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Introduction to the play
Named for the twelfth night after Christmas, the end of the Christmas season,Twelfth Nightplays with love and power. The Countess Olivia, a woman with her own household, attracts Duke (or Count) Orsino. Two other would-be suitors are her pretentious steward, Malvolio, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek.
Onto this scene arrive the twins Viola and Sebastian; caught in a shipwreck, each thinks the other has drowned. Viola disguises herself as a male page and enters Orsino’s service. Orsino sends her as his envoy to Olivia—only to have Olivia fall in love with the messenger. The play complicates, then wonderfully untangles, these relationships.
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The Folger Shakespeare
Our bestselling editions of Shakespeare's plays and poems
If music be the food of love, play on.
—Orsino
Act 1, scene 1, line 1
… Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous,
there shall be no more cakes and ale?
—Toby
Act 2, scene 3, lines 114–115
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Essays and resources from The Folger Shakespeare
Twelfth Night
Learn more about the play, its language, and its history from the experts behind our edition.
About Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
An introduction to the plot, themes, and characters in the play
Reading Shakespeare’s Language
A guide for understanding Shakespeare’s words, sentences, and wordplay
An Introduction to This Text
A description of the publishing history of the play and our editors’ approach to this edition
Shakespeare and his world
Learn more about Shakespeare, his theater, and his plays from the experts behind our editions.
Shakespeare’s Life
An essay about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived
Shakespeare’s Theater
An essay about what theaters were like during Shakespeare’s career
The Publication of Shakespeare’s Plays
An essay about how Shakespeare’s plays were published
Related blog posts and podcasts
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Judi Dench's take on Viola in Shakespeare's Twelth Night
Shakespeare and Beyond
Judi Dench's take on Viola in Shakespeare's Twelth Night
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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond
What’s going through Viola’s head as she woos Olivia on Orsino’s behalf? Dame Judi Dench reflects on this key scene in this excerpt from her newly published book.
5 things to look for when you watch Twelfth Night
Shakespeare and Beyond
5 things to look for when you watch Twelfth Night
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Author
Ben Lauer
We ask a few of our favorite Shakespeareans what you should keep an eye out for when you watch Twelfth Night.
Order It: "If music be the food of love" from Twelfth Night
Shakespeare and Beyond
Order It: "If music be the food of love" from Twelfth Night
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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond
“If music be the food of love, play on.” Take this quiz to see if you can correctly order the lines of the opening speech of Twelfth Night, with its memorable reference to a bank of violets.
ENCORES: ‘Shakespeare’s Virtues’ Lecture by Julia Reinhard Lupton (2018)
Folger Spotlight
ENCORES: ‘Shakespeare’s Virtues’ Lecture by Julia Reinhard Lupton (2018)
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Folger Theatre
Folger Public Programs is pleased to present ENCORES, a weekly online series highlighting past performances and recalling the rich history of programming on the historic Folger stage. See an excerpt of Julia Reinhard Lupton’s lecture “Shakespeare’s Virtues,” the 2018 Shakespeare…
ENCORES: ‘Twelfth Night’ produced by Folger Theatre (2013)
Folger Spotlight
ENCORES: ‘Twelfth Night’ produced by Folger Theatre (2013)
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Folger Theatre
Folger Public Programs presents ENCORES, a weekly online series highlighting past performances and recalling the rich history of programming on the historic Folger stage. See a clip of ‘Twelfth Night’ from Folger Theatre’s 2013 production.
Twelfth Night: The Hamlet of the comedies
Shakespeare and Beyond
Twelfth Night: The Hamlet of the comedies
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Author
Austin Tichenor
Austin Tichenor suggests that “Twelfth Night” is the “Hamlet” of the comedies, dealing with loss, separation, and death and using some surprisingly similar elements — but in a far happier way.
Teaching Twelfth Night
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The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
Teaching Resource
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
Free resource
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- Professional development
- Shakespeare and race
- Video
Introducing Twelfth Night with 2-Line Scenes
Teaching Resource
Introducing Twelfth Night with 2-Line Scenes
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- Lesson plan
Cutting a Scene: Twelfth Night 2.4
Teaching Resource
Cutting a Scene: Twelfth Night 2.4
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- Lesson plan
3-D Shakespeare: Twelfth Night 1.2
Teaching Resource
3-D Shakespeare: Twelfth Night 1.2
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- Lesson plan
Creating a Promptbook: Twelfth Night 2.5
Teaching Resource
Creating a Promptbook: Twelfth Night 2.5
Give students a real purpose for reading closely and creatively, and be amazed at what happens.
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- Twelfth Night
- Lesson plan
Choral Reading: Twelfth Night 1.1
Teaching Resource
Choral Reading: Twelfth Night 1.1
Let the topsy-turvy poetry of this play work on your students!
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- Lesson plan
Words as Images: Twelfth Night 1.5
Teaching Resource
Words as Images: Twelfth Night 1.5
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Cutting a Scene: Twelfth Night 2.3
Teaching Resource
Cutting a Scene: Twelfth Night 2.3
Ask students to cut this rowdy Twelfth Night scene in half, and be amazed at what happens.
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- Twelfth Night
- Lesson plan
Early printed texts
Twelfth Night appeared in print for the first time in the 1623 First Folio, and that text is the basis for all subsequent editions.
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