Learn about Antonio in the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Discover Antonio's character in this comedy, along with an analysis of his role in the play.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Antonio in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare | Character & Analysis
Table of Contents
Show
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Antonio in the Twelfth Night?
Antonio is arrested by Count Orsino's men and accuses Viola (Cesario) of abandoning him when he mistakes her for Sebastian. He is then arrested and brought out in the final act of the play when it is revealed that Sebastian and Viola are twins. It is unknown what happens to him at the end of the play because he is ignored after it is revealed that Sebastion and Viola (Cesario) are twins.
What kind of character is Antonio in Twelfth Night?
Antonio is a minor character in Twelfth Night who is loyal, forthright, and courageous. He ultimately falls in love with Sebastian, which is unresolved by the end of the play.
What does Antonio want in Twelfth Night?
Antonio has fallen in love with Sebastian and wishes to stay by his side. He does so at a risk to himself and follows him to Illyria where he is a wanted man.
Table of Contents
ShowTwelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies. The play focuses on themes of love and excess. Characters throughout the play fall in love immediately and completely and due to the fraternal twins Sebastian and Viola, who disguised herself as a man named Cesario, they often confuse who they have fallen in love with.
The minor character Antonio in Twelfth Night saves the male half of the twins, Sebastian, from drowning and immediately falls in love with him. Sebastian throughout the play shows gratitude to his savior but does not ever return the strong feelings of love that Antonio has.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
You must cCreate an account to continue watching
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Create Your Account To Continue Watching
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed.
Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons.
Try it now
It only takes a few minutes to setup and you can cancel any time.
Already registered? Log in here for access
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Your next lesson will play in
10 seconds
Antonio was a sea captain who saves the major character Sebastian. He immediately falls in love with him and follows Sebastian to Illyria, the main setting of the play to be near him. This is an irrational decision on Antonio's part because he is a wanted man in Illyria and is fairly well known by Orsino's court. Going to Illyria with Sebastian is dangerous to him because of his former role in a battle between his ship and Orsino's.
Antonio's love for Sebastian is so strong that he disregards his own safety to follow Sebastian. It is in Illyria he mistakes Sebastian's twin, Viola, disguised as a man, and intervenes in a fight on her behalf. He is then arrested and rebuked by Viola because they are complete strangers, and he is made to look like a fool.
Antonio in Twelfth Night is a minor character in the play, but an important one to both the story and the theme. He embodies the themes of unrequited love and love at first sight. Antonio also brings Sebastian to Illyria which begins the climax of the play by having several characters, including Antonio, mistake Sebastian and Viola for each other.
Antonio in Act II
Antonio's first appearance is in Act II of the play. He is first revealed with the surviving twin, Sebastian. Antonio is a ship captain who finds Sebastian and saves him from drowning. He is shown to be immediately infatuated with Sebastian and implores Sebastian several times to stay with him:
Antonio:
"If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your servant" (2.1.34–35).
Antonio's love for Sebastian is immediate and he even places himself in danger to ensure that he is allowed to remain with him.
Sebastian is determined to go to Orsino's court where Antonio is a wanted man. Even though it puts Antonio at great risk, he is so in love with Sebastian that he decides that it is worth the risk to journey with him to Orsino's domain:
Sebastian:
"I am bound to the Count Orsino's court: farewell" (2.1.41–42).
Antonio:
"I have many enemies in Orsino's court,
Else would I very shortly see thee there:
But come what may, I do adore thee so,
That danger shall seem sport, and I will go" (2.1.44–47).
Antonio in Act III
Antonio is again seen with Sebastian, but this time they are in Illyria the realm of Orsino. Antonio attempts to disguise himself so that he is not arrested for his past crimes, but his love for Sebastian gets him into trouble.
Antonio treats Sebastian like a small child or a helpless lover when they first arrive. Antonio gives Sebastian his wallet with all of his money so that Sebastian can enjoy seeing the sites of the city and purchase any souvenirs he may find:
Antonio:
"Haply your eye shall light upon some toy
You have desire to purchase" (3.3.48–49).
Antonio's love can be seen in his treatment of Sebastian. Antonio offers Sebastian all of his money to buy trinkets and calls out to him to make sure he gets to their lodgings on time. Sebastian's responses to Antonio's advances are often abrupt and dismissive. Sebastian is grateful to Antonio but clearly does not reciprocate the feelings of love and infatuation that Antonio has.
Antonio in Act IV
Later in Act IV, the misdirection of characters and absurdity intensifies toward the climax. Sir Andrew and Viola are readying themselves for a duel that neither is actually prepared to fight, and Antonio mistakes Viola for her twin Sebastian. Antonio steps into the fight on Viola's behalf and is promptly arrested. Realizing that he now has no money and will need to pay bail, Antonio entreats Viola, whom he still thinks is Sebastian, for his wallet back.
Viola, who is confused and has never seen Antonio, denies knowing him to the guards and offers a tiny amount of money for coming to her aid. Antonio entreats Viola again not to deny him after stepping into the duel on her behalf. Antonio leaves the scene arrested by the city guards thinking that Sebastian, whom he saved from death and has given all his money to, has denied knowing him in his hour of need:
Antonio:
"Thou hast, Sebastian, done good feature shame" (3.4.385).
Antonio calls out to Viola convinced that the beauty that he fell in love with is false and that Sebastian is a shameful person. This is, of course, Sebastian's twin, and Viola has never met Antonio in her life. Viola leaves the scene hopeful at Antonio's words that her twin brother is still alive.
Antonio in Act V
In Act V Antonio has been arrested and having the twins, Sebastian and Viola in the same city have caused mass confusion among all of the characters. Antonio is confronted by Orsino and has his longest speech in the entire play:
Antonio:
"Be pleased that I shake off these names you give me:
Antonio never yet was thief or pirate,
Though, I confess, on base and ground enough,
Orsino's enemy" (5.1.69–74).
Confronted by Orsino, Antonio shows his courage and straightforwardness again. He admits to Orsino's face that they are enemies, but he is not in his city for ill reasons:
Antonio:
"A witchcraft drew me hither. That most ingrateful boy there by your side" (5.1.69–74).
Antonio:
His life I gave him and did thereto add My love, without retention or restraint, All his in dedication. For his sake Did I expose myself, pure for his love, Into the danger of this adverse town" (5.1.77–82).
Antonio explains once more that he saved Sebastian and that he returned to where he was a wanted criminal for love and not for crime.
During their conversation, Antonio discovers that it is impossible that Viola is the one that he saved from the sea because they have been in the Orsino's employ for far longer. It is only when Sebastian appears and the twins are in the same room that everyone realizes that they have mistaken and mixed the identities of the siblings throughout the play.
Antonio's final line in the play shows his shock that there seem to be two of the same people in the room. He is never heard from in the play again, and his fate and whereabouts are not remarked upon.
This finalizes Antonio's arc, and once again emphasizes the theme of love in the play. Antonio's love for Sebastian is immediate but not returned:
Antonio:
How have you made division of yourself?
An apple cleft in two is not more twin
Than these two creatures. Which is Sebastian? (5.1.233–235).
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Antonio is infatuated with Sebastian. He saves the male half of the twins and then proceeds to follow him throughout the play. He risks his life several times for Sebastian. First, by saving him from the sea and, second, by accompanying him to Illyria. It can be argued that he risks his life a third time during the duel, but it is Viola whom he mistakes for Sebastian.
It is during the duel that he unknowingly meets Viola for the first time, and he is rebuked. The belief that the man he fell in love with and risked his life multiple times to save would deny him and rob him deeply upset Antonio.
It is after the duel and what Antonio believes is Sebastian's denial of him that Antonio utters the words:
Antonio:
"In nature there's no blemish but the mind:
None can be called deform'd but the unkind" (3.4.386–387).
Although Antonio has fallen in love with Sebastian's beauty, Antonio believes that Sebastian's character and personality are ugly for denying him after all the kindness that he has shown Sebastian.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Antonio is a minor character in the play but quickly gets caught in the gender-swapped mix-up of Viola and Sebastian. He is an extremely serious character which is in direct contrast with almost every other character in the play, which makes his serious and direct demeanor almost comical. All of his actions in the play are fueled by his unrequited love for Sebastian.
His role in the play adds another layer of confusion to the twins as they maneuver around Illyria, and he also embodies the theme of instantaneous love. He is the only character in the play that intentionally pursues a same-sex relationship. Antonio is completely aware that Sebastian is a male, and Sebastian's beauty amazes him, which leads to decisions that endanger him.
The other characters in the novel unknowingly pursue same-sex relationships thinking that the people they are pursuing are of the opposite gender. The twins, Viola and Sebastian, cause confusion with their similarities, but Antonio is the only character to actively pursue his love interest regardless of physical gender.
It is only at the end of the play when Sebastian and Viola are paired with their opposite-gender partners that Antonio simply disappears from the play. His final lines are just before the reveal that Sebastian and Viola are twins and that Viola is not male at all.
After this, Antonio disappears from the play and no further remarks are made about him or his unrequited love for Sebastian. He simply is not spoken to again in the play.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Antonio is a minor character in the play Twelfth Night. He is a courageous, loyal, and forthright character. He first appears in Act II after he saves Sebastian from drowning and immediately falls in love with him. This relationship is completely one-sided and adds to the themes of excess love and unrequited love. Antonio follows Sebastian despite putting himself in danger. This can be seen in the lines: "But come what may, I do adore thee so, /That danger shall seem sport, and I will go?" (2.1.44–47). Antonio convinces himself that it will be okay by thinking that the danger will be fun and worth it to stay by Sebastian's side.
After saving Sebastian, Antonio follows him, out of love, to Illyria where he is a wanted criminal for crimes against Orsino. When the two arrive in Orsino's court, Antonio gives all of his money to Sebastian in case he wants to buy a trinket or souvenir. Antonio then wanders the city and finds who he thinks is Sebastian but is Sebastian's twin sister, Viola, disguised as a man named Cesario. Antonio intervenes in a duel on her behalf and is confused and angered when Viola claims not to know who he is and will not return his money. He is deeply upset that the man whom he thinks is Sebastian denies knowing him in his time of need, which can be seen in the lines: "In nature there's no blemish but the mind: /None can be called deform'd but the unkind?" (3.4.386–387). During the climax of the play, Antonio has his longest speech given to Orsino, in which he summarizes the events that led him back to danger in Orsino's court. His final lines in the play are of shock when the twins are finally in the same room together, and they realize they were all mistaken or deceived. Antonio's unrequited love is never resolved, and after his final lines, he simply disappears from the play and is never heard from again.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Video Transcript
Antonio's Place in Twelfth Night
Antonio is a secondary character in Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night. Like many secondary characters in romantic comedies, he is more sure of himself and his own feelings than the main protagonists are. Unlike many characters in Twelfth Night, he never wears a disguise, even when his true identity puts him in danger. This says much about Antonio's forthrightness: he's always direct, never disguising who he is or what he feels. The latter is particularly poignant as, along with almost everyone else in the play, Antonio harbors unrequited love.
Antonio's Scenes in Twelfth Night
We first meet Antonio at the beginning of Act II. He and Sebastian (one of the play's twins) enter in mid-conversation. Sebastian, obviously upset, is doing most of the talking, but Antonio gets the first line, asking Sebastian to stay longer - or at least to let Antonio go with him. Antonio has saved Sebastian's life, bodily pulling the shipwreck victim from the sea (II,i,20-22). We learn of Antonio's courage in this act through Sebastian, as the captain is no boaster. Sebastian is distraught because he believes his twin sister to have drowned. Antonio's patient concern for the young man reveals both his loyalty and his love. Sebastian tells Antonio that he'll go alone to the court of Duke Orsino. Left alone on the seashore, Antonio muses that the court is full of his enemies, which would make it unwise for him to follow Sebastian. He experiences a moment of truth when he confronts his own feelings for the other man, concluding:
'But come what may, I do adore thee so
That danger shall seem sport, and I will go' (II,i,46-47).
Antonio's next appearance isn't until Act III, scene iii. Once again, he and Sebastian enter in mid-conversation. Sebastian is saying, apparently for the last of many times, that Antonio really didn't have to go to the trouble of coming with him. Antonio's response is to confess his unrequited love: 'I could not stay behind you: my desire, / More sharp than filed steel, did spur me forth' (III,iii,4-5). Also, he adds, he was worried about Sebastian coming to grief in the rough streets of the town. Antonio's touchingly direct confession, no less than his warning, flies right over Sebastian's head: he responds with the Shakespearean equivalent of 'Thanks, man!' (III,iii,14-20).
He also invites Antonio to go sight-seeing with him, an invitation Antonio refuses because he is actually in mortal danger. Antonio confesses that, in a fight against Orsino's ships, he made himself so conspicuous that there's now a price on his head, even though trade relations with Antonio's city have been restored (III,iii,26-39). Orsino tells Sebastian to meet him at a discreet inn later and gives the young man his purse, so that he can buy something if he wants. This generosity is on display in Antonio's next scene as well.
Act III, scene iv is lengthy, and Antonio makes a dramatic entrance toward its end, demonstrating once again his courage and loyalty. Antonio has left the safety of the inn to look for Sebastian, whose arrival is delayed. Antonio, in his searching, comes upon Sebastian about to fight a duel. This youthful recklessness is par for the course for Sebastian. The 'young man' he goes to save is really Sebastian's twin sister Viola, wearing her brother's clothes. Antonio has no way of knowing this, and in his panic, typically direct, he shouts as he rushes into the scene:
'Put up your sword. If this young gentleman
Have done offense, I take the fault on me:
If you offend him, I for him defy you' (III,iv,326-328).
As Antonio is about to fight Sebastian's opponent, the officers of the law arrive. The men are violating the law by dueling, but, even worse, the officers appear to be there looking for Antonio. Things get even more dire for Antonio; he turns to 'Sebastian' to explain himself and ask for his purse in hopes of ransoming himself (III,iv,347-354). 'Sebastian' denies not only having the money, but also knowing Antonio at all. Viola, masquerading as her brother, is confused, and Antonio is devastated. Desperate, he bluntly reproaches the man he loves:
'Thou hast, Sebastian, done good feature shame.
In nature there's no blemish but the mind:
None can be called deform'd but the unkind' (III,iv,385-387).
To do the real Sebastian credit, he's out looking for Antonio, but the audience doesn't see Antonio again until he's marched into the Duke's presence by the officers. Antonio's courage is on display once more in his defiant response to Orsino's address 'Notable pirate, thou salt-water thief!' (V,i,65). He makes his longest speech of the play to the man who could have him killed, most of which is devoted to Sebastian:
'His life I gave him, and did thereto add
My love without retention or restraint,
All his in dedication; for his sake
Did I expose myself, pure for his love,
Into the danger of this adverse town' (V,i,78-82).
Any response to this impassioned declaration is cut off by the entrance of other characters. As is typical in Shakespearean comedies, the many convoluted plot lines come together in a heap before getting sorted out. When the real Sebastian enters the play's final scene, he acknowledges Antonio the second he sees him, crying out that he's been worried sick about him. Antonio's distress is revealed in his broken reply: 'Sebastian are you?' (V,i,231). It's the first time we see Antonio at a loss for expression. His last line is: 'Which is Sebastian?'. Either outcome lies outside Antonio's favor: it's either the 'boy' who denied knowing him or the man who just impetuously married a Countess. Shakespeare never tells us how Antonio takes the answer.
Lesson Summary
Apart from being a tough, savvy sea captain, Antonio has a sensitive side. He doesn't speak many lines in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, but every appearance he makes reinforces his essential character traits: loyalty, courage, and forthrightness. His unrequited love for Sebastian drives his action throughout the play. We never learn directly what happens to him after the plot is resolved. We can presume that he survives, but we don't know what his future looks like.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a MemberAlready a member? Log In
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Antonio in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare | Character & Analysis
Related Study Materials
Explore our library of over 88,000 lessons
Browse by subject