TWELFTH NIGHT (written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601)

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

(26 April 1564 - 23 April 1616)

William Shakespeare

LIFE

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford (near London) and he attended the local grammar school.

In 1584 he left Stratford and he went to London.

He became an english writer and actor of his works.

The latter part of his life was spent in retirement in Stratford.

He died in Stratford when he was 52 years old.

WORKS

-37 literary texts

-154 sonnets

-many others poems

William Shakespeare has written a number of romantic comedies (it is a form of comedy which deals with love) such as Twelfth Night.

Generally, a romantic comedy starts with some problems that make the union of the lover difficult, but it ends with their happy union.

TWELFTH NIGHT

(takes its name from the Epiphany festival)

Structures

Twelfth Night is a typical romantic comedy, in fact it is romantic in its setting and theme.

Twelfth Night is one of the best comedies of Shakespeare and it's a comedy subdivided into five acts.

Characters

Viola

(fall in love with Orsino - daughter of duke of Messina and twin sister of Sebastian)

Viola

She is the protagonist and a young woman of aristocratic birth. She washed up on the shore of Illyria when her ship is wrecked in a storm.

Viola decides to make her own way in the world.

She disguises herself as a young man, Cesario and becomes a page to Duke Orsino.

She ends up falling in love with Orsino, but he is courting Olivia which falls in love with Cesario (viola).

Orsino

(fall in love whith Olivia - duke)

Orsino

A nobleman in the country of Illyria. Orsino loves Olivia and he asks Cesario to court Olivia on his part, but she falls in love with Cesario (Viola).

Olivia

Olivia

(fall in love with Cesario - Illyrian countess)

Olivia is courted by Orsino but she insists that she is in mourning for her brother, who has recently died, and will not marry for seven years.

When Cesario (Viola) arrives however she falls in love with him.

Antonio

(a boat captain and friend of Sebastian)

Antonio

Sebastian

(Viola's lost twin brother and son of duke of Messina)

Sebastian

When he arrives in Illyria, traveling with Antonio (Sebastian discovers), many people think that they know him.

Furthermore Olivia, exchanging him with Cesario (Viola), wants to marry him.

Malvolio

(steward of Olivia)

Malviolo

Feste

(clown/fool of Olivia)

Feste

Sir Toby

(Olivia’s uncle)

Sir Toby

Maria

(Olivia’s waitress)

Maria

Sir Andrew Aguecheek

(fall in love with Olivia and friend of Sir Toby)

Sir Andrew Aguecheek

Plot

The twelfth night is formed by 2 stories that are mixed together.

The main story talks about Viola and her twin Sebastian who had disappointed.

Viola went to Illyria, she "transformed" herself and became Cesario in order to work for the duke Orsino.

Orsino had fallen in love with Olivia, a countess, but she had never married someone after her brother's death. Unluckily she felt in love with Viola/Cesario. At last Sebastian returned and got married with Olivia and Viola got married with Orsino.

The second story talks about Maria and Malvolio (Olivia's steward). She play him a truck, she wrote a letter to make Malvolio ridiculous. In the letter she had written that the countess had fallen in love with him and she made some requests that make Malvolio ridiculous.

Everyone thought that he had become crazy and he went to prison too.

Produced by

Valentina Erlicher

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