Twelfth Night - Colorado Shakespeare Festival

About the Play
Plot Synopsis
Character Descriptions
Meet the Author
Themes
Glossary
Critical Context
Original Production
Source Material
Elizabethan Cross-Dressing
Discussion Questions
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Edited by Amanda Giguere
Design and Layout: Daniel Leonard
Contributing Writers: Rand Harmon, Joe Bicknell, Amanda Giguere
Twelfth Night takes place in Illyria, where three different
stories collide in one fast-paced, love-filled, and
thought-provoking play.
Act I
Viola, shipwrecked, washes ashore with the ship’s captain. Fearing her brother
drowned, and finding herself in Illyria, she determines to find shelter and favor
from its duke, Orsino, a former ally of her late father, by adopting the disguise
of a male page named Cesario. Meanwhile, Orsino pines for the countess Olivia,
and learns she has sworn off contact with all men for seven years to mourn her
late brother. Orsino quickly grows fond of his new page Cesario, sending him
(her) to try to change Olivia’s mind, however, Viola, in disguise, has fallen in
love with Orsino. At Olivia’s mansion, maidservant Maria and Sir Toby Belch
encourage unlikely suitor Sir Andrew Aguecheek to court Olivia. Olivia is not in
the mood, having had her patience tested by her clown Feste, but when Cesario
arrives to woo her for Orsino, she instead instantly falls in love with the young
page.
Act II
Sebastian, Viola’s twin, has reached Illyria with his companion Antonio. Malvolio
finds Cesario and attempts to deliver Olivia’s message to return to her
tomorrow. Viola realizes Olivia has fallen in love with her (him!) Later,
Malvolio discovers Maria, Sir Toby, Feste and Sir Andrew partying late at night,
and scolds them for their uncivil behavior. Maria plots revenge by forging a love
letter from Olivia to Malvolio. Meanwhile, Viola indirectly exposes her feelings
for the duke without revealing her true identity. In Olivia’s garden, the
conspirators spy on Malvolio, who finds the false letter, and totally falls for it.
Act III
Olivia reveals her love for Cesario, but Aguecheek, eavesdropping on the
conversation, concludes he’s lost his chance. Sir Toby persuades Andrew to
Plot Synopsis
challenge Cesario to a fight. Elsewhere, Antonio reunites with Sebastian and
they agree to meet later at an inn. Back at the mansion, Malvolio, outlandishly
dressed (as instructed in the forged love letter), surprises Olivia and returns
Olivia’s ”love” most ardently, which results in his imprisonment in a dark room
to cure his seeming madness. Sir Andrew delivers his challenge to Cesario,
and Sir Toby whips the impending duel to frenzy. At the brink of bloodshed,
Antonio rescues Cesario, mistaking him for her twin Sebastian. The Duke’s
men arrest Antonio.
Act IV
Feste strikes an argument with Sebastian, confusing him for Cesario, whom
Aguecheek tries to duel shortly thereafter. Olivia, halting the melee, mistakes
Sebastian for Cesario and welcomes him into her home. Sebastian, delighted,
instantly falls in love with Olivia. Feste disguises himself as a priest and
torments the imprisoned Malvolio. Later, Sebastian revels in his newfound
situation, as Olivia, with a priest, hurries them off to be married.
Act V
Duke Orsino arrives at Olivia’s to discover his old enemy Antonio, whom
Cesario identifies as his rescuer. Olivia arrives and accuses Cesario of
betraying his duties as her husband by leaving with Orsino. Orsino becomes
even more perplexed when Aguecheek accuses Cesario of wounding him in a
fight. Sebastian arrives and all are amazed at the sight of Sebastian and
Cesario together. Stories and true identities are revealed. Orsino proposes to
Viola, and Malvolio promises vengeance on everyone. Orsino entreats peace,
and Feste has the last word.
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Character Descriptions
Orsino A noble duke of Illyria. He thinks he is desperately in love
with Olivia, but he is possibly more in love with love. He learns that true
love is right under his nose.
Olivia A countess in Illyria whose brother and father have died, and
she has sworn off men. This changes, however, when a young, handsome
messenger arrives to deliver Orsino’s message. Olivia’s heart begins to
melt as she falls in love with…Viola, disguised as a boy.
Viola A young female shipwreck survivor who believes her twin
brother drowned. To hide her grief, she dresses up as a boy, adopts the
name Cesario, and starts working for Orsino.
NOTE: A steward was the
head of the household, and in
charge of the house’s finances,
food, and servants. “Puritan” had
a particular meaning in
Shakespeare’s time, as Puritans
were morally opposed to the
theatre, cross-dressing, and
general merriment.
Malvolio Olivia’s steward. He is firm, stern, and described as a Puritan. He is secretly a social climber, and wishes to rise in rank to marry
Olivia. He mistreats Sir Toby and friends, and they decide to play a cruel joke in retaliation.
Sir Toby Belch Olivia’s drunken uncle. He hasn’t a care in the world, and loves to
dance, party, and listen to music.
Maria Olivia’s serving-lady. She devises the plan to trick Malvolio, and marries Toby at
the end of the play.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Sir Toby’s friend. He has arrived to woo Olivia,
though it quickly becomes clear that he’s a buffoon. Sir Toby keeps him around because he
is rich.
Quote of
Note:
“Dost thou think
because thou art
virtuous there shall
be no more cakes
and ale?”
Sebastian Viola’s twin brother. He was rescued from the shipwreck, and eventually finds himself in Illyria, where he is mistaken for Viola’s
fictional persona, “Cesario.”
Feste, the Clown An entertainer in Illyria, but not your typical clown; he is smart, melancholy, and he sings for anyone who will pay. His
final song about the life of man closes the play: “When that I was and a little tiny boy, with a hey, ho, the wind and the rain…”
NOTE: The CSF in the Schools production of Twelfth Night only had
three actors to play all of these roles!
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William Shakespeare
Based upon baptismal records, scholars believe
that William Shakespeare was born on April 23,
1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He
died on that same date, April 23, in 1616, in the
community of his birth. His body was interred in
the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford,
where his tomb can be viewed today. Varying
amounts are known about Shakespeare’s life in
the intervening years.
The Early Years
William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare
and Mary Arden. Mary came from a prominent
Warwickshire family, something that no doubt helped
her husband gain a number of local political positions,
in addition to being a glove maker and tanner. It is
likely that young William, the third-born of the family,
attended the best grammar school in the area, since,
as an Alderman, John Shakespeare was entitled to free
public education for his children. It was here, at King
Edward IV Grammar School in Stratford that it is
believed the playwright learned much of the history,
language and geography that form the backdrop for
many of his plays.
At eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter
of a well-known and prosperous land owner in
Warwickshire, a woman eight years his senior. Six
months later, their first daughter, Susanna was born.
Twins Hamnet and Judith soon followed in February
1585. Hamnet later died at age eleven, which affected
Shakespeare deeply. Both Susanna and Judith, as well
as Anne, survived Shakespeare and were mentioned in
his Last Will and Testament.
Shakespeare’s leaving Stratford, until he re-surfaced as
an actor in London in 1592, almost nothing is known.
It is also at about that time that the authorities closed
the theaters due first to riots, and then to the plague.
They remained closed for two years, until 1594.
surviving children. Both had married: Susanna to a
local, well-regarded Stratford physician and Judith, but
two month’s before Shakespeare’s death, to a local
vintner.
It may well have been in response to this nuptial that
It is also about this time that it appears that
Shakespeare drafted his Last Will and Testament on
Shakespeare first published his verse, including Venus March 25, 1616. The document, seemingly prepared
and Adonis, Lucrece, and The Sonnets. Publishing was in haste, with many erasures and editions, contains
still in its infancy at this time, as literacy was
three of the only six known true signatures of William
beginning to increase among the middle class. So it Shakespeare. Other than a fragment of a play called
clearly was a departure from his already growing
Sir Thomas More, a collaboration with one or more
reputation as a playwright – and likely a way to try to other Renaissance playwrights of uncertain identity,
supplement his income while the theaters were
nothing exists in Shakespeare’s actual hand.
closed.
From 1594 onward, Shakespeare worked as a
playwright and performer for the acting company, Lord
Pembroke’s Men and later Lord Chamberlain’s Men. At
the accession of James I, in 1603, upon the death of
Elizabeth I, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men became
known as The King’s Men. The records are clear that
Shakespeare’s company was the most favored at Court,
with more numerous performances than any other
company for a king who loved the theater even more
that his predecessor, Elizabeth, also an avid fan of
Shakespeare’s work. It is likely because of this royal
interest and patronage that Shakespeare prospered in
the theater world of London, becoming part owner of
several theaters, including the Globe and the Black
Friar’s Theater, as well as retaining a financial stake in
the various companies for whom be both wrote and
acted .
Death and the First Folio
William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, at the age
of 52 years. Despite his fame and good fortune, in
reality, most of Shakespeare’s plays were never
published during his lifetime. In 1623, several of
Shakespeare’s partners in the King’s Men acting
company, and some associated publishers, published
the First Folio of Shakespeare’s works, the first
publication of over half of the known works of
Shakespeare. It was done to try to capitalize on the
continuing fame of Shakespeare’s works, especially
among the rising middle class. The publication of the
First Folio highlights the great success Shakespeare
had enjoyed, not only commercially, but also
artistically. His plays carried important messages for
the audiences of his day, but they also speak to lovers
of theater and great literature of all times and places.
The Return to Stratford
Because of the ensuing financial success and
widespread acclaim as a royal favorite, Shakespeare
It appears that Shakespeare left Stratford in 1584, and was able to redeem himself in Stratford by the year
1596. In 1597 he purchased a house and gardens,
under cloudy circumstances. His father had run into
New Place, in Chapel Street in Stratford. It was to this
both financial and political difficulties (some suggest
because of his continuing Roman Catholic sympathies), home that, in about 1510, Shakespeare returned from
London. Though there is evidence that several of his
and there is some evidence that the young man had
last plays were written while in Stratford, he seemed
been accused of poaching from the estate of the
wealthy Sir Thomas Lucy, said to be the later object of to have lived the life of a retired gentleman, engaging
himself in local affairs, as well as in the lives of his
satire in Merry Wives of Windsor. From the time of
The Move To London
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Themes of the Play
MUSIC
The play begins and ends with music. The characters demand music
when they’re sad, when they’re in love, and when they’ve had too
much to drink. The word “song” appears 9 times in the play, and
“music” appears 6 times. The name of the fictional locationIllyria-even contains the name of a musical instrument: the “lyre.”
Olivia says that she would rather hear Cesario speak than “music of
the spheres.” In ancient culture, music was thought to be a gift from
the gods. Of all of Shakespeare’s plays, Twelfth Night (along with The
Tempest) is one of the most musical. Do you find yourself turning to
music when your emotions are especially intense? How does music
contribute to important moments in the play?
“From Greek and Roman culture Shakespeare and his contemporaries inherited two quite opposite ideas about music. On the one hand, the
intervals of the musical scale were thought to be coincident with the distances between the planets, producing cosmic harmonies that could have
visceral effects on human beings. On the other hand, music that lacked these proportions, especially music that was devoid of words, could seduce
the senses and produce madness.” (Smith 157)
Social Status
The characters in Twelfth Night are obsessed with rank. Olivia won’t marry Orsino, partly
because “she’ll not match above her degree,” which means that she refuses
to marry someone from a higher social position. Malvolio, on the
other hand, is desperate to rise above his rank by
marrying Olivia. Although we no longer have a
CU Theatre
formal system of ranking people, in what
& Dance. Malvolio
ways is status still part of our culture?
(Pat Cooney) finds the
letter, while his enemies hide
Gulling
The Malvolio subplot is sometimes called “the gulling of Malvolio.” In Shakespeare’s time, a gull was a person who
was easily fooled (similar to our word, “gullible”). To “gull” someone was to cheat, dupe, or play a trick on an easy
target. Gulling is quite similar to another word we commonly use today: bullying. The gulling of Malvolio begins as a way
for Toby and Maria to get even, because Malvolio isn’t nice to them. However, they all take the gulling too far, and Malvolio
ends up locked in a dark room. Toby decides that the joke is no longer funny, and he says, “I would we were all rid of this
knavery.” Have you ever taken a joke too far, and regretted it? Once you have “gulled” or bullied someone, is it possible to restore
that person’s trust?
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Excessive Behavior
Orsino begins the play in a moody, fluctuating state, in which he demands
music—“give me excess of it.” By the play’s end, his excessively dramatic behavior
has been corrected. He encounters real, human love from Viola, rather than the
tormented, passionate, excessive emotions he experienced when he thought he
loved Olivia. Similarly, Olivia does not simply mourn her brother; she drapes
herself in black and swears off men for seven years. In other words, she mourns in
excess. She has turned away Feste the jester, and has given up laughter and
feasting. Malvolio is a likewise excessive character; he is too stern, too puritanical, and too uptight. Toby is certainly excessive in his drinking,
and Maria warns him, “you must confine yourself within the modest limits of order.” This play seems to advocate a balance; we should not be
too emotional, too angry, or too sad. We have to find a way to walk the line, to balance the scales, and to discover the truest version of
ourselves. Like Viola, we all must navigate our dual selves—the page-boy and the young woman—in order to find out who we truly are.
We are all, it seems, somewhere in the middle.
Misrule
The play is named Twelfth Night for
the Feast of Misrule, which
traditionally took place twelve days
after Christmas. During this time, the
world became topsy-turvy, social rules
were broken, and economic class
could be transcended. A king could
be a beggar, and a beggar could be a
king. Consider all of the fanciful,
unrealistic (for Shakespeare’s audience) events that occur in this play:
a butler wears bright yellow stockings and falls in love with the lady
of the house; a young girl in male disguise fights a duel with a
foolish knight; a countess shuns a wealthy duke in favor of his
messenger (who’s actually a girl in male clothing). These are
unlikely occurrences for Shakespeare’s world, and suggest that
the playwright is welcoming the silly, the improbable, and the
“high fantastical.” Shakespeare lets the characters enter a
world of social upheaval, broken boundaries, and gender
confusion. After this “merry madness” subsides, will
social order be restored? Will things go back to
“normal?” Does “normal” exist in Illyria?
Disguise
Twelfth Night reveals several
examples of people who put on a costume
to “perform” another function. Olivia dons a
black mourning veil to indicate her grief, Viola
puts on male clothing to hide her true identity, and
Malvolio boldly displays yellow stockings to prove his
love for Olivia. Although wearing a disguise can often
make you feel safe, hidden, and secure it can also lead to
tricky situations. “Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness,”
Viola tells herself when she realizes she’s at the center of a love
triangle. A disguise always falls away, and we all must
face the real person that
lies beneath the mask.
Each character drops his or
her disguise, and must
learn to face who they are.
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Glossary
Barful: Difficult
Barren: Dull and dry
Barricadoes: obstructions
Betimes: early
Bird-bolts: short arrows for shooting
small birds
Castiliano vulgo: Speak of the devil
Catch: a round (song)
Caterwauling: the crying of cats,
dissonant howling
Clamorous: loud
Cloistress: nun
Cockatrice: an imaginary creature that
kills by the look
Curate: parish priest
Cut a caper: make a lively leap
Damask: the color of roses
Before you watch the play, read the glossary below for definitions of words
that may be unfamiliar.
Dexterously: Skillfully
Dieu vous garde: God save you
Dote: treats with love; to adore
Elysium: Paradise, according to
Greek mythology
Eunuch: a castrated male
Fadge: turn out
Firago: a corruption for “virago”
Fulsome: wearisome
Fustian: bombastic, pompous
Gait: walk (“address thy gait unto her”
means “go to her”)
Geck: Fool
Hart: a male deer
Kickshawses: delicacies, fancy trifles
(from French
“quelque chose”)
Lethe: A river of forgetfulness in
Greek mythology
Glass: mirror
Overweening: arrogant
Peevish: silly, annoying
Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons
Pestilence: a contagious disease, germs
Quaffing: drinking a lot
Surfeiting: filling up, swelling
Sepulchre: tomb, grave
Sneck up! : go hang yourself
Shent: blamed, rebuked
Sophy: Shah of Persia
Usurp: To steal the place of another
(usually, a crown)
Whirligig: a spinning top.
Woo: to win someone’s heart
Critical and Historical Context
Twelfth Night, along with Much Ado About Nothing, All’s Well That Ends Well, and As You Like It, is considered to be one of
Shakespeare’s mature comedies. It is so called because the play’s date of 1601. The comedies that fall into the later years of
Shakespeare’s work are characterized by a subtle but pervasive serious tone. In all these plays we can see some sort of reversal of
identity or trick played upon a character. Twelfth Night revels in this reversal of roles and disguises. There is the obvious disguise of
Viola as Cesario central to the play’s action. There are several other assumed identities and adopted roles in the play. Sir Toby Belch,
in spite of his perpetual drunken state, rules over Olivia’s house. The clownish covey of Belch, Andrew Aguecheek, Feste, and Maria
conspire to dupe Malvolio into believing his mistress has fallen for him. This of course leads to his comical appearance in the
infamous yellow stockings and cross garters. Thus Malvolio gives credence to a completely fabricated conception of Olivia and
adopts a new role himself. The dizzying reversals do not end there. Further torturing the maligned Malvolio, the fool Feste dons the
persona of curate, Sir Topas. The topsy-turvy world reaches an almost fever pitch, people’s lives are threatened and Malvolio is
utterly broken.
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The dire state of the characters seems at odds with a play presenting itself as a comedy. What is Shakespeare doing? From the
beginning of the play through the end, he presents us with choices and alternatives. Choose from the following: Viola or Cesario,
Feste or Sir Topas, boy or girl, servant or master. Even the title (Twelfth Night, or What You Will) presents readers and audiences
with a choice: here is one title and if that displeases try another. Much of the confusion and subversive nature of the play comes
from the play’s title(s). Taking each title separately we begin with Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night marked the end of festivities in the
Elizabethan Christmas calendar. This holiday commemorating the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem was celebrated with
much drinking, wassailing (drinking lots of cider), and most importantly a reversal of social roles. Servants could impersonate
masters while masters could become servants through the evening. Adding to this sense of social chaos was the random process of
choosing a ruler for the evening. Traditionally a cake is served to guests at a Twelfth Night party. Depending on your nationality
different items were baked into the cake. In England finding the black or white bean would grant you the honor of being king or
queen for the evening.
The coronation of king and queen through confectionery consummation invokes a certain laissez-faire attitude to social order, a
sense of “What Have You” or “What You Will.” The seeming arbitrary connotation of Shakespeare’s subtitle is not as carefree as it
may suggest. Being the cunning, and often ironic, poet he was, Shakespeare used “will” very purposefully. “Will” could indeed
connote a sense of desire or inclination, which we can read today as a reticent invitation to consider the play howsoever we wish.
The other consideration of “will” suggests an idea of passion or physical, not necessarily sexual, desire. In this context it also
alludes to excess. The subtitle then becomes a sort of cautionary tag to the surtitle of Twelfth Night.
Throughout the play, it seems that Shakespeare presents his audience and readers with options. We can choose from the pious and
zealous Malvolio or the loose and lewd Belch, etc. Setting forth multiple choices and never fully resolving, or at least endorsing, one
side, Shakespeare leaves it to the audience to piece together the import and meaning of the play. You can have either Twelfth Night
or What You Will.
Original Production
Twelfth Night was probably written around 1601, and some scholars believe
that the play may have been first performed at Whitehall for a visiting Italian
nobleman named Orsino, for whom Shakespeare may have named his lovesick
Duke. The first recorded performance took place on February 2, 1602 at Middle
Temple Hall for an audience of lawyers. One young man in the audience, John
Manningham, wrote about the play in his diary. Feste was played by the great
comic clown in Shakespeare’s company, Robert Armin, and Malvolio was played
by Richard Burbage. Scholar Harold Bloom claimed that Shakespeare probably
played the role of Antonio.
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Source Material
FUN FACT! Not only
were Shakespeare’s plots almost
always stolen, he even plagiarized
himself for Twelfth Night, reusing
the girl-disguises-herself-as-aboy-and-helps-her-beloved-woo-another-woman plot from Two
Gentlemen of Verona and the
shipwrecked-twins idea from
Comedy of Errors.
Shakespeare was fond of “borrowing” storylines from existing
books, myths, and plays. We would now consider this cheating,
because of copyright laws, but it was acceptable in Shakespeare’s
day to use someone else’s work for inspiration. Shakespeare
probably used Barnaby Rich’s tale, “Of Apolonius and Silla”
(1581) as source material, along with an Italian comedy called
Gli Ingannati. The Malvolio plotline, however, belongs entirely to
Shakespeare. The fact that he concocted this story on his own
suggests that it was important to Shakespeare. Why do you think
he added Malvolio’s story? Illyria is also an imaginary location—
no Illyria existed during Shakespeare’s lifetime, though there was a region known as Illyria in the ancient world. Why would he set
this comedy in a location that no longer existed?
Why the title?
FUN FACT!
Antonio is one of the most
popular names in Shakespeare. There are five
major Antonios, and two
more minor characters
named Antonio.
The title refers to the twelfth night of Christmas, when the Feast of Fools
was observed. This celebration took place on the eve of January 6, or
Epiphany, which celebrates the arrival of the three wise men to meet the
baby Jesus. In England, Twelfth Night was celebrated as a feast of misrule
that turned normal society on its head. Standard hierarchies were
ignored or reversed, and citizens were allowed to cross boundaries. The
play’s subtitle, “What you will” references this topsy-turvy holiday, and
suggests an “anything goes” tone.
Is this a comedy?
Most Shakespearean comedies end with marriage, and most tragedies end with death. By those standards, Twelfth Night is a
comedy. The play is more complicated as a genre, however, when we consider Malvolio’s storyline, not to mention the death and
sadness that pervades the play. Twelfth Night begins with two deaths: Viola has lost a brother, and so has Olivia. Throughout
the play, Shakespeare mingles tears with laughter, and seems intent on reminding us that life is never purely a tragedy or a
comedy. As Feste points out in one of his songs, “present mirth hath present laughter.” We may be happy for the time being, but
“what’s to come is still unsure.” This is a bittersweet comedy, and each hilarious moment is undercut by deep loss. Viola
disguises herself as a boy, and gets herself into humorous situations, but she is doing so to distract herself from her twin’s death.
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We can laugh at Malvolio in his yellow stockings, but he is not simply a laughable character—he is a victim of a cruel prank, and
he’s desperate to abandon his life as a butler. Rather than simply making us laugh, Shakespeare reminds us of life’s complexities,
and underscores the presence of comedy and tragedy in our lives. Shakesepare seems to be leaning towards a new genre here:
romance. His later romances contain shipwrecks, miraculous reconciliations, and fantasy (think The Tempest, Pericles, and The
Winter’s Tale). Twelfth Night spills over the boundaries of comedy, and seems to prepare us for a new kind of story that contains
laughter and sadness.
Cross-dressing in Shakespeare’s Day
The plot of Twelfth Night features a female character
(Viola) who dresses up as a man (Cesario). The humor of
this situation would have been enhanced by a certain
convention of theatrical performance in Shakespeare’s day.
Women were not allowed to perform in plays in Elizabethan England, and all female roles were played by men.
Therefore, the actor who played Viola would likely have
been a young male apprentice in Shakespeare’s acting
company. While contemporary audiences usually see a
female actress as Viola, Shakespeare’s audience would
have watched a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy—this would certainly have created a layered, complex, and
humorous commentary on gender and identity. It was not until 1660 that female actresses were allowed to perform in England, as
a result of the return of Charles II to the throne.
“The largest fault of every staging of Twelfth Night I’ve attended is
that the pace is not fast enough. It ought to be played at the frenetic
tempo that befits this company of zanies and antics.” - Harold Bloom
“What happens to Malvolio is, however, so harshly out of proportion to
his merits, such as they are, that the ordeal of humiliation
has to be regarded as one of the prime
Shakespearean enigmas.” -Harold Bloom
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Questions Before the Play
The CSF production of Twelfth Night explores the ongoing struggle between order/chaos, reason/passion, or
civilization/nature, that exists throughout the human condition. How do you see these contrasting forces illustrated in
the scenery and lighting? How do these struggles appear in the costumes, and how the characters change their dress
through the course of the play? Do you see these contrasts in the actors' portrayal of their characters' journeys through
the play?
The Twelfth Night holiday traditionally celebrates the end of Christmas festivities with a Feast of Fools where the King or
Queen of Misrule resides over a banquet. Misrule manifests itself in many guises in this play, most prominently in the
gulling or trickery played on Aguecheek and Malvolio, but also in Viola's disguise as Cesario. Do you see how
Viola/Cesario disrupts the status quo of Illyria and causes a bunch of confusion for the other characters? What power do
you think Misrule has to teach us of the power of love to disrupt the natural order of things? Of the dangers of
arrogance? Of how a little chaos teaches us of the need for balance in our lives? Of how things might not be as they seem
on the surface?
Shakespeare's subtitle "Or What You Will" indicates that the audience should decide what they take from the issues,
struggles and contrasts in the play. After seeing the play, what do you think is the biggest lesson about life Shakespeare is
giving us in this play? How might your interpretation of Twelfth Night differ from those around you?
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The Colorado Shakespeare Festival
Study Guide
TWELFTH NIGHT
Edited by Amanda Giguere
Design and Layout: Daniel Leonard
Contributing Writers: Rand Harmon, Joe Bicknell, Amanda Giguere
© 2012
We would like to thank the following supporters of CSF Education:
Blue Mountain Arts, Boulder Arts Commission, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence,
Colorado Council on the Arts, CU Outreach, CSF Guild, Debra Ordway and Beyond the Horizon,
Elevations Federal Credit Union Foundation, President’s Fund for the Humanities, Target Foundation,
Riddle Family Foundation, Wyman Historic District Neighborhood Association,
Arts and Sciences Community Involvement (ASCI).
CSF Education
www.coloradoshakes.org/education-outreach
(303) 492-1973
csfedout@colorado.edu
CSF Box Of�ice
(303) 492-0554
www.coloradoshakes.org
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