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Twelfth Night Shakespeare

Key Facts
FULL TITLE Twelfth Night, or What You Will
AUTHOR William Shakespeare
TYPE OF WORK Play
GENRE Comedy
LANGUAGE English
TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN Between 1600 and 1602, England
DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION 1623, in the First Folio
PUBLISHER Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount
TONE Light, cheerful, comic; occasionally frantic and melodramatic, especially in the
speeches of Orsino and Olivia
TENSE Present (the entire story is told through dialogue)
SETTING (TIME) Unknown
SETTING (PLACE) The mythical land of Illyria (Illyria is a real place, corresponding to the
coast of present-day Albaniabut Twelfth Night is clearly set in a fictional kingdom rather
than a real one)
PROTAGONIST Viola
MAJOR CONFLICT Viola is in love with Orsino, who is in love with Olivia, who is in love with
Violas male disguise, Cesario. This love triangle is complicated by the fact that neither Orsino
nor Olivia knows that Viola is really a woman.
RISING ACTION The mounting confusion, mistaken identities, and professions of love
leading up to Act V
CLIMAX Sebastian and Viola are reunited, and everyone realizes that Viola is really a
woman
FALLING ACTION Viola prepares to marry Orsino; Malvolio is freed and vows revenge;
everyone else goes off to celebrate
THEMES Love as a cause of suffering; the uncertainty of gender; the folly of ambition
MOTIFS Letters, messages, and tokens; madness; disguises; mistaken identity
SYMBOLS Olivias gifts; the darkness of Malvolios prison; changes of clothing
FORESHADOWING Little or none, as the play moves too fast.

Context
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T HE MOST INFLUENTIAL WRITER in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born
in 1564 to a -successful middle-class glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further.
In 1582 he married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with her.
Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and
playwright. Public and critical acclaim quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became
the most popular playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career
bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled15581603) and James I (ruled 16031625), and he
was a favorite of both monarchs. Indeed, James granted his company the greatest possible
compliment by bestowing upon its members the title of Kings Men. Wealthy and renowned,
Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at age fifty-two. At the time of his death,
literary luminaries such as Ben Jonson hailed his works as timeless.
Shakespeares works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following
his death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write
in English was well established. The unprecedented admiration garnered by his works led to a
fierce curiosity about Shakespeares life, but the dearth of biographical information has left
many details of Shakespeares personal history shrouded in mystery. Some people have
concluded from this fact and from Shakespeares modest education that Shakespeares plays
were actually written by someone elseFrancis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford are the two
most popular candidatesbut the support for this claim is overwhelmingly circumstantial, and
the theory is not taken seriously by many scholars.
In the absence of credible evidence to the contrary, Shakespeare must be viewed as the
author of the thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets that bear his name. The legacy of this body
of work is immense. A number of Shakespeares plays seem to have transcended even the
category of brilliance, becoming so influential as to affect profoundly the course of Western
literature and culture ever after.
Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night near the middle of his career, probably in the year 1601.
Most critics consider it one of his greatest comedies, along with plays such as As You Like
It, Much Ado About Nothing, and A Midsummer Nights Dream. Twelfth Night is about illusion,
deception, disguises, madness, and the extraordinary things that love will cause us to do
and to see.
Twelfth Night is the only one of Shakespeares 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). In Shakespeares day, this holiday was
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celebrated as a festival in which everything was turned upside downmuch like the upside-
down, chaotic world of Illyria in the play.
Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeares so-called transvestite comedies, a category that also
includes As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice. These plays feature female protagonists
who, for one reason or another, have to disguise themselves as young men. It is important to
remember that in Shakespeares day, all of the parts were played by men, so Viola would
actually have been a male pretending to be a female pretending to be a male. Contemporary
critics have found a great deal of interest in the homoerotic implications of these plays.
As is the case with most of Shakespeares plays, the story of Twelfth Night is derived from
other sources. In particular, Shakespeare seems to have consulted an Italian play from
the 1530s entitled GlIngannati, which features twins who are mistaken for each other and
contains a version of the Viola-Olivia-Orsino love triangle in Twelfth Night. He also seems to
have used a 1581 English story entitled Apollonius and Silla, by Barnabe Riche, which
mirrors the plot of Twelfth Night up to a point, with a shipwreck, a pair of twins, and a woman
disguised as a man. A number of sources have been suggested for the Malvolio subplot, but
none of them is very convincing. Sir Toby, Maria, and the luckless steward seem to have
sprung largely from Shakespeares own imagination.

Plot Overview
I N THE KINGDOM OF ILLYRIA, a nobleman named Orsino lies around listening to music,
pining away for the love of Lady Olivia. He cannot have her because she is in mourning for
her dead brother and refuses to entertain any proposals of marriage. Meanwhile, off the
coast, a storm has caused a terrible shipwreck. A young, aristocratic-born woman named
Viola is swept onto the Illyrian shore. Finding herself alone in a strange land, she assumes
that her twin brother, Sebastian, has been drowned in the wreck, and tries to figure out what
sort of work she can do. A friendly sea captain tells her about Orsinos courtship of Olivia, and
Viola says that she wishes she could go to work in Olivias home. But since Lady Olivia
refuses to talk with any strangers, Viola decides that she cannot look for work with her.
Instead, she decides to disguise herself as a man, taking on the name of Cesario, and goes
to work in the household of Duke Orsino.
Viola (disguised as Cesario) quickly becomes a favorite of Orsino, who makes Cesario his
page. Viola finds herself falling in love with Orsinoa difficult love to pursue, as Orsino
believes her to be a man. But when Orsino sends Cesario to deliver Orsinos love messages
to the disdainful Olivia, Olivia herself falls for the beautiful young Cesario, believing her to be
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a man. The love triangle is complete: Viola loves Orsino, Orsino loves Olivia, and Olivia loves
Cesarioand everyone is miserable.
Meanwhile, we meet the other members of Olivias household: her rowdy drunkard of an
uncle, Sir Toby; his foolish friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, who is trying in his hopeless way to
court Olivia; Olivias witty and pretty waiting-gentlewoman, Maria; Feste, the clever clown of
the house; and Malvolio, the dour, prudish steward of Olivias household. When Sir Toby and
the others take offense at Malvolios constant efforts to spoil their fun, Maria engineers a
practical joke to make Malvolio think that Olivia is in love with him. She forges a letter,
supposedly from Olivia, addressed to her beloved (whose name is signified by the
letters M.O.A.I.), telling him that if he wants to earn her favor, he should dress in yellow
stockings and crossed garters, act haughtily, smile constantly, and refuse to explain himself to
anyone. Malvolio finds the letter, assumes that it is addressed to him, and, filled with dreams
of marrying Olivia and becoming noble himself, happily follows its commands. He behaves so
strangely that Olivia comes to think that he is mad.
Meanwhile, Sebastian, who is still alive after all but believes his sister Viola to be dead,
arrives in Illyria along with his friend and protector, Antonio. Antonio has cared for Sebastian
since the shipwreck and is passionately (and perhaps sexually) attached to the young man
so much so that he follows him to Orsinos domain, in spite of the fact that he and Orsino are
old enemies.
Sir Andrew, observing Olivias attraction to Cesario (still Viola in disguise), challenges Cesario
to a duel. Sir Toby, who sees the prospective duel as entertaining fun, eggs Sir Andrew on.
However, when Sebastianwho looks just like the disguised Violaappears on the scene,
Sir Andrew and Sir Toby end up coming to blows with Sebastian, thinking that he is Cesario.
Olivia enters amid the confusion. Encountering Sebastian and thinking that he is Cesario, she
asks him to marry her. He is baffled, since he has never seen her before. He sees, however,
that she is wealthy and beautiful, and he is therefore more than willing to go along with her.
Meanwhile, Antonio has been arrested by Orsinos officers and now begs Cesario for help,
mistaking him for Sebastian. Viola denies knowing Antonio, and Antonio is dragged off, crying
out that Sebastian has betrayed him. Suddenly, Viola has newfound hope that her brother
may be alive.
Malvolios supposed madness has allowed the gleeful Maria, Toby, and the rest to lock
Malvolio into a small, dark room for his treatment, and they torment him at will. Feste dresses
up as "Sir Topas," a priest, and pretends to examine Malvolio, declaring him definitely insane
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in spite of his protests. However, Sir Toby begins to think better of the joke, and they allow
Malvolio to send a letter to Olivia, in which he asks to be released.
Eventually, Viola (still disguised as Cesario) and Orsino make their way to Olivias house,
where Olivia welcomes Cesario as her new husband, thinking him to be Sebastian, whom she
has just married. Orsino is furious, but then Sebastian himself appears on the scene, and all
is revealed. The siblings are joyfully reunited, and Orsino realizes that he loves Viola, now
that he knows she is a woman, and asks her to marry him. We discover that Sir Toby and
Maria have also been married privately. Finally, someone remembers Malvolio and lets him
out of the dark room. The trick is revealed in full, and the embittered Malvolio storms off,
leaving the happy couples to their celebration.
Character List
Viola - A young woman of aristocratic birth, and the plays protagonist. Washed up on the
shore of Illyria when her ship is wrecked in a storm, Viola decides to make her own way in the
world. She disguises herself as a young man, calling herself "Cesario," and becomes a page
to Duke Orsino. She ends up falling in love with Orsinoeven as Olivia, the woman Orsino is
courting, falls in love with Cesario. Thus, Viola finds that her clever disguise has entrapped
her: she cannot tell Orsino that she loves him, and she cannot tell Olivia why she, as Cesario,
cannot love her. Her poignant plight is the central conflict in the play.
Read an in-depth analysis of Viola.
Orsino - A powerful nobleman in the country of Illyria. Orsino is lovesick for the beautiful
Lady Olivia, but becomes more and more fond of his handsome new page boy, Cesario, who
is actually a womanViola. Orsino is a vehicle through which the play explores the absurdity
of love: a supreme egotist, Orsino mopes around complaining how heartsick he is over Olivia,
when it is clear that he is chiefly in love with the idea of being in love and enjoys making a
spectacle of himself. His attraction to the ostensibly male Cesario injects sexual ambiguity
into his character.
Read an in-depth analysis of Orsino.
Olivia - A wealthy, beautiful, and noble Illyrian lady, Olivia is courted by Orsino and Sir
Andrew Aguecheek, but to each of them she insists that she is in mourning for her brother,
who has recently died, and will not marry for seven years. She and Orsino are similar
characters in that each seems to enjoy wallowing in his or her own misery. Violas arrival in
the masculine guise of Cesario enables Olivia to break free of her self-indulgent melancholy.
Olivia seems to have no difficulty transferring her affections from one love interest to the next,
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however, suggesting that her romantic feelingslike most emotions in the playdo not run
deep.
Read an in-depth analysis of Olivia.
Sebastian - Violas lost twin brother. When he arrives in Illyria, traveling with Antonio, his
close friend and protector, Sebastian discovers that many people think that they know him.
Furthermore, the beautiful Lady Olivia, whom he has never met, wants to marry him.
Sebastian is not as well rounded a character as his sister. He seems to exist to take on the
role that Viola fills while disguised as Cesarionamely, the mate for Olivia.
Malvolio - The straitlaced stewardor head servantin the household of Lady Olivia.
Malvolio is very efficient but also very self-righteous, and he has a poor opinion of drinking,
singing, and fun. His priggishness and haughty attitude earn him the enmity of Sir Toby, Sir
Andrew, and Maria, who play a cruel trick on him, making him believe that Olivia is in love
with him. In his fantasies about marrying his mistress, he reveals a powerful ambition to rise
above his social class.
Read an in-depth analysis of Malvolio.
Feste - The clown, or fool, of Olivias household, Feste moves between Olivias and Orsinos
homes. He earns his living by making pointed jokes, singing old songs, being generally witty,
and offering good advice cloaked under a layer of foolishness. In spite of being a professional
fool, Feste often seems the wisest character in the play.
Sir Toby - Olivias uncle. Olivia lets Sir Toby Belch live with her, but she does not approve of
his rowdy behavior, practical jokes, heavy drinking, late-night carousing, or friends
(specifically the idiotic Sir Andrew). Sir Toby also earns the ire of Malvolio. But Sir Toby has
an ally, and eventually a mate, in Olivias sharp-witted waiting-gentlewoman, Maria. Together
they bring about the triumph of chaotic spirit, which Sir Toby embodies, and the ruin of the
controlling, self-righteous Malvolio.
Maria - Olivias clever, daring young waiting-gentlewoman. Maria is remarkably similar to her
antagonist, Malvolio, who harbors aspirations of rising in the world through marriage. But
Maria succeeds where Malvolio failsperhaps because she is a woman, but, more likely,
because she is more in tune than Malvolio with the anarchic, topsy-turvy spirit that animates
the play.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek - A friend of Sir Tobys. Sir Andrew Aguecheek attempts to court
Olivia, but he doesnt stand a chance. He thinks that he is witty, brave, young, and good at
languages and dancing, but he is actually an idiot.
Antonio - A man who rescues Sebastian after his shipwreck. Antonio has become very fond
of Sebastian, caring for him, accompanying him to Illyria, and furnishing him with moneyall
because of a love so strong that it seems to be romantic in nature. Antonios attraction to
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Sebastian, however, never bears fruit. Despite the ambiguous and shifting gender roles in the
play, Twelfth Night remains a romantic comedy in which the characters are destined for
marriage. In such a world, homoerotic attraction cannot be fulfilled.
Analysis of Major Characters
Viola
Like most of Shakespeares heroines, Viola is a tremendously likable figure. She has no
serious faults, and we can easily discount the peculiarity of her decision to dress as a man,
since it sets the entire plot in motion. She is the character whose love seems the purest. The
other characters passions are fickle: Orsino jumps from Olivia to Viola, Olivia jumps from
Viola to Sebastian, and Sir Toby and Marias marriage seems more a matter of whim than an
expression of deep and abiding passion. Only Viola seems to be truly, passionately in love as
opposed to being self-indulgently lovesick. As she says to Orsino, describing herself and her
love for him:
She pined in thought,
And with a green and yellow melancholy
She sat like patience on a monument,
Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed?
(II.iv.111114)
The audience, like Orsino, can only answer with an emphatic yes.
Violas chief problem throughout the play is one of identity. Because of her disguise, she must
be both herself and Cesario. This mounting identity crisis culminates in the final scene, when
Viola finds herself surrounded by people who each have a different idea of who she is and are
unaware of who she actually is. Were Twelfth Night not a comedy, this pressure might cause
Viola to break down. Sebastians appearance at this point, however, effectively saves Viola by
allowing her to be herself again. Sebastian, who independent of his sister is not much of a
character, takes over the aspects of Violas disguise that she no longer wishes to maintain.
Thus liberated by her brother, Viola is free to shed the roles that she has accumulated
throughout the play, and she can return to being Viola, the woman who has loved and won
Orsino.
Orsino and Olivia
Orsino and Olivia are worth discussing together, because they have similar personalities.
Both claim to be buffeted by strong emotions, but both ultimately seem to be self-indulgent
individuals who enjoy melodrama and self-involvement more than anything. When we first
meet them, Orsino is pining away for love of Olivia, while Olivia pines away for her dead
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brother. They show no interest in relating to the outside world, preferring to lock themselves
up with their sorrows and mope around their homes.
Violas arrival begins to break both characters out of their self-involved shells, but neither
undergoes a clear-cut change. Orsino relates to Viola in a way that he never has to Olivia,
diminishing his self-involvement and making him more likable. Yet he persists in his belief that
he is in love with Olivia until the final scene, in spite of the fact that he never once speaks to
her during the course of the play. Olivia, meanwhile, sets aside her grief when Viola
(disguised as Cesario) comes to see her. But Olivia takes up her own fantasy of lovesickness,
in which she pines awaywith a self-indulgence that mirrors Orsinosfor a man who is
really a woman. Ultimately, Orsino and Olivia seem to be out of touch with real emotion, as
demonstrated by the ease with which they shift their affections in the final sceneOrsino from
Olivia to Viola, and Olivia from Cesario to Sebastian. The similarity between Orsino and Olivia
does not diminish with the end of the play, since the audience realizes that by marrying Viola
and Sebastian, respectively, Orsino and Olivia are essentially marrying female and male
versions of the same person.
Malvolio
Malvolio initially seems to be a minor character, and his humiliation seems little more than an
amusing subplot to the Viola-Olivia-Orsino- love triangle. But he becomes more interesting as
the play progresses, and most critics have judged him one of the most complex and
fascinating characters inTwelfth Night. When we first meet Malvolio, he seems to be a simple
typea puritan, a stiff and proper servant who likes nothing better than to spoil other peoples
fun. It is this dour, fun-despising side that earns him the enmity of the zany, drunken Sir Toby
and the clever Maria, who together engineer his downfall. But they do so by playing on a side
of Malvolio that might have otherwise remained hiddenhis self-regard and his remarkable
ambitions, which extend to marrying Olivia and becoming, as he puts it, Count Malvolio
(II.v.30).
When he finds the forged letter from Olivia (actually penned by Maria) that seems to offer
hope to his ambitions, Malvolio undergoes his first transformationfrom a stiff and wooden
embodiment of priggish propriety into an personification of the power of self--delusion. He is
ridiculous in these scenes, as he capers around in the yellow stockings and crossed garters
that he thinks will please Olivia, but he also becomes pitiable. He may deserve his come-
uppance, but there is an uncomfortable universality to his experience. Malvolios misfortune is
a cautionary tale of ambition overcoming good sense, and the audience winces at the way he
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adapts every eventincluding Olivias confused assumption that he must be madto fit his
rosy picture of his glorious future as a nobleman. Earlier, he embodies stiff joylessness; now
he is joyful, but in pursuit of a dream that everyone, except him, knows is false.
Our pity for Malvolio only increases when the vindictive Maria and Toby confine him to a dark
room in Act IV. As he desperately protests that he is not mad, Malvolio begins to seem more
of a victim than a victimizer. It is as if the unfortunate steward, as the embodiment of order
and sobriety, must be sacrificed so that the rest of the characters can indulge in the hearty
spirit that suffuses Twelfth Night. As he is sacrificed, Malvolio begins to earn our respect. It is
too much to call him a tragic figure, howeverafter all, he is only being asked to endure a
single night in darkness, hardly a fate comparable to the sufferings of King Lear or Hamlet.
But there is a kind of nobility, however limited, in the way that the deluded steward stubbornly
clings to his sanity, even in the face of Festes insistence that he is mad. Malvolio remains
true to himself, despite everything: he knows that he is sane, and he will not allow anything to
destroy this knowledge.
Malvolio (and the audience) must be content with this self-knowledge, because the play
allows Malvolio no real recompense for his sufferings. At the close of the play, he is brought
out of the darkness into a celebration in which he has no part, and where no one seems
willing to offer him a real apology. Ill be revenged on the whole pack of you, he snarls,
stalking out of the festivities (V.i.365). His exit strikes a jarring note in an otherwise joyful
comedy. Malvolio has no real place in the anarchic world of Twelfth Night,except to suggest
that, even in the best of worlds, someone must suffer while everyone else is happy.
Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
Love as a Cause of Suffering
Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy, and romantic love is the plays main focus. Despite the
fact that the play offers a happy ending, in which the various lovers find one another and
achieve wedded bliss, Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain. Many of the characters
seem to view love as a kind of curse, a feeling that attacks its victims suddenly and
disruptively. Various characters claim to suffer painfully from being in love, or, rather, from the
pangs of unrequited love. At one point, Orsino depicts love dolefully as an appetite that he
wants to satisfy and cannot (I.i.13); at another point, he calls his desires fell and cruel
hounds (I.i.21). Olivia more bluntly describes love as a plague from which she suffers
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terribly (I.v.265). These metaphors contain an element of violence, further painting the love-
struck as victims of some random force in the universe. Even the less melodramatic Viola
sighs unhappily that My state is desperate for my masters love (II.ii.35). This desperation
has the potential to result in violenceas in Act V, scene i, when Orsino threatens to kill
Cesario because he thinks that -Cesario has forsaken him to become Olivias lover.
Love is also exclusionary: some people achieve romantic happiness, while others do not. At
the end of the play, as the happy lovers rejoice, both Malvolio and Antonio are prevented from
having the objects of their desire. Malvolio, who has pursued Olivia, must ultimately face the
realization that he is a fool, socially unworthy of his noble mistress. Antonio is in a more
difficult situation, as social norms do not allow for the gratification of his apparently sexual
attraction to Sebastian. Love, thus, cannot conquer all obstacles, and those whose desires go
unfulfilled remain no less in love but feel the sting of its absence all the more severely.
The Uncertainty of Gender
Gender is one of the most obvious and much-discussed topics in the play.Twelfth Night is one
of Shakespeares so-called transvestite comedies, in which a female characterin this case,
Violadisguises herself as a man. This situation creates a sexual mess: Viola falls in love
with Orsino but cannot tell him, because he thinks she is a man, while Olivia, the object of
Orsinos affection, falls for Viola in her guise as Cesario. There is a clear homoerotic subtext
here: Olivia is in love with a woman, even if she thinks he is a man, and Orsino often remarks
on Cesarios beauty, suggesting that he is attracted to Viola even before her male disguise is
removed. This latent homoeroticism finds an explicit echo in the minor character of Antonio,
who is clearly in love with his male friend, Sebastian. But Antonios desires cannot be
satisfied, while Orsino and Olivia both find tidy heterosexual gratification once the sexual
ambiguities and deceptions are straightened out.
Yet, even at the plays close, Shakespeare leaves things somewhat murky, especially in the
Orsino-Viola relationship. Orsinos declaration of love to Viola suggests that he enjoys
prolonging the pretense of Violas masculinity. Even after he knows that Viola is a woman,
Orsino says to her, Boy, thou hast said to me a thousand times / Thou never shouldst love
woman like to me (V.i.260261). Similarly, in his last lines, Orsino declares, Cesario,
come / For so you shall be while you are a man; / But when in other habits you are seen, /
Orsinos mistress, and his fancys queen (V.i.372375). Even once everything is revealed,
Orsino continues to address Viola by her male name. We can thus only wonder whether
Orsino is truly in love with Viola, or if he is more enamoured of her male persona.
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The Folly of Ambition
The problem of social ambition works itself out largely through the character of Malvolio, the
steward, who seems to be a competent servant, if prudish and dour, but proves to be, in fact,
a supreme egotist, with tremendous ambitions to rise out of his social class. Maria plays on
these ambitions when she forges a letter from Olivia that makes Malvolio believe that Olivia is
in love with him and wishes to marry him. Sir Toby and the others find this fantasy hysterically
funny, of coursenot only because of Malvolios unattractive personality but also because
Malvolio is not of noble blood. In the class system of Shakespeares time, a noblewoman
would generally not sully her reputation by marrying a man of lower social status.
Yet the atmosphere of the play may render Malvolios aspirations less unreasonable than they
initially seem. The feast of Twelfth Night, from which the play takes its name, was a time
when social hierarchies were turned upside down. That same spirit is alive in Illyria: indeed,
Malvolios antagonist, Maria, is able to increase her social standing by marrying Sir Toby. But
it seems that Marias success may be due to her willingness to accept and promote the
anarchy that Sir Toby and the others embrace. This Twelfth Night spirit, then, seems to pass
by Malvolio, who doesnt wholeheartedly embrace the upending of order and decorum but
rather wants to blur class lines for himself alone.
Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and
inform the texts major themes.
Letters, Messages, and Tokens
Twelfth Night features a great variety of messages sent from one character to another
sometimes as letters and other times in the form of tokens. Such messages are used both for
purposes of communication and miscommunicationsometimes deliberate and sometimes
accidental. Marias letter to Malvolio, which purports to be from Olivia, is a deliberate (and
successful) attempt to trick the steward. Sir Andrews letter demanding a duel with Cesario,
meanwhile, is meant seriously, but because it is so appallingly stupid, Sir Toby does not
deliver it, rendering it extraneous. Malvolios missive, sent by way of Feste from the dark room
in which he is imprisoned, ultimately works to undo the confusion caused by Marias forged
letter and to free Malvolio from his imprisonment.
But letters are not the only kind of messages that characters employ to communicate with one
another. Individuals can be employed in the place of written communicationOrsino
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repeatedly sends Cesario, for instance, to deliver messages to Olivia. Objects can function as
messages between people as well: Olivia sends Malvolio after Cesario with a ring, to tell the
page that she loves him, and follows the ring up with further gifts, which symbolize her
romantic attachment. Messages can convey important information, but they also create the
potential for miscommunication and confusionespecially with characters like Maria and Sir
Toby manipulating the information.
Madness
No one is truly insane in Twelfth Night, yet a number of characters are accused of being mad,
and a current of insanity or zaniness runs through the action of the play. After Sir Toby and
Maria dupe Malvolio into believing that Olivia loves him, Malvolio behaves so bizarrely that he
is assumed to be mad and is locked away in a dark room. Malvolio himself knows that he is
sane, and he accuses everyone around him of being mad. Meanwhile, when Antonio
encounters Viola (disguised as Cesario), he mistakes her for Sebastian, and his angry
insistence that she recognize him leads people to assume that he is mad. All of these
incidents feed into the general atmosphere of the play, in which normal life is thrown topsy-
turvy, and everyone must confront a reality that is somehow fractured.
Disguises
Many characters in Twelfth Night assume disguises, beginning with Viola, who puts on male
attire and makes everyone else believe that she is a man. By dressing his protagonist in male
garments, Shakespeare creates endless sexual confusion with the Olivia-Viola--Orsino love
triangle. Other characters in disguise include Malvolio, who puts on crossed garters and
yellow stockings in the hope of winning Olivia, and Feste, who dresses up as a priestSir
Topaswhen he speaks to Malvolio after the steward has been locked in a dark room. Feste
puts on the disguise even though Malvolio will not be able to see him, since the room is so
dark, suggesting that the importance of clothing is not just in the eye of the beholder. For
Feste, the disguise completes his assumption of a new identityin order to be Sir Topas, he
must look like Sir Topas. Viola puts on new clothes and changes her gender, while Feste and
Malvolio put on new garments either to impersonate a nobleman (Feste) or in the hopes of
becoming a nobleman (Malvolio). Through these disguises, the play raises questions about
what makes us who we are, compelling the audience to wonder if things like gender and class
are set in stone, or if they can be altered with a change of clothing.
Mistaken Identity
The instances of mistaken identity are related to the prevalence of disguises in the play, as
Violas male clothing leads to her being mistaken for her brother, Sebastian, and vice versa.
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Sebastian is mistaken for Viola (or rather, Cesario) by Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, and then by
Olivia, who promptly marries him. Meanwhile, Antonio mistakes Viola for Sebastian, and
thinks that his friend has betrayed him when Viola claims to not know him. These cases of
mistaken identity, common in Shakespeares comedies, create the tangled situation that can
be resolved only when Viola and Sebastian appear together, helping everyone to understand
what has happened.
Symbols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or
concepts.
Olivias Gifts
When Olivia wants to let Cesario know that she loves him, she sends him a ring by way of
Malvolio. Later, when she mistakes Sebastian for Cesario, she gives him a precious pearl. In
each case, the jewel serves as a token of her lovea physical symbol of her romantic
attachment to a man who is really a woman. The gifts are more than symbols, though. Youth
is bought more oft than begged or borrowed, Olivia says at one point, suggesting that the
jewels are intended almost as bribesthat she means to buy Cesarios love if she cannot win
it (III.iv.3).
The Darkness of Malvolios Prison
When Sir Toby and Maria pretend that Malvolio is mad, they confine him in a pitch-black
chamber. Darkness becomes a symbol of his supposed insanity, as they tell him that the
room is filled with light and his inability to see is a sign of his madness. Malvolio reverses the
symbolism. I say this house is as dark as ignorance, though ignorance were as dark as hell;
and I say there was never man thus abused (IV.ii.4042). In other words, the darkness
meaning madnessis not in the room with him, but outside, with Sir Toby and Feste and
Maria, who have unjustly imprisoned him.
Changes of Clothing
Clothes are powerful in Twelfth Night. They can symbolize changes in genderViola puts on
male clothes to be taken for a male as well as class distinctions. When Malvolio fantasizes
about becoming a nobleman, he imagines the new clothes that he will have. When Feste
impersonates Sir Topas, he puts on a noblemans garb, even though Malvolio, whom he is
fooling, cannot see him, suggesting that clothes have a power that transcends their physical
function.
Act I, scenes iii
14

Summary: Act I, scene i
If music be the food of love, play on,
. . .
O spirit of love, how quick and fresh are thou. . . .

(See Important Quotations Explained)
In the land of Illyria, Duke Orsino enters, attended by his lords. Orsino is hopelessly in love
with the beautiful Lady Olivia and pines away for her. He refuses to hunt and orders
musicians to entertain him while he thinks about his desire for Olivia. His servant Valentine
reminds him that Olivia does not return his love or even listen to the messages he sends her.
We learn from Valentine that Olivia is in mourning for her brother, who has recently died. She
wears a dark veil, and she has vowed that no one will see her face for another seven years
and she refuses to marry anyone until then. Orsino, obsessed with the woman who keeps
refusing him, wants only to lie around on beds of flowers, listening to sweet music and
dreaming of Olivia.
Summary: Act I, scene ii
Meanwhile, on the Illyrian sea coast, a young noblewoman named Viola speaks with the
captain whose crew has just rescued her from a shipwreck. Although Viola was found and
rescued, her brother, Sebastian, seems to have vanished in the storm. The captain tells Viola
that Sebastian may still be alive. He says that he saw Sebastian trying to keep afloat by tying
himself to a broken mast. But Viola does not know whether or not it is worth holding onto
hope. In the meantime, however, she needs to find a way to support herself in this strange
land.
The ships captain tells Viola all about Duke Orsino, who rules Illyria. Viola remarks that she
has heard of this duke and mentions that he used to be a bachelor. The captain says that
Orsino still is a bachelor, but then goes on to tell Viola about the Lady Olivia, whom the duke
is courting. Again, we hear the tale of how Lady Olivias brother died, leading her to cut
herself off from the world. Viola expresses a wish that she could become a servant in the
house of Olivia and hide herself away from the world as well. The captain responds that it is
unlikely that Viola will enter Olivias service because Olivia refuses to see any visitors, the
duke included. Viola decides that, in that case, she will disguise herself as a young man and
seek service with Duke Orsino instead. When she promises to pay him well, the captain
agrees to help her, and they go off together in order to find a disguise for her.
15

Analysis: Act I, scenes iii
Violas plan for disguising herself in Act I, scene ii introduces one of the central motifs of the
play: disguise and the identity confusion related to it. Similarly, Orsinos mournful speech in
Act I, scene i lets us know that the play will also concern matters of love: emotion, desire, and
rejection. Put together, the two scenes suggest the extra twist that is the hallmark of Twelfth
Night: mistaken gender identity. Twelfth Night is one of the plays referred to as
Shakespeares transvestite comedies, and Violas gender deception leads to all kinds of
romantic complications.
The opening lines of Twelfth Night, in which a moping Orsino, attended by his servants and
musicians, says, If music be the food of love, play on, establish how love has conquered
Orsino (I.i.1). His speech on this subject is rather complicated, as he employs a metaphor to
try to establish some control over love. He asks for the musicians to give him so much
musicthe food of lovethat he will overdose (surfeit [I.i.2]) and not be hungry for love
any longer. Orsinos trick proves too simple, however; while it makes him tire of the music, it
fails to stop him from thinking about love.
Orsino also makes a pertinent comment about the relationship between romance and
imagination: So full of shapes is fancy / That it alone is high fantastical (I.i.1415). This
comment relates the idea of overpowering love (fancy) to that of imagination (that which is
fantastical), a connection that is appropriate for both Orsino and Twelfth Night as a whole.
Beginning in this scene, the play repeatedly raises the question of whether romantic love has
more to do with the person who is loved or with the lovers own imaginationwhether love is
real or merely something that the human mind creates for the sake of entertainment and
delight. In the case of Orsino, the latter seems to be true, as he is less in love with Olivia
herself than he is with the idea of being in love with Olivia. He claims to be devastated
because she will not have him, but as the audience watches him wallow in his seeming
misery, it is difficult to escape the impression that he is enjoying himselfflopping about on
rose-covered beds, listening to music, and waxing eloquent about Olivias beauty to his
servants. The genuineness of Orsinos emotions comes into question even further when he
later switches his affections from Olivia to Viola without a second thought; the audience then
suspects that he does not care whom he is in love with, as long as he can be in love.
Meanwhile, Violas decision to disguise herself as a young man in order to find a job seems
somewhat improbable. Surely this elaborate ploy isnt necessary; even if Orsino only hires
young men, there must be ladies other than Olivia in Illyria who are hiring servants. But
Violas act of disguising herself generates an endless number of interesting situations to
advance the plot. Shakespeares comedies frequently rely on similar improbabilities, ranging
16

from absurd coincidences to identical twins. We can interpret Violas disguise as something
that makes the unprotected young woman feel safer in the strange land into which she has
wandered. When she first describes her plan in this scene, she asks the ships captain to
disguise her as a eunucha castrated man. This part of the plan is never mentioned again,
and Shakespeare seems to have changed his mind or forgotten about it: Viola later presents
herself as simply a delicate young man. Still, the idea of a eunuch is important to the play,
since it stands as yet another symbol of gender uncertainty.
In noting the gender confusion that pervades Twelfth Night, it is important to realize that, for
Shakespeares audiences, the idea of a girl successfully disguising herself as a boy wasnt as
ludicrous as it might seem to us. In Shakespeares day, all the parts in a play were acted by
men: women werent allowed to perform on the English stage until the late 1600S, more than
half a century after Shakespeare flourished. Thus, every acting company included several
delicate young boys, who played the female characters. Renaissance audiences were open
to the idea that a young man could convincingly disguise himself as a woman, and vice versa.
Such fluidity in portraying characters of either gender adds an extra dimension to the
complexity of Shakespeares cross-dressing characters.
Act I, scenes iiiiv
Summary: Act I, scene iii
In the house of Lady Olivia, we meet Olivias uncle, Sir Toby Belch, and Olivias waiting-
gentlewoman, Maria. Sir Toby lives at Olivias house and is cheerful, amusing, and usually
tipsy. Maria warns Sir Toby that Olivia is annoyed by his drinking, but Sir Toby shrugs off this
admonition. Maria also tells him that she has heard that he has brought a foolish friend to
court Olivia: Sir Andrew Aguecheek, who shares Sir Tobys disreputable habits. Sir Toby
protests that Sir Andrew is a perfect match for his niece, because he is very rich and is also
accomplished in music and languages, but Maria doesnt care: in her view, Sir Andrew is a
fool, a brawler, and a drunk.
Sir Andrew enters and, while Sir Toby is trying to introduce him to Maria, makes a fool of
himself by repeatedly getting her name wrong. Evidently, Sir Andrew is a bumbling idiot. After
Maria leaves, Sir Andrew and Sir Toby talk and joke like old friends. But Sir Andrew tells Sir
Toby that he is discouraged and that he does not think that Olivia likes him. He plans to leave
the next morning, and he remarks that Olivia will probably choose Orsino over him. Sir Toby
persuades him to stay by flattering him. He says that Olivia will never marry above her
degree, neither in estate, years, nor wit, so Sir Andrew has a good chance with her (I.iii.90
17

91). Sir Toby compliments his friends dancing and, through his encouragement, gets the vain
and weak-mindedbut good-heartedSir Andrew to show off his dancing skills.
Summary: Act I, scene iv
Meanwhile, at the house of Duke Orsino, Viola has adopted a new nameCesarioto go
with her new persona as a teenage boy. After only three days in Orsinos service, Cesario has
already become a favorite of Orsino. Indeed, so much does Orsino favor his new servant that
he insists on picking Cesario to go on his most important errand: to carry his messages of
love to Olivia.
Cesario protests that Olivia, who has ignored Orsino for a long time, is not likely to start
listening to his love messages now. But Orsino points out that Cesario is extremely young and
handsomeso beautiful, in his lips and features, that he resembles a womanand that Olivia
is sure to be impressed by his attractiveness. Orsino tells Cesario to act my woes when he
goes to see Oliviato behave as if he shares Orsinos adoration for the noblewoman
(I.iv.25). After some discussion, Cesario reluctantly agrees to carry the messagereluctantly
because, as she tells the audience in a quick aside, Viola herself has fallen in love with
Orsino and wishes that she could be his wife.
Analysis: Act I, scenes iiiiv
Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria are Twelfth Nights most explicitly comic characters, since
they take themselves less seriously than the plays romantic leads. (Furthermore, the two
noblemens very namesBelch and Aguecheekseem comically out of place.) These
three provide amusement in different ways, however: Sir Toby seems to be an intelligent man
and makes witty puns, to which the equally clever Maria is quick to respond. Sir Andrew
Aguecheek, however, appears to be a fool. He doesnt understand Toby and Marias wit, as
we see when he is forced to ask Maria, Whats your metaphor? and [W]hats your jest?
(I.iii.6064). He is also easily flattered and doesnt realize certain painful truthsthat he is
not very witty, that Toby and Maria are making fun of him, and that he does not stand a
chance with Olivia.
Act I, scene iv shows us the developing relationship between Orsino and Cesario. In another
useful improbability, we find that, after only three days, Cesario has become a great favorite
of the duke. As Orsinos servant Valentine tells Cesario, If the Duke continues these favours
towards you, . . . you are like to be much advanced (I.iv.12). In the same conversation,
Valentine assures Cesario that Orsino isnt ficklethat he remains steady and constant in his
love. Since we have heard Orsinos flowery speeches about Olivia in Act I, scene i, we may
18

question how sincere or steady his love really is, an uncertainty that grows as the play
progresses.
Regardless, the way Orsino talks to Cesario makes it clear that Orsino likes Cesario very
muchand his language is closer to that of romantic love than that of ordinary friendship.
Cesario, he tells him, Thou knowst no less but all. I have unclasped / To thee the book
even of my secret soul (I.iv.1113). Clearly, Orsino already seems to be attracted to Cesario
in a way that defies our expectations of how male friends interact with one another.
This peculiar attraction is further developed when Orsino tells Cesario why he plans to send
him to woo Olivia. Orsino explains that Olivia is more likely to listen to Cesario: She will
attend [Orsinos repeated messages of love] better in thy youth / Than in a nuncios [i.e.,
messengers] of more grave aspect (I.iv.26-27). Cesario denies Orsinos claim, but Orsino
tells him that he should believe it, because, in his youthfulness, Cesario is as pretty as a
young woman. Dianas lip / Is not more smooth and rubious [i.e., rosy] than Cesarios,
Orsino tells him, comparing him favorably to the goddess Diana; and Cesarios voice, Orsino
claims, [i]s as the maidens organ, shrill and sound, / And all is semblative a womans part
(I.iv.3033). This series of compliments is both intriguing and complicated. In praising
Cesarios attractiveness, Orsino tells Cesario that he looks like a woman. His interest in
having Cesario go to Olivia suggests his belief that Cesarios womanly beauty will somehow
entice Olivia. At the same time, it is difficult not to read in -Orsinos words the suggestion that
he too finds Cesario attractive: after all, Cesario reminds him strongly of a beautiful young
woman.

Act I, scene v
Summary
Make me a willow cabin at your gate
And call upon my soul within the house
. . .
Cry out Olivia!. . .

(See Important Quotations Explained)
In Olivias house, Maria talks with Feste, Olivias clown. Feste has been away for some time,
it seems, and nobody knew where he was. Maria tells Feste that he will be in trouble with
Olivia and that Olivia is likely to fire him. But, despite her threats not to stick up for him, Feste
refuses to tell Maria where he has been.
19

Olivia arrives with Malvolio, the steward of her household. As Maria has anticipated, Olivia
orders her servants to put Feste out of the house. But Feste, summoning up all his wit and
skill, manages to put Olivia into a better mood. He asks her why she is mourning, and she
answers that she is mourning for her brother. He says that he thinks her brothers soul is in
hell, and she replies that he is in heaven. The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your
brothers soul, being in heaven, he says, and she responds approvingly (I.v.6162). But
Malvolio does not like Feste and asks coldly why Olivia wishes to keep a servant around who
has no function except to poke fun at her. Olivia rebukes Malvolio for his self-love and says
that Festes insults are only birdbolts that do no damage (I.v.7779).
Maria arrives with the message that there is a young man at the gate to see Olivia. (We know
that this must be Viola, disguised as Cesario, bringing the message that Orsino gives her in
Act I, scene iv.) It turns out that Sir Toby is currently talking to the young man, but Olivia
sends Malvolio out to receive the messenger. Sir Toby comes in, obviously drunk (despite the
early hour of the morning), and Olivia criticizes him for his alcoholism. Sir Toby goes out, and
Olivia sends Feste to look after him.
Malvolio comes back, reporting that the young man refuses to leave the house until he has
spoken with Olivia. Olivia asks Malvolio what the young man is like and receives the report
that he is very young, handsome, and delicate-looking. Olivia is intrigued, and she decides to
let the boy speak with her.
Viola, disguised as Cesario, is let in to see Olivia. Viola begins to deliver the love speech that
Orsino gave her, but Olivia refuses to hear the memorized speech. Viola is eloquent enough
to make Olivia pay attention to her, though, as she praises Olivias great beauty and virtues to
the skies. Olivia, increasingly fascinated by the messenger, begins to turn the conversation to
questions about Cesario himself. Asking him about his parentage, she learns that Cesario
comes from an aristocratic family (which, technically, is not a lie, since Violas family is noble).
Olivia sends Cesario back to Orsino to tell him that Olivia still does not love him and never
will. But she tells the young man to come back, if he wishes, and speak to her again about
how he [Orsino] takes it (I.v.252). Then, after Cesario leaves, she sends Malvolio after him
with a ringa token of her attraction to Cesariothat she pretends Cesario left with her.
Olivia, to her own surprise, finds that she has fallen passionately in love with young Cesario.
Analysis: Act I, scene v
At the beginning of Act I, scene v, we first meet Olivias clown, Feste. (Festes name is
mentioned only once in the play; the stage directions usually refer to him simply as Clown,
20

while other characters call him clown or fool.) Many noble households in the Renaissance
kept a clown, and Shakespeares comedies usually feature at least one. The fools purpose
was to amuse his noble masters and to tell the truth when no one else would think of telling it.
The dual nature of the job meant that fools often pretended to be simpleminded when, in fact,
most of them were skilled professionals and were highly intelligent.
Feste embodies this duality: he spends much of his time making witty puns, as is expected,
but he also has a sense of professionalism and of his own worth. As Feste says to Olivia
when she orders him to be taken away, Lady,Cucullus non facit monachumthats as much
to say as I wear not motley in my brain (I.v.4850). Feste means that his brightly colored
clowns uniformhis motleydoesnt imply that he is any less intelligent than she is.
Moreover, his ability to quote a Latin proverb on behalf of his argument reveals the depth of
his learning. The Latin phrase means The hood doesnt make the monkthat is, what
appears to be true is not always in harmony with what is true. Like Viola, then, Feste wears a
kind of disguise: hers disguises her identity as a woman, while his conceals his true
intelligence.
In this scene, we also meet both Olivia and her steward, Malvolio, for the first time. Malvolio
has become, over time, perhaps the most famous character inTwelfth Night. He plays a small
role in this scene, but he immediately attracts our attention because of how out of place he
seems. In a comic play filled with ridiculous characters, Malvolio is serious and sour, with a
distaste for amusement and laughter of any kind, as we see in his reaction to Feste. As the
play goes on, the conflict between his temperament and that of the other characters
especially Sir Toby and Sir Andrewcomes out into the open, with extreme consequences.
Malvolio seems oddly matched with his mistress, given Olivias emotionalism and her wild
mood swings. When we first meet her, she is deep in mourning, but by the end of the scene,
her grief gives way to a powerful infatuation with Cesario. In part, Shakespeare uses Olivia to
portray romantic love as a kind of sickness that strikes people without warning. Love cannot
be controlled; instead, it controls people. Olivias sudden attraction to Cesario recalls the way
Orsino talks about his love for Olivia in Act I, scene i. There, Orsino speaks of love as if it
were a sickness that has overcome him, and then says that he has turned into a deer and my
desires, like fell and cruel hounds / Eer since pursue me (I.i.2122). In the same way, Olivia
describes her sudden love for the handsome, young Cesario as a disease that has
overwhelmed her. Just after Cesario leaves, she asks herself in confusion, Even so quickly
may one catch the plague? / Methinks I feel this youths perfections / . . . / To creep in at mine
eyes (I.v.265268).
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Olivias language, like Orsinos, reflects Renaissance ideas of courtly or romantic love:
Olivias and Orsinos descriptions of loveas a hunter, disease, or something willed by fate
echo ideas about romance that were common in Shakespeares day. The same can be said
of the language that Viola uses to describe Orsinos love for Olivia. For instance, Viola tells
Olivia that Orsino loves her [w]ith adorations, fertile tears, / With groans that thunder love,
with sighs of fire (I.v.274275). Courtly ideals are also reflected in Violas willow cabin
speech in Act I, scene v (lines 237245), in which she tells Olivia what she would do if she
were the one trying to court Olivia. Viola says that she would build herself a house outside
Olivias gate, write Olivia love songs and sing them in the middle of the night, and call out
Olivias name until the hills and air echoed. This kind of romantic exaggeration was the kind of
language often used by lovers and poets in Shakespeares time.
Yet even as the play operates within the bounds of this tradition of courtly love, it also
subverts it by showing how ridiculous it can be. After all, Violas pretty speeches do not reflect
her own thoughts but instead those of Orsinoand Orsino is really more in love with himself
and his own inner life than he is with Olivia, as later scenes make clear. Furthermore, Olivia
falls in love with Cesario after a few pretty speechesbut Cesario is really a woman who has
herself fallen in love with Orsino in a matter of days! Thus, the play suggests that we should
not take the various characters romantic obsessions too seriouslythey seem to come and
go quickly and to be based less on real attraction than on self-indulgent emotionalism.
Act II, scenes iii
Summary: Act II, scene i
Somewhere near the coast of Illyria, we meet two men who have not yet appeared in the play.
One of them is called Antonio, and he has been hosting the other in his home. This other man
is none other than Sebastian, the twin brother of Viola, who she believes has drowned. It
seems that Antonio took Sebastian into his home when he washed up after the shipwreck and
has been caring for him ever since. At first, Sebastian gave him a false name, but now that he
plans to leave Antonio and go wandering, he decides to tell his benefactor his true identity
and the tale of his sister, who he assumes drowned in their shipwreck. We learn here that
Sebastian and Violas father is long dead, and so Sebastian assumes that he has no family
left. He is still devastated by the loss of his sister and is preparing to go wandering through
the world, with little care as to what the future will hold.
Antonio urges Sebastian to let him come with him on his journey. It is clear that Antonio has
become very fond of Sebastian and does not want to lose him. But Sebastian is afraid that his
22

travels will be dangerous, and he urges Antonio to let him go alone. After Sebastian leaves to
go to Orsinos court, Antonio ponders the situation: he wants to follow his friend and help him,
but he has many enemies in Orsinos court and is afraid to go there. He cares about
Sebastian so much, however, that he decides to face the danger and follow him to Orsinos
court anyway.
Summary: Act II, scene ii
Meanwhile, outside Olivias house, Malvolio has caught up with Viola (still disguised as
Cesario). Malvolio gives Cesario the ring that Olivia has sent with him, rebuking him for
having left it with Olivia. Viola realizes Olivias deception and plays along with it, pretending
that she did indeed give the ring to Olivia. She tells Malvolio that Olivia took the ring and
insists that Olivia must keep it.
Malvolio throws the ring onto the ground and exits. Alone, the confused Viola picks up the ring
and wonders why Olivia has given it to her. She wonders if it means that Olivia has fallen in
love with Cesario. If such is the case, Viola reflects, then events have indeed taken an ironic
turn, because Olivia has unknowingly fallen in love with another woman. Poor lady, she were
better love a dream, Viola says to herself (II.ii.24). Apparently loved by Olivia and in love with
Orsino, who loves Olivia, Viola expresses her hope that time will untangle these problems
since she certainly cannot figure out how to solve them.
Analysis: Act II, scenes iii
It comes as no surprise to any reader of Shakespeares -comedies that Sebastian, Violas
twin brother, has turned up alive. His reappearance and resemblance to his sister (who, as
we know, is currently disguised as a man) sets the stage for later mix-ups and mistaken
identities, common elements in Shakespeares comic plays.
The relationship between Antonio and Sebastian, meanwhile, though it is a minor part of the
play, offers fertile ground for critical attention. Antonio and Sebastian are clearly close, dear
friends. Yet the language Antonio uses, along with his behavior, suggests something even
stronger. Antonio appears willing to sacrifice everything for his friend, giving up his time,
money, and safety to follow and protect him. He begs Sebastian to let him be his servant and
travel into danger with him, and Antonio decides to go even when he learns that Sebastian is
headed for a dangerous place filled with Antonios enemies. Moreover, Antonios language
carries a strong emotional charge: If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your
servant (II.i.3031). His implication that separation from Sebastian would be equivalent to a
violent death demonstrates how deeply important to him his relationship with Sebastian is.
23

Powerful male friendships were more the norm in Shakespeares day than in our own, and
Antonios language can be seen as simply the expression of a purely platonic passion.
However, Antonios words can also be seen as carrying an obvious homoerotic charge. It
seems safe to say here that if Antonio were a woman, we would read her speech and actions
as an unambiguous expression of her love for Sebastian and hope that he would return this
love. In a play so concerned with bending gender rolesa play in which Orsino can seem to
be attracted to Viola, for instance, even before she reveals herself to be a woman and not a
man, and in which Olivia can fall for a man who is really a womanAntonios passion for
Sebastian is erotic rather than platonic.
Leaving Antonio and Sebastian, the play returns to Viola, who is the central character in the
action, and thus the only one who understands the entirety of the complicated love triangle.
Orsino loves Olivia, who loves Viola, who in turn loves Orsinobut matters are hardly this
simple, because both Orsino and Olivia are mistaken about Violas real gender. Viola knows
that romantic love, ideally, should lead to marriage. But in this particular triangle, there seems
to be no hope of a resolution anywhere. Calling herself a poor monsterimplying not that
she is ugly but rather something not quite human, halfway between man and womanViola
puts her finger on the problem (II.ii.32). Homoerotic love is not a real or final option in
Shakespeares comedies: as a man, Viola cannot win Orsinos love, but as a woman, she
cannot return Olivias. Finally giving herself up into the hands of fate, she says despairingly,
O time, thou must untangle this, not I. / It is too hard a knot for me tuntie (II.ii.3839). But
fateor, more accurately, the playwrighthas already set the untangling forces in motion.
Act II, scenes iiiiv
Summary: Act II, scene iii
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew stay up late drinking in Olivias house. Feste appears, and Sir
Andrew compliments the clown on his singing. Both noblemen encourage Feste to sing
another song. While he sings, Maria enters, warning them to keep their voices down or Olivia
will call her steward, Malvolio, and tell him to kick them out. But the tipsy Sir Toby and Sir
Andrew cheerfully ignore her.
Malvolio comes into the room. He criticizes the men for being drunk at all hours of the night
and for singing so loudly. He warns Sir Toby that his behavior is intolerably rude and that,
while Olivia is willing to let him be her guest (since he is her uncle), if Sir Toby does not
change his behavior, he will be asked to leave. But Sir Toby, along with Sir Andrew and
Feste, responds by making jokes and insulting Malvolio. After making a final threat, this one
24

directed at Maria, Malvolio leaves, warning them all that he will let Olivia know about their
behavior.
Sir Andrew suggests challenging Malvolio to a duel, but Maria has a better idea: to play a
practical joke on him. As she explains to Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, Malvolio is a puritan, but at
the same time his biggest weakness is his enormous ego: he believes that everybody loves
him. Maria will use that weakness to get her revenge on him for spoiling their fun. Since
Marias handwriting is almost identical to Olivias, Maria plans to leave letters lying around
that will appear to have come from Olivia and will make Malvolio think that Olivia is in love
with him.
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are amazed by Marias cleverness, and they admire the plan. Maria
goes off to bed, planning to get started on her joke the next day. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew,
deciding that it is now too late to go to sleep, head off to warm up more wine.
Summary: Act II, scene iv
There is no womans sides
Can bide the beating of so strong a passion
As love doth give my heart. . . .

(See Important Quotations Explained)
The next day, at Orsinos house, Orsino discusses love with his young page, Cesario (still
Viola in disguise). Orsino tells Cesario that he can tell by looking at him that Cesario is in love.
Since Viola is really in love with Orsino, Cesario admits that Orsino is right. When Orsino asks
what the woman he loves is like, Cesario answers that she is very much like Orsinosimilar
to him in age and features. Orsino, not picking up on his pages meaning, remarks that
Cesario would be better off loving a younger woman, because men are naturally fickle, and
only a younger woman can keep them romantically satisfied for a long time.
Meanwhile, Orsino has sent for Feste, who apparently moves back and forth between the
houses of Olivia and Orsino. Feste sings another very sad love song (this one about someone
who dies for love), and, afterward, Orsino orders Cesario to go to Olivia again, pleading
Orsinos love to her.
Cesario reminds Orsino that Olivia has denied his advances many times before, suggesting
that Orsino accept that Olivia is not romantically interested in him, just as a woman in love
with Orsino but whom Orsino did not love would have to accept his lack of interest in her. But
25

Orsino says no woman can love with the same kind of passion as a man. Cesario disagrees
and tells the story of a woman he knew who died for the love of a man: the woman never told
the man about her love but, instead, simply wasted away. Cesario refers to this girl as her
fathers daughterleading Orsino, -naturally, to think that it must be Cesarios sister. He asks
if the girl died of her love, and Viola answers ambiguously. Orsino then gives her a jewel to
present to Olivia on his behalf, and she departs.
Analysis: Act II, scenes iiiiv
These scenes give us the first of the plays many songs. Twelfth Night is full of music, which
is linked to romance from Orsinos command in the plays very first line: If music be the food
of love, play on (I.i.1). Most of the songs are sung either by the drunken Sir Toby and Sir
Andrew or by Feste the clown, who is a professional singer and entertainer as well as a joker.
In Shakespeares time, love was often associated with the emotional expressiveness of
music, so the love songs in this comedy are quite appropriate.
The clash between Malvolio on the one hand and Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria on the
other is a central conflict in Twelfth Night. On the face of things, it does not seem to be
Malvolios fault that he has to break up their party. After all, the mens drunken singing in their
hosts house in the middle of the night is unquestionably rude. But Twelfth Night is a play that
ultimately celebrates chaoswhether it is brought on by romantic ardor, by alcohol, or simply
by general enthusiasmover the straitlaced order that Malvolio represents. The plays title
refers to the Feast of the Epiphany, the twelfth day after Christmas, which in Shakespeares
England was a time for revelry and even anarchya day when servants impersonated their
masters, alcohol flowed freely, and all of the customary social hierarchies were turned upside
down. The puritanical, order-loving, and pleasure-hating spirit of Malvolio contrasts greatly
with this anarchic spirit that flows through Sir Toby and Maria, Feste, and Sir Andrew.
Malvolio, we realize, does not merely object to the circumstances of Sir Tobys revelryhe
objects to revelry, music, and alcohol entirely. His sharp questionsDo ye make an ale-
house of my ladys house? (II.iii.8081)prompt a bitter retort from Sir Toby, who asks.
Dost thou think because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale? (II.iii.103
104). Sir Toby seems to understand Malvolios attitude: because Malvolio himself detests
merrymaking, he thinks that no one should be allowed to make merry. His very name consists
of elementsMal and voliothat essentially mean, in Italian, ill will, suggesting his
profound contempt for others pleasures.
Maria, however, proves more than a match for Malvolio. She knows his faults well: for one
thing, he is a hypocrite, always trying to impress other people; worse, he is puffed up with
pride, a weakness that she plans to take advantage of in exacting her revenge. Her comment
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that it is his grounds of faith that all that look on him love him (II.iii.134135) remind us of
Olivias earlier comment that Malvolio is sick of [meaning sick with] self-love (I.v.77).
Marias trust in the all-consuming nature of Malvolios egotism leads her to believe that it will
be easy to make him thinkfoolishly that Olivia loves him. The revenge seems
appropriateMalvolio, who loathes folly, will be tricked into displaying it.
The dialogue between Orsino and the disguised Viola in Act II, scene iv further develops the
curious relationship between Orsino and his seemingly male servant. Their discussion of the
relative power of mens and womens love is one of the most often-quoted passages in the
play. The complicated ironies built into the scenein which the audience knows that Cesario
is really a woman in love with Orsino but Orsino remains unawareadd both a rich
complexity and a sense of teasing to the discussions, even as the seeming hopelessness of
Violas position adds a hint of pathos. Still, one cannot find her plight too patheticthe
audience knows that the play is a comedy, in which romantic love must lead to married
happiness. Moreover, we have already heard Orsinos comments to Cesario in Act I, scene iv,
praising Cesarios female-like beauty, so we know that Violas disguise has not entirely
prevented Orsino from being attracted to her.
Orsinos claim that men love more strongly than women was a commonplace one in
Shakespeares day, but Viola eloquently refutes it. In a very famous passage, she tells Orsino
about how her fictional sister
pined in thought,
And with a green and yellow melancholy
She sat like patience on a monument,
Smiling at grief. . . .
(II.iv.111114)
Patience on a monument refers to statues of the allegorical figure of Patience, which often
adorned Renaissance tombstones. By comparing her imaginary sister to this stone figure,
Viola subtly contrasts her own passion with the self-indulgent and grandiose lovesickness
from which Orsino claims to suffer. She depicts herself as bearing a love that is, unlike the
dukes, patient, silent, and eternally enduring. Of course, the image of a tombstone suggests
that such a love is ultimately fatal, leading to Orsinos questionBut died thy sister of her
love, my boy? (I.iv.118). This question is appropriately left open: we do not know yet
whether Viola will die (literally or metaphorically) of her love for Orsino, and so she can only
respond, ambiguously yet cleverly, I am all the daughters of my fathers house, / And all the
27

brothers too; and yet I know not (I.iv.119120). We, like Viola (and like Orsino), must wait to
see how this tangle of desires and disguises will unravel.
Act II, scene v
Summary
[E]very reason excites to this, that my lady loves me . . . a kind of injunction drives to these
habits of her liking...
(See Important Quotations Explained)
In the garden of Olivias house, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Mariaalong with Fabian, one of
Olivias servantsprepare to play their practical joke on Malvolio. Maria has written a letter
carefully designed to trick him into thinking that Olivia is in love with him. She has been spying
on him and knows that he is now approaching. She drops the letter in the garden path, where
Malvolio will see it. She exits, while the three men hide among the trees and shrubbery.
Malvolio approaches on the path, talking to himself. He speaks of Olivia: it seems that he
already thinks it possible that she might be in love with him. He is deep in a fantasy of what it
would be like to be Olivias husband and the master of her house. He would have power over
all the other servants and even over Sir Toby. Sir Toby and the others cant help jeering at
Malvolios pride from their hiding place, but they do it softly so that he will not overhear them
and realize that they are there.
Malvolio spots the letter lying in the garden path. He mistakes Marias handwriting for Olivias,
as Maria has predicted, and Malvolio thinks that the letter is from Olivia. Apparently, Maria
sealed the letter with Olivias sealing ring to make the letter look even more authentic. To Sir
Tobys pleasure, Malvolio decides to read it aloud.
The letter is addressed to the unknown beloved and contains what seems to be a riddle
about love (II.v.92). It suggests that the writer is in love with somebody but must keep it a
secret from the world, though she wants her beloved to know about it. The first part of the
letter concludes by saying that the beloveds identity is represented by the
letters M.O.A.I. Malvolio, naturally, works over the message in his mind until he has made it
mean that he is the beloved (he notes, for instance, that all four of the letters appear in his
own name). Sir Toby and the rest laugh at him from behind the bush.
Once he has convinced himself that Olivia is in love with him, Malvolio reads the second half
of the letter. The mysterious message implies that the writer wishes to raise Malvolio up from
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his position of servitude to one of power. But the letter also asks him to show the writer that
he returns her love through certain signs. The letter orders him to wear yellow stockings, go
cross-gartered (that is, to wear the straps of his stockings crossed around his knees), be
sharp-tempered with Sir Toby, be rude to the servants, behave strangely, and smile all the
time. Jubilantly, Malvolio vows to do all these things in order to show Olivia that he loves her
in return.
After Malvolio leaves, Sir Toby remarks that he could marry this wench [Maria] for this
device. . . . And ask no other dowry with her but such another jest (II.v.158160). Maria
then rejoins the men, and she, Sir Toby, and Fabian have a good laugh, anticipating what
Malvolio is likely to do now. It turns out that Olivia actually hates the color yellow, cant stand
to see crossed garters, and doesnt want anybody smiling around her right now, since she is
still officially in mourning. In other words, Malvolio is destined to make a great fool of himself.
They all head off together to watch the fun.
Analysis: Act II, scene v
The practical joke played on Malvolio raises themes which, by now, are familiar: the instability
of identity, the importance of clothing in establishing ones identity and position, and the
illusions and delusions that we let ourselves fall into in the name of love. Like everyone else,
from Orsino to Viola, Malvolio falls victim to the allure of romance. Despite his outward
puritanism, he is as much a romantic as anyonealthough his fantasy of marrying Olivia has
as much to do with class-related ambition as it does with infatuation.
Malvolios desire to rise above his class spurs his self-delusion, but it also explains why Sir
Toby and the others find his fantasy so ludicrous. Malvolio is an unsuitable match for Olivia
not only because of his unattractive personality but also because he is not of noble blood. He
is a commoner, while Olivia is a gentlewoman. As such, that Malvolio would imagine Olivia
marrying him seems obscene to them. We may recall how interested Olivia is earlier to find
out from young Cesario, on whom she has a crush, that he is a gentlemanmeaning that
he is of noble birth (I.v.249). In the class system of Shakespeares time, it would have
seemed very strange for a noblewoman to marry below her rank.
Significantly, Malvolios fantasy of becoming Olivias husband involves changing his clothing:
he imagines himself in my branched velvet gownthe garb of a wealthy noblemen, not of a
steward (II.v.4243). The letter also asks him to alter his clothing at the same time that he
changes his personality. Just as the cross-dressing habits of Viola, the plays central
character, suggest a link between clothes and gender roles, so Malvolios ideas about what
he will wear as an aristocrat suggest a connection between wardrobes and social hierarchies.
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Outward appearances, it seems, can shape realityor so Malvolio imagines. Of course, just
as Viola remains a woman beneath her clothes, Malvolios fantasies of velvet gowns and
yellow stockings will do nothing to change his place in society.
Marias riddle, in which she plays with the letters of Malvolios name, is meant to be both
obvious and ambiguous. Clearly, Malvolio is supposed to decide that it refers to him, but it
also allows us to watch him wrench the evidence around to arrive at the conclusion at which
he so desperately wants to arrive. Various critics have wondered whether there is any further
meaning in the letters M.O.A.I., other than their obvious status as letters pulled out of
Malvolios name, but no widely accepted answers have been put forward.
Malvolios comments upon recognizing what seems to be Olivias handwriting, however, do
contain an obscene punabout which Malvolio is evidently not supposed to be aware.
Examining her handwriting, he notes, [T]hese be her very Cs, her Us, and her Ts, and thus
makes she her greatPs (II.v.7879). C-U-T, or cut, was a Renaissance slang term for the
vagina, and thus makes she her great Ps strongly suggests a reference to penises.
Act III, scenes iiii
Summary: Act III, scene i
Viola, still in disguise as Cesario, has returned to Lady Olivias house to bring her another
message of love from Orsino (the errand that Orsino sends Cesario on at the end of Act II,
scene iv). Outside Olivias house, Cesario meets Feste, the clown. Feste jokes and makes
puns with him. Cesario jokes with comparable skill and good-naturedly gives Feste some
coins for his trouble. Feste goes inside to announce the arrival of Cesario to Olivia.
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew arrive in the garden and, meeting Cesario for the first time, make
some rather awkward conversation with him. The situation is made awkward by the fact that
Sir Andrew behaves foolishly, as usual, and both men are slightly drunk. Sir Toby invites
Cesario into the house, but before they can enter, Olivia comes down to the garden,
accompanied by Maria. She sends everyone else away in order to listen to what Cesario has
to say.
Once alone with Cesario, Olivia suddenly begs him not to give her any more love messages
from Orsino. She lets Cesario know how deeply in love with him she is. Cesario tells Olivia as
politely as he can that he cannot love her. Olivia seems to accept this rejection, but she
realizes privately that she cannot so easily get rid of her love for this beautiful young man,
even if he scorns her. Cesario swears to Olivia that no woman shall ever be mistress of his
30

heart and turns to go. But Olivia begs him to come back again, suggesting desperately that
maybe Cesario can convince her to love Orsino after all.
Summary: Act III, scene ii
Back in Olivias house, Sir Andrew tells Sir Toby that he has decided to leave. He says that
he has seen Olivia fawning over Cesario in the orchard, and he seems to realize at last that
Olivia is not likely to marry him. But Sir Tobywho wants to keep Andrew around because he
has been spending Sir Andrews moneytells Sir Andrew that he ought to stay and show off
his manliness for her. Fabian helps Sir Toby in his persuasion, assuring Sir Andrew that Olivia
might only have been teasing him and trying to make him jealous. Sir Andrew agrees, and Sir
Toby encourages him to challenge Cesario to a duel, in order to prove his love for Olivia.
Maria comes in and reports that Malvolio is behaving like an absolute asshe has been
doing everything that the letter has asked him to do. He is wearing yellow stockings and
crossed garters and will not stop smilingall in all, he is more ridiculous than ever before. Sir
Toby and Fabian eagerly follow Maria to see what is going on.
Summary: Act III, scene iii
Elsewhere, in the streets of Illyria, we find that Sebastian and Antonio have at last arrived at
their destination. We learn that Antonio is not safe in Illyria: it seems that Duke Orsinos men
are hostile to him, for many years ago Antonio was involved in a sea fight against Orsino in
which he did them much damage. But Antonios love for Sebastian has caused him to defy
the danger and come with Sebastian to Illyria.
Sebastian is not yet tired, so he and Antonio agree that Antonio find lodging for the two of
them at an inn. Sebastian, meanwhile, will roam the streets, taking in the sights of the town.
Knowing that Sebastian doesnt have much money, Antonio gives Sebastian his purse so that
Sebastian can buy himself something if he spots a trinket he likes. They agree to meet again
in an hour at the inn.
Analysis: Act III, scenes iiii
Once again we meet Feste the clown, and once again we notice that beneath his nonsense,
he is obviously intelligent. In fact, Viola is inspired to comment on this after her conversation
with Feste: This fellow is wise enough to play the fool, / And to do that well, craves a kind of
wit, she notes (III.i.5354). She realizes that a good clown must be able to judge the
personalities and moods of all the people with whom he interacts, and to know when to talk,
31

what to say, and when to keep quiet. Her remark that [t]his is a practice / As full of labour as
a wise mans art (III.i.5859) reminds us of Festes earlier comments about his own
professionalism: Well, God give them wisdom that have it; and those that are fools, let them
use their talents (I.v.1314). There is an irony hereFeste is skilled as a fool, yet he is also
one of the plays most intelligent characters.
Olivias character, meanwhile, has undergone a startling shift. When we first meet her, she is
deep in mourning, dismissive of romantic love, and somewhat close in spirit to the dour
Malvolio. Indeed, her early grief seems as self-indulgent as Orsinos lovesickness. But Viola
has won Olivia over; she has replaced her grief with infatuation, and Olivia now willingly gives
herself over to the zany shamelessness that fills the play. She behaves in a remarkably
forward fashion in these scenes: when they are speaking alone, for instance, she takes
Cesarios handa very unusual action for a noblewoman to perform. By the end of the scene,
Olivia is reduced to begging Cesario to come back again, saying that perhaps she will change
her mind about Orsino after all. Passion has conquered dignity and order, at least in Olivias
heart.
Of course, while Viola has broken the spell of grief and has convinced Olivia to give herself
over to romantic desire, she herself cannot fulfill Olivias yearnings. She can only reply I pity
you (III.i.115) to the noblewomans pleadings, and offer vague explanations for her rejection
of OliviaI have one heart, one bosom, and one truth, / And that no woman has, nor never
none / Shall mistress be of it save I alone (III.i.148151). Her reliance on rather abstract
terms (one heart, one truth) reflects the emotional distance that she maintains from Olivia.
Antonios love for Sebastian, meanwhile, remains as strong as ever, as he risks his life to
pursue Sebastian. His remark that he follows Sebastian out of his desire, / More sharp than
fild steel (III.iii.45) has the same violently passionate twinge as his earlier comparison of
separation from Sebastian with murder (II.i.30). He seeks also to protect Sebastian, owing
to his jealousy [i.e., worry] what might befall your travel, / . . . in these parts . . . / . . . / Rough
and unhospitable (III.iii.811).
Antonios attachment to Sebastian comprises not only concern for his safety but also a
willingness to spend money on him (he even entrusts his purse to him). [Y]our store / I think
is not for idle markets, sir, Antonio tells Sebastian, a statement with a double meaning
(III.iii.4546). The more apparent meaning is that Sebastian doesnt have enough money to
spend on trivial things, but the words also suggest that Sebastian is too good to spend time
with just anyone and deserves the best. Once again, Antonios passion for his male friend
and the words he uses, like jealousy and desirestrongly suggest that he feels an erotic
attraction to Sebastian.
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Act III, scene iv
Summary
Olivia, who sent a servant after the departing Cesario to persuade him to return, tries to figure
out how to woo him to love her. Feeling suddenly melancholy, Olivia sends for Malvolio
because she wants someone solemn and sad to help with her strategy.
But when Malvolio appears, he behaves very strangely. He wears crossed garters and yellow
stockings, smiles foolishly, and continually quotes strange phrases that Olivia does not
recognize. Malvolio, we quickly realize, is quoting passages from the letter that he believes
Olivia wrote to him. He suddenly exclaims things like Remember who commended thy yellow
stockings . . . And wished to see thee cross-gartered (III.iv.4447). Olivia, of course, knows
nothing about the letter and thinks Malvolio has gone mad. When the news arrives that
Cesario has returned, she assigns Maria and Sir Toby to take care of Malvolio, and goes off
to see Cesario.
Malvolio is convincedin spite of Olivias apparent bewildermentthat he is correct in his
surmises and that Olivia is really in love with him. But when Sir Toby, Fabian, and Maria come
to see him, they pretend to be certain that he is possessed by the devil. Malvolio,
remembering the letters advice that he speak scornfully to servants and to Sir Toby, sneers
at them and stalks out. Delighted by the turn the events have taken, they decide together to
lock Malvolio into a dark rooma frequent treatment for people thought to be possessed by
devils or madmen. Sir Toby realizes that since Olivia already thinks Malvolio is crazy, he can
do whatever he wants to the unfortunate steward.
Sir Andrew enters with a letter challenging the young Cesario to a duel. Sir Toby privately
decides that he will not deliver the silly letter but, instead, will walk back and forth between Sir
Andrew and Cesario. He will tell each that the other is fearsome and out for the others blood.
That, he decides, should make for a very funny duel.
Cesario comes back out of the house, accompanied by Olivia, who insists that Cesario take a
locket with her picture as a love token. She bids he come again the next day, and then goes
back inside. Sir Toby approaches Cesario, delivering Sir Andrews challenge and telling him
what a fierce fighter Sir Andrew is. Cesario says that he does not wish to fight and prepares to
leave. Sir Toby then returns to Sir Andrew and tells his friend that Cesario is a tremendous
swordsman, anxious for a fight. When Andrew and Cesario cross paths, though, Sir Toby tells
33

each of them that the other has promised not to draw blood in the duel. Reluctantly, the two
draw their swords and prepare for a fight.
Suddenly, Antonio enters. He sees Cesario and mistakes him for his beloved Sebastian, and
tells Sir Andrew that he, Antonio, will fight Sir Andrew in Sebastians place. Several Illyrian
officers burst onto the scene. They have recognized Antonioa wanted man in Illyriaand
arrest him. Antonio, realizing that he will need to pay a bail bond in order to free himself, asks
Cesario, whom he still believes is Sebastian, to return his purse (which Antonio gives to
Sebastian in Act III, scene iii). Viola, however, has no idea who Antonio is. Antonio thinks that
Sebastian is betraying him by pretending not to know him, and he is heartbroken. Deeply
shocked and hurt, he rebukes Sebastian. The officers, thinking Antonio is insane, take him
away. Viola is left with a sudden feeling of hope: Antonios mention of someone named
Sebastian gives her some hope that her own brotherwhom she has thought deadis in
fact alive and nearby. Viola runs off to look for him, leaving Sir Andrew and Sir Toby very
confused.
Analysis
The plot speeds up in this scene, and the cases of mistaken identity and deception become
increasingly complicated. First, we see the hilarious results of Marias deception, which bears
fruit in Malvolios alleged madness. Because he thinks that he shares a secret understanding
with Olivia, Malvolio expects her to understand the bizarre things he does and says. Olivia, of
course, is bewildered by the change in her normally somber steward, and his apparently
illogical responses to her questions make her assume, naturally enough, that he must be out
of his mind. She interprets his quotations from the letter as simple insanity: Why, this is very
midsummer madness, she says after listening to a string of them (III.iv.52). But Malvolio, cut
off from reality, willfully ignores these signs that all may not be as he thinks. He fits Olivias
words to his mistaken understanding of the situation. When she refers to him as fellow, for
instance, he takes the term to mean that she now thinks more highly of him than she has
before (III.iv.57). His earlier egotism and self-regard has become pure, self-centered
delusion, in which everything that happens can be interpreted as being favorable to him. As
he puts it, [N]othing that can be can come between me and the full prospect of my hopes
(III.iv.7475). Malvolio makes a simple mistakehe twists facts to suit his beliefs rather than
adapting his beliefs to the facts.
At this point, we realize why Marias letter was such a work of genius: in ordering Malvolio to
be rude to Sir Toby and the servants, she makes certain that Malvolio will refrain from
explaining himself to anyone. Thus, Maria has orchestrated matters such that Malvolios
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behavior will be the justification for the others treatment of him as if he were possessed. Sir
Toby, with mock-bravery, says that if Legion himself possessed [Malvolio], yet Ill speak to
him (III.iv.7879). Later, Sir Toby and the servants decide to treat Malvolio gently, gently, a
recommended manner of dealing with people thought to be possessed. Once Malvolio leaves,
the three plot to have him in a dark room and boundanother common treatment for
madmen (III.iv.121). As Sir Toby notes, Olivia already thinks that Malvolio is mad, so they
can torture him until they grow tired of it. It is here that we begin to feel pity for Malvolio. His
humiliation may be richly deserved, but there is a kind of overkill in Sir Toby and Marias
decision to lock him away. He seems to be punished cruelly for what are, after all, minor sins,
and our sense that Malvolio is being wronged only increases in Act IV.
Sir Tobys trickery in frightening Cesario and Sir Andrew with fearsome tales about each
others prowess sets the stage for yet another wrinkle in the web of deception. Viola, who has
been in disguise throughout the play, is now mistaken for yet a third personher own brother,
Sebastian. Antonios mistake is made much more poignant by his badly timed arrest and his
grief and anger at thinking that Sebastian has stolen his money and betrayed him. He tells
Viola, who is disguised as Cesario but who he thinks is Sebastian, that her beautiful features
conceal a wickedness of soul: In nature theres no blemish but the mind. / None can be
called deformed but the unkind (III.iv.331332). His anguish here is touchingfar more
touching than the flowery grief of Olivia, say, or the lovesick posturings of Orsino. It moves us
because we know that for Antonio there can be no happy endings. A comedy like Twelfth
Night ends, inevitably, with marriagesbut there is no one for Antonio to marry, since he
loves only Sebastian.
Meanwhile, Antonios mistaken insistence that Sebastian knows him and owes him money
causes his arresting officers to think that Antonio, in turn, is insane. The disguises, secret
identities, and crossed lines of communication lead to humorous circumstances, but they also
tinge the action with hints of insanity and tragedy. Antonio is arrested, and Malvolio is
confined as a madmanand the audience begins to feel that things are going too far. In the
world of Twelfth Night, disorder and the gentle madness of romantic infatuation are
celebrated, but there is a limit to how much anarchy can dominate the stage before comedy
gives way to tragedy. As in a tragedy, everything in Twelfth Night falls into disorder as the
play moves toward the conclusion; because the play is a comedy, however, we know that
matters will be put right in the end.
Act IV, scenes iiii
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Summary: Act IV, scene i
Near Olivias house, Feste the clown comes across the person who he thinks is Cesario and
tries to bring him to Olivias house. This individual, however, is actually Violas twin brother,
Sebastian. Sebastian, of course, is confused by Festes claims to know him. Sir Toby and Sir
Andrew then find them. Sir Andrew, thinking that Sebastian is the same person he was about
to duel a few minutes before, attacks him. But Sebastian, unlike Viola, is a scrappy fighter,
and starts to beat Sir Andrew with his dagger, leading the foolish nobleman to cry for mercy.
The bewildered Sebastian wonders if he is surrounded by madmen and tries to leave. But Sir
Toby grabs him to prevent him from going. The two exchange insults, and Sebastian and Sir
Toby draw their swords and prepare to fight.
Suddenly, Olivia enters. She sees Sir Toby preparing to fight the person who she thinks is
Cesario. Angrily, she orders Sir Toby to put away his sword and sends away all the others.
She begs Cesario to come into her house with her. Sebastian is bewildered, but Olivia does
not give him time to think, and the still-confused Sebastian agrees to follow her, saying, If it
be thus to dream, still let me sleep! (IV.i.59).
Summary: Act IV, scene ii
Inside Olivias house, Maria, Sir Toby, and the other servants have locked Malvolio into a
small, dark chamber. Maria asks Feste to put on the robes of a clergyman and pretend to be
Sir Topas, a fictional curate, or priest. Sir Toby and Maria then send Feste to talk to the
imprisoned Malvolio in the voice of Sir Topas while they listen in on the conversation.
Pretending to be the priest, Feste addresses Malvolio, who cannot see him inside his prison.
Malvolio tells Feste that he is not insane, and Malvolio begs Feste to get him out of the locked
room. But Feste deliberately misunderstands and misleads the steward. He tells Malvolio that
the room is not actually dark but is full of windows and light and that Malvolio must be mad or
possessed if he cannot see the brightness. Malvolio denies Festes claims, and he urges
Feste to question him in the hopes of proving his sanity. But Feste uses ridiculous questions
and then contradicts the stewards answers. He concludes by telling Malvolio he is still mad
and must remain in the darkness.
Sir Toby and Maria are delighted by the joke but are also tiring of it. Sir Toby is worried that
Olivia, already offended by his drinking and carousing, might catch him in this prank. They
send Feste back to Malvolio, where Festenow using both his own voice and that of Sir
Topas, as if the two are having a conversationspeaks to Malvolio again. Malvolio swears he
36

isnt crazy, and begs for paper, ink, and light with which to write a letter to Olivia. Feste
promises to fetch him the items.
Summary: Act IV, scene iii
Elsewhere in the house, Sebastian is wandering, dazed yet happy. He is very confused: he
doesnt seem to be insane, and yet a beautiful womanOliviahas been giving him gifts and
wants to marry him. He wishes he could find Antonio to discuss the situation with him. He
states, however, that when he went back to their inn, Antonio was nowhere to be seen. Olivia
now returns with a priest, asking Sebastian (who she still thinks is Cesario) if he is still willing
to marry her. Sebastian happily agrees, and they go off to get married.
Analysis: Act IV, scenes iiii
Sebastian briefly takes center stage in these scenes, but he fails to make much of an
impression as a character in his own right: his principal role is to serve as a male substitute
for his resourceful and attractive twin sister, Viola. Sebastians primary state of mind in these
scenes is total confusion, which is understandable. Having arrived in a country that he has
never seen before, he is suddenly surrounded by people who seem to think they know him
and who have extreme attitudes toward him: some want to kill him, while others appear to be
in love with him. It is not surprising that, after trying to fend off the insistent Feste and being
abruptly attacked by Sir Andrew, Sebastian asks in bewilderment, Are all the people mad?
(IV.i.24). Olivias approach forces him to wonder about his own state of mind: Or I am mad,
or else this is a dream (IV.i.57). These references to insanity are significant. As he does with
Antonio and Malvolio, Shakespeare suggests here that madness and the chaos associated
with comedy are closely linked.
By Act IV, scene iii, however, Sebastian begins to come to terms with his situation. He
decides that the sun that he sees is real, as are the air that he breathes and the pearl that
Olivia has given him. [T]hough tis wonder that enwraps me thus, / Yet tis not madness, he
decides (IV.iii.34). He even reasons out the situation with the beautiful woman who claims
to love him. If Olivia were mad, he figures, surely her servants wouldnt obey herso she
must be sane. All the same, he realizes, Theres something int / That is deceivable
(IV.iii.2021). He is right, of course; he just hasnt figured out yet exactly what the deception
is.
Meanwhile, issues of madness and identity are addressed in a different way in the dialogue
between Feste and the unfortunate Malvolio. In this scene, Feste proves himself a master of
disguise by imitating the curates voice and speech patterns. But there is something very
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strange in his disguise: there seems no reason for Feste to dress up in a priests robes if
Malvolio, locked in the darkness as he is, cannot even see him. Again, as with Violas male
clothes and Malvolios fantasies about wearing a noblemans garments, Shakespeare seems
to suggest a link between garments and identity.To impersonate Sir Topas, Feste must dress
like him, so closely are clothes and public personae bound together.
Feste also uses tactics of confusion on poor Malvolio, telling him outright lies to make him
think his senses deceive him and, thus, trying to make Malvolio himself believe that he is
insane. He adds the final insult after Malvolio angrily claims that he is as sane as Feste
himself, telling Malvolio, Then you are mad indeed, if you be no better in your wits than a
fool (IV.ii.8283). Again, we are impressed with Festes cleverness; yet, as he torments
Malvolio, we begin to wonder if he is employing his talents to a good end. The steward,
whose earlier humiliation is perhaps well deserved, now seems a helpless victim. It is as if
Malvolio, as the embodiment of order and sobriety, must be sacrificed so that the rest of the
characters can indulge in the topsy-turvy spirit of the Feast of the Twelfth Night that suffuses
the play.
Malvolio is hardly a tragic figure. After all, he is only being asked to endure a single night in
darkness. But he earns our respect, nevertheless, as he stubbornly clings to his sanity, even
in the face of Festes insistence that he is mad. Malvolio, perhaps more than anyone else in
this frenetic, zany play,knows that he is sane, and he will not allow the madness swirling in
the air of Olivias home to destroy his sense of his own sanity. One cannot help pitying him, in
spite of his flaws. He seems to be punished for not being as mad as everyone else, more than
he is for any real sin. He cries, I say this house is as dark as ignorance, though ignorance
were as dark as hell; and I say there was never man thus abused, making the darkness of
his prison a powerful symbol for the madness that seems to have taken over the world of the
play (IV.ii.4042). Malvolio is rightbut being right avails him nothing. Twelfth Night is a play
filled with absurdity and madcap fun, and Malvolio suffers his unhappy fate because he is
unable to put his scruples, his puritanism, and his pride aside to join in the revelry.
Act V, scene i
Summary
If this be so . . .
. . .
Give me thy hand,
And let me see thee in thy womans weeds.

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(See Important Quotations Explained)
Orsino approaches Olivias house, accompanied by Viola (still disguised as Cesario) and his
men. The Illyrian law officers come in looking for Orsino, dragging Antonio. Orsino, who
fought against Antonio long ago, recognizes him as an honorable enemy. He asks Antonio
what caused him to come into Orsinos territory, where Antonio knew he would be in danger.
Antonio responds by telling the story of how he rescued, befriended, and protected Sebastian,
traveling with him to this hostile land. He lashes out at Cesario, whom he continues to mistake
for Sebastian, claiming that Sebastian has stolen his purse and denied knowing him. Viola
and Orsino are both bewildered, for Viola truly does not know Antonio.
Olivia enters and speaks to Cesario, she too believing him to be Sebastian, whom she has
just married (at the end of Act IV, scene iii). Orsino, angry at Cesarios apparent betrayal of
him, threatens to carry Cesario off and kill him. Viola, resigned, prepares to go with Orsino to
her death and says that she loves only him. Olivia is shocked, believing that her new spouse
is betraying her. She calls in the priest, who, thinking that the young man in front of him is
Sebastian, testifies that he has just married Olivia to the young man. Orsino orders Olivia and
Cesario to leave together and never to appear in his sight again.
Suddenly, Sir Andrew enters, injured and calling for a doctor. He says that he and Sir Toby
have just been in a fight with Orsinos servant, Cesario. Seeing Cesario, Sir Andrew accuses
him of the attack, but the confused Viola answers that she is not responsible. Olivia orders Sir
Andrew and Sir Toby away for medical attention.
Finally, Sebastian appears, apologizing to Olivia for having beaten up Sir Toby and Sir
Andrew. Recognizing Antonio, and not yet seeing his sister, Sebastian cries out joyfully how
glad he is to see him. Dazed, all the others stare at Sebastian and Viola, who finally see one
another. They interrogate one another with a barrage of questions about their birth and family
history. Finally, they believe that they have each found their lost sibling. Viola excitedly tells
Sebastian to wait until she has put her womans clothing back onand everyone suddenly
realizes that Cesario is really a woman.
Orsino, realizing that Olivia has married Sebastian, doesnt seem terribly unhappy at losing
her. Turning back to Viola, he reminds her that, disguised as a boy, she has often vowed her
love to him. Viola reaffirms her love, and Orsino asks to see her in female garb. She tells him
that her clothes were hidden with a sea captain, who now has taken service with Malvolio.
Suddenly, everybody remembers what happened to Malvolio. Feste and Fabian come in with
Malvolios letter, delivered from his cell. At Olivias order, Feste reads it aloud. Malvolio writes
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that the letter seemingly written to him by Olivia will explain his behavior and prove he is not
insane.
Realizing that Malvolios writing does not seem like that of a crazy man, Olivia orders that he
be brought to them. Malvolio is brought in, and he angrily gives Olivia the letter that Maria
forged, demanding to know why he has been so ill treated. Olivia, recognizing Marias
handwriting, denies having written it but understands what must have happened. Fabian
interrupts to explain to everyone howand whythe trick was played. He mentions in
passing that Sir Toby has just married Maria. Malvolio, still furious, vows revenge and leaves
abruptly. Orsino sends someone after Malvolio to make peace and find Violas female
garments. He then announces that the double wedding will be celebrated shortly. Everyone
exits except Feste, who sings one last song, an oddly mournful melody about growing up and
growing old, and the play ends.
Analysis
This long scene concludes the action of the play. A few at a time, the plays main characters
enter until they are all in the same place at the same time, and the various confusions and
deceptions can finally be resolved. Of course, the ultimate climax is the reunion of Sebastian
and Violatheir meeting unravels the major deceptions and conflicts of the play.
The moment before the climax, significantly, is the most complicated moment in the entire
play for Viola, at least in terms of how everyone understands her identity. Just before
Sebastians entrance, Viola, in her disguise as Cesario, is surrounded by many people, each
of whom has a different idea of who she is and none of whom knows who she actually is.
Sebastians entrance at this point effectively saves Viola from her identity crisis. We might
think of the scene as showing Sebastian taking over the aspects of Violas disguise that she
no longer needs to wear. It is Sebastian whom Antonio has really been seeking, Sebastian
who has really married Olivia, and, in the end, Sebastian who is actually male. Thanks to her
brothers assumption of these roles, Viola is free to cast off her masculine disguise. First she
casts it off through speech, as she lets everyone know that she is really a woman, and then
through deed, as she talks about putting back on her womens clothing, or maiden weeds
(V.i.248).
But even once the truth about Violas womanhood comes out, the uncertainty that her
disguise has raised remains. For instance, Orsinos declaration of love to Viola is strangely
phrased. Continuing to address Viola as if she were male, he says, Boy, thou hast said to me
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a thousand times / Thou never shouldst love woman like to me (V.i.260261). Similarly, in
his final lines Orsino declares,
Cesario, come
For so you shall be while you are a man;
But when in other habits you are seen,
Orsinos mistress, and his fancys queen.
(V.i.372375)
Orsino continues to address his future wife by her assumed male name, which hints at his
ongoing attachment to Violas masculine potential. Though he knows Viola is a woman, he
continues to recognize Cesario as a legitimate identity for Viola. His statement that in female
garb Viola will be his queen does not make it clear that he is asking Viola to renounce her
assumed male identity forever; nor is it clear whether Orsino is truly in love with Cesario or
Viola.
Equally puzzling, but in a different way, is Orsinos earlier threat to kill Cesario when he thinks
his servant has betrayed him. Ill sacrifice the lamb that I do love, he says, and Viola
acquiesces meekly (V.i.128). And I, most jocund, apt, and willingly, / To do you rest, a
thousand deaths would die, she declaims (V.i.130131). These bizarre speeches
articulating Orsinos strange violence and Violas apparent death wishrecede into the
background amid the general rejoicing that follows, but they leave critics baffled. Perhaps
Shakespeare is suggesting that love is so close to madness that both Orsino and Viola can
easily tip over the edge into blood-drenched insanity, where one lover becomes a killer and
the other a sacrificial lamb.
Meanwhile, the general happiness that prevails is marred by the reemergence of Malvolio
from his dark prison. When the trick is revealed, no one else seems to be quite as upset
about it as the steward. Alas, poor fool, how have they baffled thee! Olivia says to him,
calling the resolutely unfoolish Malvolio a fool (V.i.358). This barb, at once, adds insult to
injury and shows how the spirit of the play has upended even the steadfast, puritanical
steward. The unamused Malvolios parting remarkIll be revenged on the whole pack of
yousounds a jarring note in the supposedly tranquil, joyful concluding scene (V.i.365).
Malvolios anger injects a hint of pathos or realism into the otherwise idyllic ending: someone
must suffer while everyone else is happy. Antonio is likewise sacrificed to the anarchic spirit
of the play, although less noticeably: his homosexual ardor for Sebastian must go unsatisfied
in a play where heterosexual marriage is the logical endpoint.
For those who feel a sense of disquiet and ambivalence amid the joy of the conclusion,
Festes closing song seems to provide some support. The song is the last of many musical
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numbers in the play, and it is also one of the most melancholy, recounting a story of growing
up to discover the harshness and unkindness of life. Comedy and romantic bliss triumph
in Twelfth Night, but through characters like Malvolio and Feste, Shakespeare leaves us with
a feeling of unease. Like the feast that gives the play its name, Twelfth Night is festive and
joyfulbut all feast days must come to an end, the concluding song suggests, and give way
to the wind and the rain of life (V.i.387).

Important Quotations Explained
1. If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken and so die.
That strain again, it had a dying fall.
O, it came oer my ear like the sweet sound
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour. Enough, no more,
Tis not so sweet now as it was before.
[Music ceases]
O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou
That, notwithstanding thy capacity
Receiveth as the sea, naught enters there,
Of what validity and pitch so eer,
But falls into abatement and low price
Even in a minute! So full of shapes is fancy
That it alone is high fantastical.
(I.i.115)
Explanation for Quotation 1 >>
The plays opening speech includes one of its most famous lines, as the unhappy, lovesick
Orsino tells his servants and musicians, If music be the food of love, play on. In the speech
that follows, Orsino asks for the musicians to give him so much musical love-food that he will
overdose (surfeit) and cease to desire love any longer. Through these words, Shakespeare
introduces the image of love as something unwanted, something that comes upon people
unexpectedly and that is not easily avoided. But this image is complicated by Orsinos
comment about the relationship between romance and imagination: So full of shapes is fancy
/ That it alone is high fantastical, he says, relating the idea of overpowering love (fancy) to
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that of imagination (that which is fantastical). Through this connection, the play raises the
question of whether romantic love has more to do with the reality of the person who is loved
or with the lovers own imagination. For Orsino and Olivia, both of whom are willing to switch
lovers at a moments notice, imagination often seems more powerful than reality.
Close


2. Make me a willow cabin at your gate
And call upon my soul within the house,
Write loyal cantons of contemnd love,
And sing them loud even in the dead of night;
Hallow your name to the reverberate hills,
And make the babbling gossip of the air
Cry out Olivia! O, you should not rest
Between the elements of air and earth
But you should pity me.
(I.v.237245)
Explanation for Quotation 2 >>
Viola (in her disguise as Cesario) delivers this speech to Olivia after Orsino has sent her to
carry his messages of love to Olivia. In this speech, however, Cesario sets aside the prepared
messages and instead tells Olivia what he would do if he were in love with her. This speech is
significant, then, because it sets the stage for Olivias infatuation with the person she thinks is
Cesario: instead of helping win Olivia for Orsino, Cesarios passionate words make Olivia fall
in love with him. This development is understandable, when one considers what Viola says
hereshe insists that she would be outside Olivias gate night and day, proclaiming her love,
until Olivia took pity on her. This kind of devotion contrasts sharply with the way Orsino
actually pursues his courtship of Olivia: instead of planting himself outside her door and
demonstrating his devotion, he prefers to remain at home, lolling on couches and complaining
of his broken heart. The contrast, then, between the devotion that Viola imagines here and
the self-involvement that characterizes Orsinos passion for Olivia, suggests that Viola has a
better understanding than Orsino of what true love should be.
Close


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3. There is no womans sides
Can bide the beating of so strong a passion
As love doth give my heart; no womans heart
So big, to hold so much. They lack retention.
Alas, their love may be called appetite,
No motion of the liver, but the palate,
That suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt.
But mine is all as hungry as the sea,
And can digest as much. Make no compare
Between that love a woman can bear me
And that I owe Olivia.
(II.iv.91101)
Explanation for Quotation 3 >>
Orsino speaks these words as he discusses his love for Olivia with Cesario. Here, he argues
that there can be no comparison between the kind of love that a man has for a woman and
the kind of love that women feel for men. Women, he suggests, love only superficiallyin the
palate, not the liver, implying that for men love is somehow deeper and less changeable.
While his love is constant, he insists, a womans love suffers surfeit, cloyment, and revolt.
This speech shows the extent of Orsinos self-involvement by demonstrating that he cares
only about his own emotions and assumes that whatever Olivia feels, it cannot compare to
his own feelings for her. But there is also an irony here, since Orsino ascribes qualities to
womens love that actually apply to his own infatuations. He claims that women love
superficially and can have their feelings change easily; in fact, later in the play, he happily
transfers his affections from Olivia to the revealed-as-female Viola. It is the woman, Viola,
whose love for Orsino remains constant throughout. Indeed, Viola answers this speech by
citing herself as an example of a woman who remains constant in love (without revealing that
she is talking about herself, of course). Thus, given what the audience sees onstage, Orsinos
opinions about love seem to be wrong on almost every count.
Close


4. Daylight and champaign discovers not more. This is open. I will be proud, I will read politic
authors, I will baffle Sir Toby, I will wash off gross acquaintance, I will be point-device the very
man. I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade me; for every reason excites to this, that
my lady loves me. She did commend my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my leg, being
44

cross-gartered, and in this she manifests herself to my love, and with a kind of injunction
drives to these habits of her liking. I thank my stars, I am happy. I will be strange, stout, in
yellow stockings, and cross-gartered, even with the swiftness of putting on. Jove and my stars
be praised.
(II.v.140150)
Explanation for Quotation 4 >>
Malvolio speaks these words after he finds the letter written by Maria that seems to reveal
that Olivia is in love with him. Until this point, Malvolio has seemed a straitlaced prig with no
enthusiasms or desires beyond decorum and an orderly house. Here we see his puritanical
exterior is only a veneer, covering powerful ambitions. Malvolio dreams of being loved by
Olivia and of rising in the world to become a noblemanboth of these dreams seem to be
fulfilled by the letter. For the audience, this scene is tremendously comic, since we can easily
anticipate that Malvolio will make a fool of himself when he follows the letters instructions and
puts on yellow stockings and crossed garters. But there is also a hint of pathos in Malvolios
situation, since we know that his grand ambitions will come crashing down. Our pity for him
increases in later scenes, when Sir Toby and Maria use his preposterous behavior to lock him
away as a madman. Malvolio is not exactly a tragic figure; he is too absurd for that. But there
is something at least pitiable in the way the vanity he displays in this speech leads to his
undoing.
Close


5. ORSINO: If this be so, as yet the glass seems true,
I shall have share in this most happy wrack.
[To VIOLA] Boy, thou hast said to me a
thousand times
Thou never shouldst love woman like to me.

VIOLA: And all those sayings will I overswear,
And all those swearings keep as true in soul
As doth that orbd continent the fire
That severs day from night.

ORSINO: Give me thy hand,
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And let me see thee in thy womans weeds.
(V.i.258266)
Explanation for Quotation 5 >>
This exchange follows the climax of the play, when Sebastian and Viola are reunited, and all
the misunderstandings are cleared up. Here, Orsino ushers in a happy ending for his long-
suffering Viola by declaring his willingness to wed her. This quote thus sets the stage for
general rejoicingbut it is worth noting that even here, the -gender ambiguities that Violas
disguise has created still persist. Orsino knows that Viola is a womanand a woman,
apparently, to- whom he is attracted. Yet he addresses her as Boy in this speech, even as
he is accepting her vows of love. This incident is not isolated: later, Orsino continues to call
his new betrothed Cesario, using her male name. This odd mode of address raises, and
leaves un-answered, the question of whether Orsino is in love with Cesario, the beautiful
young man, or with Viola, the beautiful young woman.