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Twelfth Night is sometimes called a "transvestite comedy" for the obvious reason that its central character is a young woman, Viola, who disguises herself as a pageboy, Cesario. In Shakespeare's time, Viola's part, like all the parts in Twelfth Night, would have been played by a man, because women were not allowed to act.
Full Play Analysis. 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.)
Twelfth Night is the only one of Shakespeare’s plays to have an alternative title: the play is actually called Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Critics are divided over what the two titles mean, but “Twelfth Night” is usually considered to be a reference to Epiphany, or the twelfth night of the Christmas celebration (January 6).
Go and find the coroner then, and let him investigate my uncle—for he's in the third degree of drunkenness, and has drowned. Go look after him. FOOL. He is but mad yet, madonna, and the fool shall look to the madman. FOOL. He's still only in the second degree, my lady, so the fool will take care of the madman.
Which character does not get married (or plan to) at the end of the play? Orsino. Sir Toby. Sebastian. Malvolio. Next section Act 1, scenes i–ii. Test your knowledge on all of Twelfth Night. Perfect prep for Twelfth Night quizzes and tests you might have in school.
Hallucination. At different points in the play, characters speak of having hallucinations and compare the feeling of being in love to hallucinating. By connecting love with hallucinations, Shakespeare stresses that love is often based on misperceptions… read analysis of Hallucination.
Overview. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, written around 1601, is an entertaining comedy that navigates the themes of love, mistaken identity, and the topsy-turvy nature of human relationships. Set in the fictional kingdom of Illyria, the play follows the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck.
