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Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Instant PDF downloads. Refine any search. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more.
- 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
- Viola
- Duke Orsino
- Sebastian
- Olivia
Viola is the protagonist of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night. She is an aristocrat who disguises herself as a young man named Cesario after being shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria. Viola is witty, resourceful, and charismatic. She shows self-control and dignity in contrast to the bombastic, overly sentimental performances of Orsino and Lady Oli...
Duke Orsino is the Duke of Illyria. He is mercurial and passionate, and he is more in love with the idea of being in love than he is with any person. He passionately pursues Lady Olivia for the majority of the play while simultaneously revealing his personal thoughts and emotions to Cesario. (Read extended character analysis of Duke Orsino.)
Sebastian is Viola’s twin brother, who becomes lost in the shipwreck. Sebastian is pragmatic and kind. He is not as passionate as other characters in Twelfth Night and appears to be fairly calm in relation to the wildly loving characters surrounding him, such as Lady Olivia and Antonio. (Read extended character analysis of Sebastian.)
Lady Olivia is an upper-class, wealthy, and beautiful countess in Illyria. Olivia is judgmental and overindulgent. Much like Duke Orsino, Olivia is also quick to fall in love and makes rash decisions. She also claims to be in a seven-year, loveless period of mourning for her recently deceased brother. However, Lady Olivia’s mourning period appears ...
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everything is “what you will”. The Department of Dramatic Arts’ rendition of Twelfth Night gives this classic Shakespearean comedy a 20th century twist, setting it in the 1950’s and taking audiences to the era of soul-searching country blues. The magical fictitious kingdom of Illyria is a modern world where ‘ boys are boys and girls ...
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Twelfth Night's important quotes, sortable by theme, character, or scene. Twelfth Night: Characters Description, analysis, and timelines for Twelfth Night 's characters.
husband. Malvolio insults several characters in the play, including Sir Toby, Festeand Maria who get their revenge by playing a trick to make him think Olivia loves him. They then lock him up in a dark room as a madman. Sir Andrew Sir Andrew is visiting his friend Sir Toby and staying in Olivia’s house. Sir Andrew believes
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.
We explore key questions for each character and link to further analysis of their language. Learn more about the characters of Viola, Orsino, Olivia and Malvolio with photo galleries and study grids to complete.
