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Olivia. The Duke and ruler of Illyria. At the beginning of the play Orsino is obsessed by his unrequited love for Olivia . However, in the final scene, when Orsino discovers that Cesario is in fact the woman, Viola —and that Olivia has already married Viola's twin brother, Sebastian —he quickly proposes to Viola.
There are lots of characters in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night. Take an in-depth look at the main ones identifying their key attributes and relationships and analysing their part in the play.
Malvolio. Malvolio, whose name might be translated as ‘ill-will,’ is Olivia’s steward. Something of a puritan, he abhors disorder and drunkenness, along with bear-baiting and for that matter laughter: he does not smile. Read more ….
Viola, Twelfth Night. Viola is the central character in Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night. She is washed up on a beach in Illyria after losing her twin brother in a shipwreck. She disguises herself as a boy, gives herself the name Cesario and finds employment with Duke Orsino, the wealthy young ruler of Illyria.
Sebastian is confronted, first by Feste and then by Sir Andrew, Sir Toby and Fabian, who all mistake him for ‘Cesario’. Sir Andrew strikes him and Sebastian strikes back, thinking everyone is mad. He almost gets into a sword fight with Sir Toby but Olivia interrupts them. She sends Sir Toby and his friends away and invites Sebastian to her ...
Plot Summary. Duke Orsino of Illyria is in love with Olivia, but his advances are rejected. A shipwrecked Viola arrives on his shores, and with the help of a Captain, disguises herself as a boy, calling herself Cesario, and enters Orsino’s service. Orsino takes to Cesario, and sends ‘him’ to woo Olivia for him.
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