Twelfth Night: Study Guide

The tale of a young woman who disguises herself as a man and becomes entangled in the courtship of two local aristocrats upends conventions of romance and gender roles. First staged in 1602, Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays. Read a character analysis of Viola, plot summary, and important quotes.

Summary

Read a Plot Overview of the entire play or a scene by scene Summary and Analysis.

Plot Overview
Five Key Questions
What Does the Ending Mean?

Summary & Analysis
Act I, scenes i–ii
Act I, scenes iii–iv
Act I, scene v
Act II, scenes i–ii
Act II, scenes iii–iv
Act II, scene v
Act III, scenes i–iii
Act III, scene iv
Act IV, scenes i–iii
Act V, scene i

Characters

See a complete list of the characters in Twelfth Night and in-depth analyses of Viola, Orsino and Olivia, Malvolio, Sebastian, and Antonio.

Character List
Viola
Orsino and Olivia
Malvolio
Sebastian
Antonio

Main Ideas

Here's where you'll find analysis about the play as a whole, from the major themes and ideas to analysis of style, tone, point of view, and more.

Themes
Plot Analysis
Protagonist
Antagonist
Setting
Motifs
Symbols
Genre
Style
Point of View
Tone
Foreshadowing
Key Facts
Sex and Gender in Twelfth Night

Quotes

Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the play by reading these key quotes.

Important Quotations Explained

Quotes by Theme
Desire and Love
Madness
Fools and Foolishness
Disguise/Deception
Gender and Sexuality

Quotes by Section
Act I, Scenes i-ii
Act I, Scenes iii-iv
Act I, Scene V
Act II, Scenes i-ii
Act II, Scenes iii-iv
Act II, Scene v
Act III, Scene i-ii
Act III, Scene iv
Act IV, Scene i-iii
Act V, Scene i

Quotes by Character
Viola
Orsino
Olivia
Sebastian
Malvolio

Further Study

Test your knowledge of Twelfth Night with our quizzes and study questions, or go further with essays on the context and background and links to the best resources around the web.