to woo Olivia. Maria the maid writes a letter in Olivia’s handwriting to make Malvolio think and believe that Olivia is in love with him. Malvolio finds the letter and acts according to its contents. He wears yellow stockings. He becomes Rude to the Servants He smiles constantly before Olivia. Olivia is shocked when she finds changes in Malvolio. The comic characters declare that Malvolio has becomes insane. They put him in a dark room. Feste teases him first in the disguise of a priest and then as himself.
Sebastian creates confusion of mistaken identity. Sebastian is taken for Cesario and Cesario for Sebastian. Olivia takes Sebastian for Cesario and marries secretly in a church.
Sir Andrew wants to leave the house because he found no scope for him. He finds Cesario more successful with Olivia. Sir Toby asks him to give challenge Cesario or a duel. Sir Andrew and Cesario are about to fight. Antonio comes and defends Cesario. Antonio takes Cesario as Sebastian. The officers' arrests Antonio because he is Orsino’s enemy. Antonio asks for his purse, but Cesario denies saying that he has no knowledge of it.
Feste goes to bring Cesario to Olivia. He meets Sebastian. He takes Sebastian for Cesario. Sir Andrew attacks Sebastian thinking to be Cesario. Sebastian beats Andrew. Olivia comes and stops the fight. She takes Sebastian with her. The truth is that he is not her Cesario.
Antonio is brought before Orsino. He tells Orsino that he saved the life of Sebastian (Cesario). Orsino calls him mad because Cesario was with him. Then Olivia comes. She rejects Orsino’s advances. As he is about to leave with Cesario, Olivia stop Cesario and calls him her husband. Cesario denies but, the priest makes confirmation of the marriage between Olivia and Cesario. Orsino becomes angry. He thinks that Cesario has betrayed him. Then Sir Toby and Andrew enter while crying. Sebastian has beaten them. Sebastian arrives. Everybody wondered to see Viola and Sebastian who look similar. Viola reveals her Identity and call Sebastian her twin brother. Orsino realises his attraction to Cesario. He declares that He will marry Viola if she appears as adwoman again.
Feste gives Malvolio’s letter to Olivia Fabian tells Olivia about the joke, played od Malvolio. Malvolio leaves saying that he will take revenge.
Character list
Viola – A shipwrecked young woman who disguises herself as a page named Cesario.
Sebastian – Viola’s twin brother
Duke Orsino – Duke of Ullyria
Olivia – a wealthy countess
Malvolio – sreward 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, a Jester
Fabian – A servant of Olivia’s household
Valentine and curio - A gentlemen attending on the duke.
Twelfth night Theme
Themes: Love is the central theme of twelfth night and many aspects of love are explored in play Twelfth night still deals with some serious themes. Romantic love, family love and even the love of love are all seen, as is the question of appearance and reality. The opening line of Twelfth Night is….
“If music be the food of love, play on.
Give me excess of it, that, suffering
The appetite may sicken, and so die …”
“It is too hard a knot for me to untie.”
When Malvolio starts to believe that Olivia is in love with him, he reasons that.
“Tis but Fortune, all is fortune”.
Twelfth night is about illusion, deception disguises, madness and the extraordinary things that love will cause us to do. Fate is also the dominant factor of this play.
“Fate, show thy force: us we do not owe.
What is decreed must be and be this so.”
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