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Need help on characters in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night? Check out our detailed character descriptions. From the creators of SparkNotes.
- Malvolio
In revenge, Maria, Sir Toby, and others play a prank on...
- Olivia
Get everything you need to know about Olivia in Twelfth...
- Sebastian
Viola's twin brother, whom she believes is lost at sea, and...
- Viola (Cesario)
The protagonist of Twelfth Night.An aristocratic woman, she...
- Orsino
Get everything you need to know about Orsino in Twelfth...
- Malvolio
Orsino. A powerful nobleman in the country of Illyria. Orsino is lovesick for the beautiful Lady Olivia, but finds himself becoming fonder of Casario, who is actually a woman - Viola. A supreme egotist, Orsino mopes around complaining how heartsick he is over Olivia, when it’s clear that he is in love with the idea of being in love and enjoys ...
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Twelfth Night is a play about desire’s power to override conventions of class, religion, and even gender. Several characters begin the play believing they want one thing, only to have love teach them they actually want something else. Orsino thinks he wants Olivia, until he falls in love with Viola (dressed as Cesario.)
- Antonio
- Sir Toby Belch
- Maria
- Sir Andrew Aguecheek
- Malvolio
- Feste
- Sea Captain
Antonio is a sea captain and a friend of Sebastian’s. He is generous, kind,and loyal to a fault. His selfless nature leads him into trouble, as does hisintense love for Sebastian. Antonio’s love for Sebastian is one of the onlyexamples in the play of a love based on intimate knowledge of another person.Antonio spends three months taking care of Seb...
Sir Toby Belch is Lady Olivia’s uncle. He is one of the more comediccharacters in Twelfth Night, engaging in tricks, jokes, andhijinks. Sir Toby is also a drunkard—which explains his surname—who isnearly always drinking with Sir Andrew Aguecheek, the silly and vain knight whowants to woo Lady Olivia. Sir Toby enjoys being entertained and will trick...
Maria is Lady Olivia’s lady-in-waiting. She is witty, intelligent, andfast-paced. Maria is also the love interest of Sir Toby and banters with himthroughout the play. She is another of the comedic and lighthearted characters,and she plays the role of a trickster in some respects. While she mostlyengages in humorous conversations with Sir Toby, Sir ...
Sir Andrew Aguecheek—the word “ague” means shivering—is a foolish andcowardly knight. Although supposedly of a high social status, Sir Andrew lacksknowledge and often misspeaks throughout Twelfth Night.He is a sourceof ridicule and entertainment for Sir Toby, who keeps him around to drink with.Sir Toby even convinces Sir Andrew to duel Cesario (Vio...
Malvolio is Lady Olivia’s dry and puritanical steward. He lacks humor andgood nature. In fact, his name means “ill will.” Malvolio is a subject ofridicule in Twelfth Nightand is representative of the madness thatlove can bring. He is tricked by Maria into thinking that Lady Olivia is in love with himafter he finds a love letter seemingly written by...
Feste is Lady Olivia’s fool, or court jester. Feste is the only characterwho is willing and able to express the truth about others—a role exclusivelyavailable to fools. He creates humor and ridicule through his observations,often pointing out the hypocritical nature of those around him. Feste is alsothe most witty and intelligent of the characters....
The Sea Captain rescues Viola after the shipwreck. He is the only characterto know of Viola’s true identity after she disguises herself as Cesario.
The title offers the central metaphor for the play's action and themes. Twelfth Night refers to the last night of the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas, January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, the time the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem.
Dec 24, 2022 · Twelfth night : character studies : Atkin, Graham : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.
Learn more about the characters of Viola, Orsino, Olivia and Malvolio with photo galleries and study grids to complete. We explore key questions for each character and link to further analysis of their language.
