Twelfth Night, or What You Will, is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first printed in the First Folio, the collected edition of his plays published after his death. It tells of Viola, who is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and disguises herself as a young man, Cesario, to serve Duke Orsino. Orsino is in love with the countess Olivia, who falls in love with Cesario, and the resulting confusion is resolved when Viola's twin brother Sebastian appears. The subplot, in which Olivia's steward Malvolio is tricked by Sir Toby Belch and Maria, adds the cruel comedy that has made him a famous character. The title refers to the Twelfth Night of Christmas, a time of festivity and reversal.
Before and after
- from 2 September 1621 to 9 October 1621Battle of Khotyn
- 1622Publication of Othello
- 15 January 1622Birth of Molière
- 1623Publication of Macbeth
- 1623Publication of Twelfth Night
- 1623Founding of Barbados
- 1623Founding of Weymouth
- 1623Publication of The Tempest
- 19 June 1623Birth of Blaise Pascal
More in Art, literature & culture
- 15th centuryConstruction of Red Square
- 1600Rise of Baroque music
- 1602Publication of Hamlet
- c. 1653The Taj Mahal is completed
- 1661Construction of Palace of Versailles
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.