Twelfth Night
from the Oxford Companion to English Literature, ed. Margaret Drabble:
Twelfth Night, or What You Will, a comedy by
*Shakespeare probably written 1601. John *Manningham saw a performance of it in
the Middle Temple in February 1602; it was frist printed in the *Folio of 1623.
Shakespeare's immediate source for the main plot was 'The History of Apolonius
and Silla' in Barnabe *Rich's Riche His
Farewell to Militarie Profession (1581). This is derived from Belleforest's
version, which by way of *Bandello can be traced back to a Sienese comedy Gl'Ingannati (The Deceived), written and
performed 1531.
Sebastian and Viola, twin brother
and sister and closely resembling one another, are separated in a shipwreck off
the coast of Illyria. Viola, brought to shore in a boat, disguises herself a
youth, Cesario, and takes service as page with Duke Orsino, who is in love with
the lady Olivia. She rejects the duke's suit and will not meet him. Orsino
makes a confidant of Cesario and sends her to press his suit on Olivia, much to
the distress of Cesario, who has fallen in love with Orsino. Olivia in turn
falls in love with Cesario. Sebastian and Antonio, captain of the ship that had
rescued Sebastian, now arrive in Illyria. Cesario, challenged to a duel by Sir Andrew
Aguecheek, a rejected suitor of Olivia, is rescued from her predicament by
Antonio, who takes her for Sebastian. Antonio, being arrested at that moment
for an old offence, claims from Cesario a purse that he had entrusted to
Sebastian, is denied it, and hauled off to prison. Olivia coming upon the true
Sebastian, takes him for Cesario, invites him to her house, and marries him out
of hand. Orsino comes to visit Olivia. Antonio, brought before him, claims
Cesario as the youth he has rescued from the sea; while Olivia claims Cesario
as her husband. The duke, deeply wounded, is bidding farewell to Olivia and the
'dissembling cub' Cesario, when the arrival of the true Sebastian clears up the
confusion. The duke, having lost Olivia, and becoming conscious of the love
that Viola has betrayed, turns his affection to her, and they are married.
Much of the play's comedy comes
from the sub-plot dealing with the members of Olivia's household: Sir Toby
Belch, her uncle, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, his friend, Malvolio, her pompous
steward, Maria, her waiting-gentlewoman, and her clown Feste. Exasperated by
Malvolio's officiousness, the other members of the house make him believe that
Olivia is in love with him and that he must return her affection. In courting
her he behaves so outrageously that he is imprisoned as a madman. Olivia has
him released and the joke against him is explained, but he is not amused by it,
threatening, 'I'll be reveng'd on the whole pack of you.'
The play's gentle melancholy and
lyrical atmosphere is captured in two of Feste's beautiful songs, 'Come away,
come away, death' and 'When that I was and a little tiny boy, / With hey, ho,
the wind and the rain'.
Twelfth Night (1996 film version, dir. Trevor Nunn):
Twelfth Night, dir. Kenneth Branagh:
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