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Twelfth Night Background Info TM TM L I T C H A R T S GET LIT www.LitCharts.com Twelfth Night Background Info Author Bio Climax: The weddings of Viola and Orsino, and Sebastian and a young woman, Viola, who disguises herself as a pageboy, Full Name: William Shakespeare Olivia Cesario. In Shakespeare’s time, Viola’s part, like all the parts Date of Birth: 1564 in Twelfth Night, would have been played by a man., because Place of Birth: Stratford-upon-Avon, England Historical and Literary Context women were not allowed to act. So, originally, “Cesario” Date of Death: 1616 When Written: c. 1601 would probably have been a boy, dressed up as a woman, Brief Life Story: Shakespeare’s father was a glove-maker, Where Written: England dressed up as a man. and Shakespeare received no more than a grammar school When Published: 1623 Feast of Misrule: Twelfth Night takes its name from an English education. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582, but left his Literary Period: The Renaissance holiday celebrated on the eve of January 5, the so-called family behind around 1590 and moved to London, where Related Literary Works: Twelfth Night has been referred to “twelfth night of Christmas” or the Feast of the Epiphany. In he became an actor and playwright. He was an immediate as a “transvestite comedy” and can be grouped with other Renaissance England, Twelfth Night was known as a “feast of success: Shakespeare soon became the most popular Shakespeare plays in which characters cross-dress—namely, misrule.” For the day, kings and nobles were to be treated as playwright of the day as well as a part-owner of the Globe the comedy As You Like It, but also Merchant of Venice, which peasants, and peasants as kings and nobles. At the center Theater. His theater troupe was adopted by King James as includes a court scene in which the primary female character, of the Twelfth Night feast was a large cake with a bean or the King’s Men in 1603. Shakespeare retired as a rich and Portia, dresses up as a young man. With its confused twins, coin baked into it and served to the assembled company; prominent man to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1613, and died Twelfth Night also resembles Shakespeare’s Comedy of the person whose slice of cake contained it became King three years later. Errors, which is based on the Menaechmi, by the Roman Bean, the Christmas King, or Lord of Misrule—a commoner comedian Plautus. Twelfth Night itself is based on an Italian who would take the place of a king in order to watch over the Key Facts comedy called Iganni—or, the “unknown ones.” topsy-turvy proceedings. Full Title: Twelfth Night, or What You Will Two titles. Twelfth Night is the only play of Shakespeare’s with Genre: Comedy Extra Credit an alternate name: its full title is Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Setting: Illyria (an ancient area on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, What a drag! Twelfth Night is sometimes called a “transvestite The second title references the holiday season of ritualized between contemporary Croatia, Albania, and Montenegro) comedy” for the obvious reason that its central character is disorder and revelry, where you can act out all your fantasies. Plot Summary In the kingdom of Illyria, the Duke Orsino laments over his ters: Olivia’s uncle, the drunkard Sir Toby; his equally vulgar Sir Andrew and Sir Toby resume fighting—mistaking him for unrequited love for the Lady Olivia, who is in mourning for her friend and suitor of Olivia, Sir Andrew Aguecheek; Olivia’s Cesario. Sebastian is baffled, but defends himself. Olivia shows brother and has refused to see anyone for seven years. charming lady-in-waiting, Maria; the clown, Feste; and Mal- up during the scuffle and, mistaking Sebastian for Cesario, calls Meanwhile, a ship has been wrecked by a storm off the volio, Olivia’s self-important steward, who constantly scolds Toby and Andrew off at once. She immediately asks Sebastian coast, casting the young noblewoman Viola onto shore. and irritates the rest of them. Maria devises a prank to get even to marry her. Sebastian is mystified. But, seeing that Olivia is Finding herself alone with the Captain, Viola assumes that with Malvolio. She forges a letter, supposedly from Olivia, ad- beautiful and wealthy, he accepts her offer. her twin brother, Sebastian, with whom she was traveling, is dressed to a secret beloved “M. O. A. I.”; the letter instructs its Meanwhile, Olivia’s belief that Malvolio is mad, has allowed dead. Grieving, she learns from the Captain—who, by chance, anonymous addressee to wear yellow stockings and crossed Maria, Toby, and the others to lock him up in a dark cell for was born in Illyria—about the region, and decides that she garters, to act haughty, smile constantly, and refuse to explain “treatment.” They enjoy tormenting and mocking him. How- would like to conceal her identity and offer her services to this himself in order to show that he returns Olivia’s affections. ever, Sir Toby starts to get worried, since he knows how angry Lady. However, after the Captain informs Viola that Olivia refus- Malvolio finds the letter and assumes that he himself must be Olivia already is with him for attacking Sebastian (or, as she es to see anyone. Viola resolves to conceal her identity—she “M. A. O. I.” Following “Olivia’s” instructions, he behaves so thinks, Cesario). Therefore, they let Malvolio send a letter to dresses up as a pageboy, Cesario, and go work for Orsino. oddly that she worries that he has gone mad. Olivia, arguing his case and demanding to be released. The Captain agrees to help. Viola’s twin brother Sebastian soon arrives up in Illyria: he Cesario and Orsino visit Olivia’s house. Olivia welcomes Viola advances quickly in Orsino’s household. However, she was saved from the shipwreck by a local, Antonio, but thinks Cesario as her husband, thinking that he is Sebastian. Orsino is soon finds herself falling in love with Orsino—a love which she his sister is dead. Antonio has grown so attached to Sebastian shocked and enraged, but when Sebastian himself arrives on cannot pursue, since Orsino believes her to be (the male) Ce- that he follows him into Orsino’s territories despite the fact that the scene, everything falls into place. Viola and Sebastian are sario. At the same time, when Orsino sends Cesario to Olivia’s Orsino is an old enemy. reunited. Now aware that Cesario is in fact the woman, Viola, house to woo her in his stead, Olivia becomes passionately When Sir Andrew starts to notice that Olivia is in love with Orsino declares that he is in love with her and asks her to marry attracted to “Cesario.” Only Viola understands the love-triangle Cesario, Sir Toby encourages him to challenge Cesario to a him. It is reported that Sir Toby and Maria have also married that her disguise has brought about: she loves Orsino, Orsino duel. They are just about to fight when Antonio shows up privately. Finally, Olivia remembers Malvolio and summons him loves Olivia, and Olivia loves her. None of these loves can be and asks to defend Cesario, whom he mistakes for Sebastian. out of the dark room. Furious, he accosts her. When she tells fulfilled. (Viola, in her disguise, looks exactly like her twin brother.) him he should not take things so seriously, he threatens that While the plot between Orsino, Viola, and Olivia unfolds, When Orsino’s police show up and haul Antonio off, Cesario he will have revenge against them all and storms off. The happy scenes at Olivia’s house introduce a second group of charac- slips away. But then Sebastian happens to arrive on the scene. couples await their marriage ceremony. Characters Viola (Cesario) – The protagonist of Twelfth Night. An aris- ever, in the final scene, when Orsino discovers that Cesario is deceased brother, she has vowed not to receive any man, tocratic woman, she is tossed up on the coast of Illyria by a in fact the woman, Viola—and that Olivia has already married or to go outside, for seven years. However, when she meets shipwreck at the beginning of the play and disguises herself as Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian—he quickly proposes to Viola. Cesario (Viola in her male costume) she falls in love and for- the pageboy, Cesario, to make her way. Throughout the play, Because the language and gestures he uses to talk about love gets these oaths. Olivia’s mourning for her brother therefore Viola exhibits strength of character, quick wit, and resourceful- are so melodramatic, and because he switches from Olivia to resembles Orsino’s love-melancholy: it seems more like a ness. Although her disguise puts her in an impossible position, Viola so quickly, Orsino seems more in love with the idea of performance than a real, deeply felt emotion. Like Orsino, she she maintains self-control and a quiet dignity that contrast with love and his own role as a spurned lover, than to actually be in seems to enjoy indulging in misery, and also has no problem the over-the-top emotional performances of love and mourning love. His constant self-indulgent complaints about his lovesick- shifting the object of love from one person to the next. by the other main characters, Orsino and Olivia. While those ness also display his extreme self-centeredness. Critics have two characters seem almost to be play-acting, Viola truly feels also noted that, in the final scene, he seems to be attracted to Sebastian – Viola’s twin brother, whom she believes is lost pain when she believes that her brother Sebastian died in the Cesario as Cesario—that is, to Viola in her male persona.
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