Flashcards for Twelfth Night

Antonio

Antonio is a sea captain and a devoted friend, with his deep loyalty to Sebastian driving his every action.

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Duke Orsino

Duke Orsino of Illyria opens Twelfth Night as its most self-indulgent romantic, famously declaring, "If music be the food of love, play on."

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Feste the Clown

Feste is Olivia's licensed fool in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, yet he moves easily between Olivia's household and Duke Orsino's court, making him the most mobile and insightful character in the play.

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Malvolio

Malvolio is Olivia's steward in Twelfth Night—efficient, humorless, and driven by social ambition.

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Maria

Maria is Olivia's clever and resourceful waiting-gentlewoman, serving as the true comic mastermind of Twelfth Night.

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Olivia

Olivia is a wealthy countess from Illyria and one of the central romantic figures in the play.

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Sebastian

Sebastian is Viola's twin brother and plays a crucial role in the romantic and comedic resolution of Twelfth Night.

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Sir Andrew Aguecheek

Sir Andrew Aguecheek is a rich but foolish knight who mainly serves as comic relief in Twelfth Night.

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Sir Toby Belch

Sir Toby Belch is Olivia's mischievous uncle and the comic heart of Twelfth Night.

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Viola

Viola is the clever, shipwrecked protagonist of Twelfth Night, and her disguise as the page "Cesario" kicks off the play's main comic and romantic twists.

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“Be not afraid of greatness.”

This famous line is from a forged letter that Maria writes in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, imitating her mistress Olivia's handwriting.

Malvolio (reading Maria's forged letter)

“Make me a willow cabin at your gate, / And call upon my soul within the house.”

These lines are delivered by Viola, who is disguised as the male servant Cesario, in Act 1, Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Viola (as Cesario) · Act 1

“Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage.”

This quip comes from Feste, the clever fool in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, in Act 1, Scene 5.

Feste · Act 1

“O time, thou must untangle this, not I; / It is too hard a knot for me t' untie.”

These lines are spoken by Viola at the end of Act 2, Scene 2, after she has come to terms with the complicated nature of her situation: Olivia has fallen in love with her while she’s disguised as the male servant Cesario, and Viola herself loves Orsino, who thinks she’s a man.

Viola (disguised as Cesario) · Act 2

“I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you!”

This intense declaration is made by Malvolio towards the end of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (Act V, Scene 1), directed at Olivia, Orsino, Viola, Feste, and the assembled guests after the full extent of the deception against him is uncovered.

Malvolio · Act V

“What is love? 'Tis not hereafter; / Present mirth hath present laughter.”

These lines are sung by Feste, the clever clown in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, in Act II, Scene 3, during a late-night party with Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Feste (the Clown) · Act II

“If music be the food of love, play on, / Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, / The appetite may sicken, and so die.”

These lines open Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, spoken by Orsino, the lovesick Duke of Illyria, while he listens to music in his court.

Orsino · Act I, Scene 1

“One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons.”

This line is spoken by Antonio in Act V, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, as he reacts to the astonishing sight of both Viola (disguised as Cesario) and her twin brother Sebastian appearing before him at the same time.

Antonio · Act V

“I am not what I am.”

This seemingly straightforward line is delivered by Viola, who is disguised as the male servant Cesario, in response to Olivia's probing questions about her identity (Act III, Scene 1).

Viola (as Cesario)

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.”

This famous line comes from William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night (c. 1601–02), spoken by the character Malvolio, who is the target of a romantic scheme.

Malvolio (reading Maria's forged letter) · Act II

“She never told her love, / But let concealment, like a worm i' the bud, / Feed on her damask cheek.”

These lines are delivered by Viola, who is disguised as Cesario, to Duke Orsino in Act II, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Viola (as Cesario) · Act II

Disguise and Clothing

In Twelfth Night, disguise and clothing highlight how fluid identity, gender, and social order can be.

Music

In Twelfth Night, music captures the alluring and unsettling nature of desire and emotion.

The Dark House

In Twelfth Night, the "dark house" represents the harsh and unpredictable nature of social power, highlighting the fragile boundary between sanity and madness in a world driven by desire and self-deception.

The Forged Letter

In Twelfth Night, the fake letter planted by Maria highlights the risky nature of self-deception and how easily desire can twist reality.

The Sea

In Twelfth Night, the sea symbolizes transformation, chance, and the unpredictable forces that shape human life.

Dramatic Monologue

Several characters in Twelfth Night reveal their true selves most clearly when they are alone or speaking to a confidant who doesn't fully grasp their situation.

Irony

Dramatic irony drives Twelfth Night.

Metaphor

Shakespeare's metaphors in Twelfth Night often link love to appetite and music, setting the thematic tone right from the start.

Pun

Wordplay is Feste's main way of thinking and the play's most consistent source of humor.

Imagery

Sea imagery runs throughout Twelfth Night, grounding the play's themes of loss, transformation, and uncertain identity.

Personification

Shakespeare brings abstract concepts to life in Twelfth Night, giving emotional experiences the heft of real entities.

Elegy

Feste's songs bring a poignant depth that adds complexity to the play's comedic elements.

Allusion

Classical and biblical references add layers of cultural meaning to Twelfth Night, enhancing its comedic surface.

Refrain

Feste's songs use a refrain to emphasize a sense of inevitability and circularity that contrasts with the play's comedic progression.

Juxtaposition

Shakespeare structures Twelfth Night by systematically contrasting different tonal registers and social settings.

Prose Poem

Maria's forged letter (II.v) acts as a prose-poem within the play's larger framework.