Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; or, What You Will
Twelfth Night, written in about 1601, was published in the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare, and a performance was recorded for February 2, 1602. This play continues in the comedic tradition of Much Ado about Nothing and As You Like It. The setting is remote, Illyria, a country along the eastern shore of the Adriatic. As in most Shakespearean plays with foreign settings, the characters are purely English, but at the same time the remoteness of place allows for more freedoms in the treatment of plot, character, and theme. The title of the play alludes to the celebration of the feast of the Epiphany (or the visit of the Magi), which occurred on the twelfth night after Christmas. Indeed, the Puritans often attacked the festivities that occurred at this time. Note that the pious, censorious character Malvolio (whose name means “ill will”) can be linked with the Puritan point of view.
In terms of sources, there is a suggestion of a Germanic comedy, Tugend und Liebestreit, printed in 1677, which has a similar theme. Two Italian comedies by the same title, Gl’Inganni (The Frauds), one by Nicolo Secchi in 1547 and the other by Curzio Gonzaga in 1592, treat the story of a sister and a brother mistaken for each other, the sister being disguised as a man. In the Gonzaga play, the sister takes the name Cesare while in disguise (which is close to Cesario). Still another possible source is the Italian play Gl’Ingannati (The Deceived). Shakespeare apparently was familiar with a story by the English writer Barnabe Riche, which drew upon French and Italian sources. From all accounts, the Italian source plays were extremely popular.
Twelfth Night provides the reader with a study of the relationship between servant and master in the Elizabethan household. Additionally, the play illustrates customs of courtship, betrothal, and marriage in England. And for Shakespeare the sonneteer, the theme of love was an easy one to elaborate on in this play. As in The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare illustrates in Twelfth Night the Platonic division of love—of the senses, of the intellect, and of the understanding. The lowest kind of love would be reflected in Sir Andrew Aguecheek and in Malvolio. Orsino would represent the intellectual kind of love, and a love that reflects true understanding can be seen in Viola (and to a degree in Olivia and Sebastian).
Indeed, as you read the play, check the following passages which deal with love: that music is the food of love (I.i.1-8; II.iv.1-14); that love is a torment to the lover (I.i.9-23; I.iv.26; II.iv.15-16); that the man should be older than the woman he loves (II.iv.29-32); that a man loves more deeply than a woman does (II.iv.94-106); that a woman loves more deeply than a man does (II.iv.33-36; II.iv.119-21); that concealed love meets with no fruition
(II.iv.113-118); that scorn breeds love (III.i.156-160); that love enters through the eye (I.v.317); and that true love is jealous (IV.iii.27).
In looking at the characters, certainly one has to look at Viola first—and she represents brightness, courage, and wit—making her one of Shakespeare’s greatest ladies. Feste, the singing clown, has been called one of Shakespeare’s best clowns (see III.i.67-75); he manipulates much of the action. Malvolio, a trusted servant, certainly looks bad in the end, and despite his ill-treatment at the hands of other characters, keep in mind that aspiring to Olivia’s hand (social climbing) was considered reprehensible in Elizabethan England.
Modern-day readers should remember that Shakespeare’s company of actors was comprised only of men; it was thought improper in that time for women to appear on stage. So, young boys whose voices had not yet deepened played women’s parts—and the audience readily accepted these skillful boy actors in playing women’s parts. As a result, a role like Viola’s, requiring the transformation into a young man, Cesario, would have been readily accessible for the actor.
In reading the play, keep the beginning situations in mind—Viola is mourning the loss at sea of her twin brother Sebastian and presents herself to the duke of Illyria, Orsino, as a young page. It is rumored that Orsino is seeking the love of Olivia, who has lost both her father and her brother. Early on, it is revealed that Viola wants to marry Orsino—so imagine her discomfiture in visiting Olivia (disguised as Cesario) to plead the suit of Orsino. Complications arise as Olivia finds Cesario appealing—love at first sight. Further complications develop as Sebastian and Antonio arrive in Illyria—and Sebastian looks exactly like Cesario. In one scene, Antonio meets Viola (as Cesario) and wants to know what has happened to his money (which he gave Sebastian); Viola (as Cesario) knows nothing about it—but she looks like Sebastian, whom she believes is dead! (Remember that Sebastian thinks Viola is dead, too!) Indeed, Olivia marries Sebastian, thinking that he is Cesario (Viola)—and Sebastian, thinking he is in a dream, likes the dream! At the end, there are other marriages—Orsino and Viola (as soon as she can put on a dress) and Sir Toby and Maria (from the comic plot). Note how the comic plot often alternates the more serious plot.

 
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