Twelfth Night: Shakespeare's Most Festive Play

Q: What is the story of Twelfth Night?

Shakespeare's comedy 'Twelfth Night' has two main plots. The romantic plot follows Viola, a young woman who disguises herself as a man and gets caught up in a love triangle with two nobles, Duke Orsino and Lady Olivia. The comedic plot follows a group of Olivia's underlings who play a prank on the puritanical steward Malvolio.

Q: What themes are present in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?

Shakespeare's comedy 'Twelfth Night' explores several themes, including love, merriment, and gender.

Q: Where does Shakespeare's Twelfth Night take place?

Shakespeare's comedy 'Twelfth Night' takes place in Illyria, a setting chosen because it sounded exotic and wonderous to a London audience.

Harrison W. Mark

Definition

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare (l. c. 1564-1616), written between 1600 and 1601 and first performed on 2 February 1602. As suggested by the title's allusion to Twelfth Night – the night before the Epiphany celebrations – it is considered one of Shakespeare's most festive plays, dealing with themes of love, merriment, and gender.

More about: Twelfth Night

Timeline

2 Feb 1602
Shakespeare's romantic comedy 'Twelfth Night' is performed for the first time at the Middle Temple in London.
2 Feb 1602
Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night" premieres at the Middle Temple Hall in London to entertain people toward the close of the Christmas season. The event was recorded by a student, John Manningham, in his journal, who noted the play was similar to Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.