Twelfth Night or What You Will

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Twelfth Night or What You Will

• Setting-The action of the play is set in Illyria
• Written early 1600s
• The first recorded performance was on 2 February
  1602
• Play was written near the end of Queen
  Elizabeth's life.
• Written while Shakespeare was going through his
  dark era.

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12th Night

• The end of the 12 days of Christmas (January 6th)

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Characters

• Orsino Duke of Illyria. He thinks he is in love
  with his neighbor, Olivia, but has trouble
  gaining her attention. His so-called love for her
  is fickle and frivolous, however. Later, he falls
  in love with Viola, who is disguised as a male. 
• Viola Shipwreck survivor who disguises herself
  as a male to get work as a page to Duke Orsino.
  She calls herself Cesario. 
• Olivia Neighbor of Duke Orsino who ignores his
  attentions but becomes enamored of the disguised
  Viola, thinking he is a man.  
• Sebastian Twin brother of Viola who also
  survives the shipwreck, although Viola thinks he
  has drowned.  

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• Valentine, Curio Gentlemen attending Duke
  Orsino.  
• Sir Toby Belch Merrymaking uncle of Olivia.
• Sir Andrew Aguecheek Bumbling knight.  
• Malvolio Pompous steward of Olivia who thinks
  she loves him. He wears yellow stockings to
  impress her.  
• Feste Clown and servant of Olivia. 
• Fabian Servant of Olivia. 
• Maria Olivia's handmaiden.  
• Antonio A sea captain and friend of Sebastian. 
• Another Sea Captain Friend of Viola. 
• Minor Characters Lords, priests, sailors,
  officers, musicians, attendants. 

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The names of several characters appear to be
metaphors or symbols.

• Malvolio means bad desires or bad intentions.
• (The prefix Mal means bad or evil, as in
  malicious volio means I wish or I desire, from
  the Latin volo.) 

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• Sir Toby Belch is a mug of beer given to burping.
  (A toby is a jug or mug resembling a fat man
  a belch is an expulsion of gas from the mouth.)

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• Feste is jolly, festive, celebrating the joy of
  the moment.

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• Viola, who disguises herself as a man, is the
  name of a musical instrument with a deeper tone
  than a violin'sin other words, a more masculine
  tone.

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• One may fairly speculate that Sebastian is named
  after Saint Sebastian, who was ordered killed
  because he was Christian. However, after archers
  pin cushioned him with arrows and abandoned him,
  he remained alive and was nursed back to health.
  In Twelfth Night, Sebastian is presumed dead
  after a shipwreck but, like Saint Sebastian,
  survives.

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• The name Aguecheek is a combination of ague,
  meaning fever, and cheek, meaning the fleshy side
  of the face. Thus, Sir Andrew Aguecheek is
  wine-drinking, red-cheeked fellow. 

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• Olivia may represent the olive tree, famous for
  its exquisite beauty. 

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Love as a Cause of Suffering
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Motifs

• Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or
  literary devices that can help to develop and
  inform the texts major themes.