Critical Analysis - Twelfth Night
Introduction
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth
Night, or What You Will is one of his most enduring romantic comedies,
believed to have been written around 1601–02. It blends themes of love,
identity, disguise, and festivity with wit, music, and a celebration of life’s
unpredictability. Set in Illyria, the play explores mistaken identities and
unrequited love, culminating in reconciliation and comic resolution.
Summary
The play begins with a
shipwreck that separates twins, Viola and Sebastian. Believing her brother
dead, Viola disguises herself as a young man, Cesario, and enters the service
of Duke Orsino. Orsino is in love with Lady Olivia, who refuses his advances,
mourning her brother’s death. However, Olivia falls for Cesario (Viola in
disguise), creating a comic love triangle.
Meanwhile, the subplot
involves Olivia’s steward Malvolio, tricked by Maria, Sir Toby Belch, and
others into believing Olivia loves him, producing some of the play’s funniest
scenes. Eventually, Sebastian reappears, leading to mistaken identities being
cleared. Viola’s true identity is revealed, she is united with Orsino, Olivia
marries Sebastian, and the play ends with celebration, though Malvolio vows
revenge.
Major Themes
- Love
and Desire – The play explores various forms of love:
romantic, unrequited, self-love, and friendship. The love triangle
(Orsino–Viola–Olivia) highlights love’s irrational nature.
- Disguise
and Identity – Viola’s disguise as Cesario drives the plot,
blurring gender roles and questioning identity and attraction.
- Folly
and Festivity – True to festive comedy, Twelfth Night
celebrates misrule, trickery, and merriment while mocking pretentiousness,
especially in Malvolio’s self-love.
- Melancholy
vs. Joy – The contrast between Orsino’s lovesickness,
Olivia’s mourning, and the comic subplot emphasizes human emotional range.
- Order
Restored – The play ends in marriages and reconciliations,
showing comedy’s power to restore social harmony after chaos.
Very Short Answer Type
Questions (1–2 lines)
- Who are
the twins in Twelfth Night?
- Viola
and Sebastian.
- What
disguise does Viola adopt?
- She
disguises herself as Cesario, a young man.
- Who
falls in love with Cesario?
- Lady
Olivia.
- Who
tricks Malvolio into believing Olivia loves him?
- Maria,
Sir Toby, and others.
- What is
the subtitle of Twelfth Night?
- What
You Will.
Short Answer Type Questions
(40–50 words each)
- Discuss
the role of disguise in Twelfth Night.
- Disguise
is central to the play’s plot. Viola’s disguise as Cesario causes
confusion, mistaken identity, and comic complications. It challenges
gender roles and highlights how appearances deceive. The disguise
eventually leads to truth and reconciliation, underscoring Shakespeare’s
interest in identity and love’s unpredictability.
- How is
Malvolio important in the play?
- Malvolio provides a satirical contrast to the
joyous spirit of Illyria. His ambition and self-love make him an easy
target for ridicule. The prank against him brings humour but also raises
questions about cruelty, class, and festivity’s darker side, making him
both comic and tragic.
- What
does Twelfth Night suggest about love?
- The play presents love as irrational,
transformative, and often painful. Orsino’s melodramatic passion,
Olivia’s sudden infatuation with Cesario, and Viola’s quiet devotion
reveal love’s many forms. Ultimately, true love triumphs, but Shakespeare
shows its complexity, suggesting love is both folly and fulfilment.
- Explain
the significance of the subtitle “What You Will.”
- The subtitle emphasizes the play’s playful and
open-ended nature. It reflects Shakespeare’s refusal to limit
interpretation, inviting audiences to take from it “what they will.” It
aligns with the festive spirit, flexibility of identity, and multiple
possibilities the play offers in meaning and resolution.
- How
does the subplot enhance the main plot in Twelfth Night?
- The comic subplot with Malvolio, Sir Toby, and
Maria parallels the main story of love and disguise by exploring folly
and deception. It adds humour, balances the romance with satire, and
deepens the play’s exploration of human vanity, ambition, and the
contrast between festivity and order.
MCQs
1. Who is the
Duke of Illyria in Twelfth Night?
a) Sir Toby Belch
b) Orsino
c) Sebastian
d) Antonio
Answer: b) Orsino
2. Viola disguises herself as a man with the
name:
a) Sebastian
b) Cesario
c) Antonio
d) Fabian
Answer: b) Cesario
3. Which character is tricked into believing
that Olivia loves him?
a) Sir Andrew
b) Malvolio
c) Feste
d) Orsino
Answer: b) Malvolio
4. Who says the famous line “If music be the
food of love, play on”?
a) Viola
b) Feste
c) Orsino
d) Olivia
Answer: c) Orsino
5. Who marries Olivia at the end of the
play?
a) Orsino
b) Malvolio
c) Sebastian
d) Cesario
Answer: c) Sebastian
6. Which character is a clown and a fool but
is often the wisest in the play?
a) Fabian
b) Sir Toby
c) Feste
d) Antonio
Answer: c) Feste
7. What is the relationship between Viola
and Sebastian?
a) Cousins
b) Twins
c) Strangers
d) Friends
Answer: b) Twins
8. Who is Sir Toby Belch’s companion in
drinking and mischief?
a) Malvolio
b) Fabian
c) Sir Andrew Aguecheek
d) Antonio
Answer: c) Sir Andrew Aguecheek
9. What causes confusion between Viola
(Cesario) and Sebastian?
a) Their similar dress
b) Their twin-like appearance
c) A mistaken letter
d) Their similar voices
Answer: b) Their twin-like
appearance
10. Which theme is central to Twelfth Night?
a) Political power
b) Love and disguise
c) War and peace
d) Fate and destiny
Answer: b) Love and disguise
UGC
NET PYQs
Q1. (NET,
2012)
In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, who says:
“Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit”?
a) Viola
b) Feste
c) Malvolio
d) Sir Toby
Answer: b) Feste
Q2. (NET, 2014)
Match the following Shakespearean plays with
their opening lines:
List I (Play) | List II (Opening Line)
1.
Twelfth Night |
A. “If music be the food of love, play on.”
2.
Macbeth | B.
“When shall we three meet again?”
3.
Hamlet | C.
“Who’s there?”
4.
The Tempest | D.
“Boatswain!”
Codes:
1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D
Q3. (NET, 2016)
In Twelfth
Night, Malvolio is tricked into believing that Olivia loves him through:
a) A forged letter
b) A disguised voice
c) A mistaken gift
d) A dream
Answer: a) A forged letter
Q4. (NET, 2019)
Which of the following is NOT true about Twelfth Night?
a) It deals with mistaken identities
b) It is a comedy of love and disguise
c) It is set in Illyria
d) It ends with the marriage of Malvolio and Olivia
Answer: d) It ends with the
marriage of Malvolio and Olivia
Q5. (NET, 2021)
Arrange the following Shakespearean plays in
the order of their publication:
(i) Twelfth Night
(ii) Hamlet
(iii) Othello
(iv) King Lear
Answer:
(ii) Hamlet → (i) Twelfth Night → (iii) Othello → (iv) King Lear
MCQs
1. Who is the
Duke of Illyria in Twelfth Night?
a) Sir Toby Belch
b) Orsino
c) Sebastian
d) Antonio
Answer: b) Orsino
2. Viola disguises herself as a man with the
name:
a) Sebastian
b) Cesario
c) Antonio
d) Fabian
Answer: b) Cesario
3. Which character is tricked into believing
that Olivia loves him?
a) Sir Andrew
b) Malvolio
c) Feste
d) Orsino
Answer: b) Malvolio
4. Who says the famous line “If music be the
food of love, play on”?
a) Viola
b) Feste
c) Orsino
d) Olivia
Answer: c) Orsino
5. Who marries Olivia at the end of the
play?
a) Orsino
b) Malvolio
c) Sebastian
d) Cesario
Answer: c) Sebastian
6. Which character is a clown and a fool but
is often the wisest in the play?
a) Fabian
b) Sir Toby
c) Feste
d) Antonio
Answer: c) Feste
7. What is the relationship between Viola
and Sebastian?
a) Cousins
b) Twins
c) Strangers
d) Friends
Answer: b) Twins
8. Who is Sir Toby Belch’s companion in
drinking and mischief?
a) Malvolio
b) Fabian
c) Sir Andrew Aguecheek
d) Antonio
Answer: c) Sir Andrew Aguecheek
9. What causes confusion between Viola
(Cesario) and Sebastian?
a) Their similar dress
b) Their twin-like appearance
c) A mistaken letter
d) Their similar voices
Answer: b) Their twin-like
appearance
10. Which theme is central to Twelfth Night?
a) Political power
b) Love and disguise
c) War and peace
d) Fate and destiny
Answer: b) Love and disguise
UGC
NET PYQs
Q1. (NET,
2012)
In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, who says:
“Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit”?
a) Viola
b) Feste
c) Malvolio
d) Sir Toby
Answer: b) Feste
Q2. (NET, 2014)
Match the following Shakespearean plays with
their opening lines:
List I (Play) | List II (Opening Line)
1.
Twelfth Night |
A. “If music be the food of love, play on.”
2.
Macbeth | B.
“When shall we three meet again?”
3.
Hamlet | C.
“Who’s there?”
4.
The Tempest | D.
“Boatswain!”
Codes:
1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D
Q3. (NET, 2016)
In Twelfth
Night, Malvolio is tricked into believing that Olivia loves him through:
a) A forged letter
b) A disguised voice
c) A mistaken gift
d) A dream
Answer: a) A forged letter
Q4. (NET, 2019)
Which of the following is NOT true about Twelfth Night?
a) It deals with mistaken identities
b) It is a comedy of love and disguise
c) It is set in Illyria
d) It ends with the marriage of Malvolio and Olivia
Answer: d) It ends with the
marriage of Malvolio and Olivia
Q5. (NET, 2021)
Arrange the following Shakespearean plays in
the order of their publication:
(i) Twelfth Night
(ii) Hamlet
(iii) Othello
(iv) King Lear
Answer:
(ii) Hamlet → (i) Twelfth Night → (iii) Othello → (iv) King Lear
