Twelfth Night Characters & Descriptions
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Orsino, the Duke and Count of Illyria, is a young man deeply and fashionably in love with Olivia. Her rejection of him leaves him in a deep and just as fashionable melancholy.

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Sebastian is Viola’s twin brother. After the shipwreck, he was rescued by Antonio, and spent three months in his company.

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Antonio is a sea captain. Though considered a pirate by Illyrians, he considers himself an honorable opponent.

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A Sea Captain was the captain of the ship that Viola and Sebastian were traveling on.

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Valentine is one of Orsino’s attendants. He was sent to Olivia as a messenger of love, but was not allowed to speak to her.

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Curio is one of Orsino’s attendants. He seeks to distract Orsino by taking him to hunt, but Orsino refuses.

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Sir Toby Belch is Olivia’s uncle and something of a minor-league Falstaff. A penniless drunkard who sets stock by his nobility of birth, with a taste for pickled herrings that likely leave him flatulent, he makes himself quite at home at his niece’s.

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Sir Andrew Aguecheek is an unfortunate fellow. He is tall and very thin, with pale hair that lies flat and lanky, though he may occasionally attempt to curl it.

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Malvolio, whose name might be translated as ‘ill-will,’ is Olivia’s steward. Something of a puritan, he abhors disorder and drunkenness, along with bear-baiting and for that matter laughter: he does not smile.

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Fabian is a member of Olivia’s household who has lost that lady’s favor due to Malvolio’s telling her about a bear-baiting Fabian was involved with.

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Feste was Olivia’s father’s jester, and is now hers, though it appears that he wanders around a bit.

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Olivia is an orphaned, gray-eyed countess who has sworn to remain in mourning for seven years after the recent death of her brother.

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Viola is a lady of Messaline. When dressed as a man she is identical to her twin brother Sebastian.

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Maria is Olivia’s waiting-gentlewoman. Though she begins by attempting to keep Sir Toby under control, she quickly becomes one of his cronies and the brains behind the plot against Malvolio.

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The Priest is fetched by Olivia to marry her to her young man in secret.

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The First Officer recognizes Antonio from the sea-fight, and arrests him.

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The Second Officer does not actually know Antonio, but arrests him. 

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Olivia’s Servant is not part of the cabal of upper servants who mock Malvolio.

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