TWELFTH NIGHT - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

                                                                        TWELFTH NIGHT 

                                                                                                        - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

INTRODUCTION TO THE AUTHOR : 

     He was born on 26 April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His father was a successful local businessman and his mother was the daughter of a landowner. Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". William Shakespeare is widely considered the greatest dramatist of all time as well as the most influential writer in the history of the English language. He originated hundreds of words and phrases that English speakers use to this day. 

HIS WORKS : 

         William Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays that scholars know of, with most of them labelled as comedies, histories, or tragedies. The earliest play that is directly attributed to Shakespeare is the trilogy of "King Henry VI," with Richard III also being written around the same time, between 1589 and 1591. The last play was a collaboration, assumed to be with John Fletcher, known as "The Two Noble Kinsmen." Shakespeare often wrote plays in a genre that was in vogue at the time, with his plays beginning with the histories, including the above-mentioned works as well as "Pericles,""King John," the dual volumes of both "Henry IV" and Henry V, which were written at later dates. “The empty vessel makes the loudest sound." - Quote by Shakespeare From histories written in the late 1580s to the early 1590s, Shakespeare moved into comedies, which were described as such for their comic sequences and pairs of plots that intertwined with each other. Among the most well known are A Midsummer's Night Dream, Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. Interestingly, two tragedies bookend Shakespeare's comedic era - Romeo and Juliet were written at the beginning of the 1590s, and Julius Caesar was written at the end of the era. For the last portion of his writing career, Shakespeare focused his work on tragedies and "problem" plays. In this era, which is acknowledged as the playwright's best era, he wrote the works called Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Coriolanus, and Macbeth, among others. These are the works that are most in production today, both on stage and in film

CHARACTERS OF THE PLAY;

VIOLA, a lady of Messaline shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria (later disguised as CESARIO)

 OLIVIA, an Illyrian countess MARIA, her waiting-gentlewoman

 SIR TOBY BELCH, Olivia’s kinsman SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK,

 Sir Toby’s companion MALVOLIO, a steward in Olivia’s household FOOL,

 Olivia’s jester, named Feste FABIAN, a gentleman in Olivia’s household ORSINO, duke (or count) of Illyria 

VALENTINE CURIO Bracket gentlemen serving Orsino SEBASTIAN, Viola’s brother ANTONIO, friend to Sebastian

 CAPTAIN PRIEST Two OFFICERS Lords, Sailors, Musicians, and other Attendants SYNOPSIS Viola and her twin brother Sebastian have been shipwrecked; each beliefs the other to be drowned. Viola disguises herself as a young man and, under the name of Cesario, gets a job as a servant for the Duke, Orsino

. A LOVE TRIANGLE Orsino is in love with Olivia, but she's mourning her dead brother, so has rejected all his advances so far. He sends Cesario (who is really Viola) love letters to woo Olivia on his behalf. Unfortunately for the Duke, Olivia is taken in by Cesario’s disguise and falls in love with him. Viola has secretly fallen in love with Orsino, and Orsino is confused by his feelings for his new ‘male’ servant. So, Viola loves Orsino, Orsino loves Olivia and Olivia loves Cesario/Viola. TRICKING 

MALVOLIO Olivia’s butler, Malvolio, disapproves of all the other members of her household – her drunken uncle Sir Toby Belch, his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek and her servants, Maria, Feste and Fabia. Fed up with Malvolio constantly spoiling their fun, they decide to play a practical joke on him. Malvolio is secretly in love with Olivia, and the others trick him into believing that these feelings are returned.

 Maria forges a letter to Malvolio, supposedly from Olivia, suggesting that she loves him and he should wear yellow stockings and smile all the time. Malvolio does as the letter suggests, and Olivia thinks he has gone mad, so has him locked up. 

SEBASTIAN RETURNS Viola's brother, Sebastian, who believes his sister is dead, arrives with his friend and protector, Antonio, who rescued him from the shipwreck. Sebastian meets Olivia. She mistakes him for Cesario and asks him to marry her, and he agrees.

 CONFUSION, COUPLING AND A HAPPY ENDING Lots of confusion follows around the mistaken identity of Sebastian and Cesario, and exactly who is promised to whom. Eventually, all is revealed, the brother and sister are reunited and the love triangle is resolved into two couples, Sebastian and Olivia, and Viola and Orsino. Finally, Viola discovers the trick that has been played on Malvolio, and he's released from confinement. 

CONCLUSION: The climax of Twelfth Night occurs when Viola and Sebastian reunite and their true identities become known to everyone. Their reunion sets up the conclusion (or denouement), in which preparations are made for the marriage of Viola to Orsino and Sebastian to Olivia.