Twelfth Night Facts for Kids

Malvolio and Olivia, in an old picture by R. Staines after a painting by Daniel Maclise.

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is a funny play written by William Shakespeare. It is known as a comedy because it has a happy ending and lots of misunderstandings.

The Story of Twelfth Night
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The Story of Twelfth Night

The play takes place in a land called Illyria. The Duke of Illyria, named Orsino, is deeply in love with a noblewoman named Olivia. However, Olivia is sad because her brother has recently died. She has decided not to date anyone for seven years. So, she tells the Duke that she is not interested in his love.

Viola's New Life

Meanwhile, a young woman named Viola survives a terrible shipwreck. She lands on the shores of Illyria. Sadly, she believes her twin brother, Sebastian, has drowned in the storm. To keep herself safe and find work, Viola decides to pretend to be a boy. She calls herself Cesario and gets a job working for Duke Orsino as his page.

Duke Orsino sends Cesario (who is really Viola) to Olivia with love letters. He hopes Cesario can convince Olivia to love him. But things get complicated! Olivia ends up falling in love with Cesario, thinking "he" is a boy. This makes Viola very upset because she has already fallen in love with Duke Orsino herself.

Sebastian Arrives

Unknown to Viola, her twin brother Sebastian has also survived the shipwreck. He was rescued by a kind man named Antonio. Antonio helped Sebastian even though it was risky for him, as he had once fought against Duke Orsino. Sebastian believes Viola is dead.

Trouble at Olivia's House

At Olivia's house, her cousin, Sir Toby Belch, is always causing mischief. He tricks a silly knight named Sir Andrew Aguecheek into thinking he could marry Olivia. Sir Toby, along with Olivia's maid Maria and a funny clown named Feste, decides to play a trick on Olivia's serious house manager, Malvolio.

Maria writes a fake love letter that looks like it's from Olivia. The letter tells Malvolio to act very strangely if he wants Olivia to love him. Malvolio falls for the trick completely. He dresses in crazy clothes, including yellow stockings and crossed garters, and smiles all the time, just like the letter says. Olivia is horrified by his behavior. She thinks he has gone mad and has him locked away.

Mistaken Identities and Duels

Sir Toby tries to make Sir Andrew fight Cesario (Viola) as she leaves Olivia's house. Neither Viola nor Sir Andrew wants to fight. Just as they are about to duel, Antonio steps in to defend Cesario. He thinks Cesario is his friend Sebastian. Because Antonio fought against the Duke before, he is arrested for piracy.

Olivia then appears and thinks Cesario is Sebastian. She asks "him" to marry her, and Cesario (Viola) is very confused.

Later, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew meet the real Sebastian. This time, Sebastian doesn't back down from Sir Andrew's challenge. He easily beats Sir Andrew in a fight. Meanwhile, Olivia meets Sebastian and, thinking he is Cesario, she becomes engaged to him!

The Truth Comes Out

Antonio is brought before Duke Orsino for questioning. Viola tries to explain what happened in the duel. Antonio tells everyone how he saved "this man" (meaning Sebastian) from the sea. Then, Olivia arrives, looking for her new husband, who she still thinks is Cesario (Viola).

To make things even more confusing, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew enter. They claim that Viola/Cesario violently attacked them. As Viola tries to deny everything, the real Sebastian shows up. The twin brother and sister finally see each other and are reunited! Sebastian helps to clear up all the confusion about who fought whom and who married whom.

A Happy Ending

In the end, Duke Orsino realizes he loves Viola. Olivia and Sebastian are happily married. Olivia is upset with Sir Toby and Maria for their cruel trick on Malvolio, who promises to get revenge. Sir Toby agrees to marry Maria because of the trouble they caused. Everyone, except the unhappy Malvolio, lives happily ever after. Orsino welcomes Olivia and Sebastian. He also realizes he is attracted to Cesario and promises to marry her once she dresses as a woman again.

Images for kids

Scene from Twelfth Night, by Francis Wheatley (1771–72)
Sir Toby Belch coming to the assistance of Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Arthur Boyd Houghton, c. 1854.
A Lithograph showing Act II Scene III
The title page of Twelfth Night from the 1623 First Folio
A Scene from Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare: Act V, Scene i (William Hamilton, c. 1797).
Poster advertising performances of Twelfth Night by Yale University Dramatic Association, New Haven, Connecticut, 1921