Twelfth Night
PLOT SUMMARY
Written by William Shakespeare
Written in around 1601–1602
Comedy
Key characters include Viola, Sebastian, Olivia, Malvolio, Feste, Maria, and Orsino
If music be the food of love, play on. (Orsino, Act 1, Scene 1)
Viola washes up on the shore of Illyria after a shipwreck. Believing her twin brother Sebastian is dead, she disguises herself as a man named Cesario to find work. She becomes a servant to Duke Orsino, who is in love with Olivia.
Orsino sends Cesario to woo Olivia, but Olivia falls in love with Cesario instead. Meanwhile, Olivia’s servants play a trick on Malvolio, making him believe Olivia loves him. Malvolio acts strangely, leading Olivia to think he is mad.
In this comic tale of mistaken identity and romance, will everything turn out right in the end?
MEET THE CHARACTERS
PAST PRODUCTIONS
In 2023 we staged Twelfth Night: For One Night Only, an all-star one-off production in honour of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
Discover More2002 – Mark Rylance starred as Olivia for the first time at the Middle Temple Hall, and then brought Twelfth Night to the Globe alongside director Tim Carroll. In 2003 the cast went on tour in the USA. In 2012, Mark Rylance revived the role of Olivia at the Globe. The production transferred to Broadway in 2013, winning two Tony awards (and nominated for five more)
2017 – Emma Rice’s take on Twelfth Night was a glittering modern-dress spectacle
2019 – Shakespeare’s Globe’s Touring Ensemble performed the comedy at the Globe
2021 – Director Sean Holmes’ Americana-infused version of the play starred Michelle Terry
2023 – ‘For One Night Only’, a special one-off performance
2023 – CBeebies Twelfth Night at Shakespeare’s Globe (available on iPlayer)
WATCH ON GLOBE PLAYER
Twelfth Night (2012)
Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, Twelfth Night combines cruelty with high comedy and the pangs of unrequited love. Catch Mark Rylance as Olivia and Stephen Fry as Malvolio in this award-winning production.
Twelfth Night (2017)
When twins Viola and Sebastian are shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, disguise, hijinks and bittersweet hilarity ensue. This irreverent production of Shakespeare’s soulful and irrepressible comedy was directed by Emma Rice.
Twelfth Night (2021)
Wild, surprising and funny, this production of Twelfth Night (directed by Globe Associate Artistic Director Sean Holmes) is infused with the mesmeric nostalgia and the soulful music of the world of Americana.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Three Sisters
Experience this ★★★★ ‘riveting, passionate, terrific' (Evening Standard) production of Anton Chekhov’s masterful study of family legacy in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. The world premiere of a ★★★★ ‘vivid new translation’ (The Stage) by playwright Rory Mullarkey.
SHOP THE RANGE
TWELFTH NIGHT BLOGS
BECOME A MEMBER
Members are at the heart of all we do at Shakespeare’s Globe. By joining as a Member, you can support our productions, education work and community outreach from £5 a month.
HAVE YOUR SAY
We need your help to find the best way to present information about Shakespeare’s plays on our website.
Have your say via our short ten-question survey.