Night Of The Twelfth

A retelling in rhymed couplets of Shakespeare's comedy about the loves of the twins Viola and Sebastian is accompanied by illustrations created by second-graders

Shakespeare's classic comedy specially retold for children growing in reading confidence and ability. When Viola is left shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, she must disguise herself as a boy for protection. But when she becomes a page for Duke Orsino, things start to get a little complicated. "Crack reading and make confident and enthusiastic readers with this fantastic reading programme." - Julia Eccleshare

This volume in the Shakespeare Criticism series offers a range of approaches to Twelfth Night, including its critical reception, performance history, and relation to early modern culture. James Schiffer's extensive introduction surveys the play's critical reception and performance history, while individual essays explore a variety of topics relevant to a full appreciation of the play: early modern notions of love, friendship, sexuality, madness, festive ritual, exoticism, social mobility, and detection. The contributors approach these topics from a variety of perspectives, such as new critical, new historicist, cultural materialist, feminist and queer theory, and performance criticism, occasionally combining several approaches within a single essay. The new essays from leading figures in the field explore and extend the key debates surrounding Twelfth Night, creating the ideal book for readers approaching this text for the first time or wishing to further their knowledge of this stimulating, much loved play.

Twelfth Night is a comedy in five acts written by William Shakespeare. This play was written about 1600–02 and printed in 1623. Regarded by many as one of Shakespeare’s finest comedies, Twelfth Night appeared before the playwright went on to pen several tragedies and serious plays. Play begins with the scene in which Sebastian and Viola, the twins, are separated during a shipwreck. Each one believes the other dead. Viola disguises herself as a boy named Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino, who thinks he is in love with the lady Olivia. Orsino sends Viola-Cesario to plead his cause to Olivia, who promptly falls in love with the messenger. Viola, meanwhile, is in love with Orsino, and, when her twin, Sebastian, is rediscovered, many comic situations of mistaken identity ensue. Twelfth Night deals with some serious themes and various forms of love, romantic, family and even the love of love are all presented. At the same time, there is the question of appearance and reality which is shown through the actions of Olivia’s steward Malvolio.

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Retells, in comic book format, Shakespeare's comedy about Viola who, upon finding herself shipwrecked, pretends to be a servant but finds herself falling in love with Duke Orsino.

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by Barnabe Rich. It is named after the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season. It was written around 1601 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The main title is believed to be an afterthought, created after John Marston premiered a play titled What You Will during the course of the writing.