Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, probably written around 1601 or 1602 and first documented in performance on 2 February 1602, Candlemas, which marked the formal end of the Christmas season. Its title refers to the twelfth night counted from Christmas Eve, the Epiphany, and the play was originally conceived as an entertainment for those festivities, which explains its festive tone, its songs and its riotous disorder. It was not published until 1623, in the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected works.

The story begins with a shipwreck on the coast of Illyria, an ancient region of the eastern Adriatic, now divided among several Balkan countries. Viola, a young noblewoman, believes her twin brother Sebastian has drowned, and with the help of a captain she disguises herself as a man called Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino. Orsino has persuaded himself that he is in love with Olivia, a countess in mourning for her father and brother who refuses all suitors. Orsino sends Cesario as his go-between, but Olivia falls in love with the messenger, while Viola falls in love with Orsino. The result is a love triangle in which no one gets what they want, and Viola's disguise turns every declaration into a tangle.

The subplot, broader in tone, centres on Malvolio, Olivia's stiff and puritanical steward, who becomes the target of a prank devised by Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby Belch, his companion Sir Andrew Aguecheek, the lady's maid Maria and the clown Feste. A forged letter convinces him that Olivia is in love with him, and his humiliation leads to his being locked up as a madman. Meanwhile, Sebastian, rescued by the sea captain Antonio, arrives in Illyria and creates further confusion: Olivia takes him for Cesario and marries him. The ending brings the twins together, untangles the misunderstandings and closes with two weddings.

The play is admired for its blend of romance and satire, for the ambiguity of its games of identity and for characters such as Feste, whose songs introduce a note of melancholy beneath the comedy. Its sources include Plautus's Latin comedy Menaechmi and the Italian and English tales of Bandello and Barnabe Rich. It has been staged continuously and has inspired many adaptations in theatre, film and music.