Twelfth Night Summary for Kids

Twelfth Night was written by William Shakespeare. It's a comedy known for inverting social norms and creating chaos and confusion amongst the characters. Keep reading to find out what happens in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

When was Twelfth Night written?

Twelfth Night was written in 1601 or 1602. This means it was written around the time that the English throne was passing from Elizabeth I to James I. Twelfth Night was William Shakespeare’s 21st play and his 10th comedy.

Twelfth Night is the end of the Christmas season and was a time of celebration when the social norms were turned on their heads. It’s most likely that the play was performed on 2nd February 1602 which was the feast of Candlemas. A law student called John Manningham wrote about it in his diary.

Who are the characters in Twelfth Night?

Keep reading to discover more about the characters in Twelfth Night:

Orsino

Orsino is the Duke of Illyria. He is in love with Olivia at the beginning of the play but his love is rejected despite being the perfect gentleman.

Viola (Cesario)

Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria. She disguises herself as a young man called Cesario. She gets a job in Duke Orsino’s household and falls in love with him. Orsino asks Viola to be a messenger from him to Olivia. 

Olivia

Lady Olivia is a rich countess who is in mourning for the death of her brother. He died 7 years ago. She meets Cesario, the messenger of Duke Orsino, and falls in love with him not realising it is Viola in disguise.

She is a rich countess who, at first, plans to mourn her brother's recent death for seven years, but when she meets the emissary from Duke Orsino (Viola disguised as a boy), she immediately falls in love with the youth.

Sebastian

Sebastian is Viola’s twin brother. He is mistaken for Cesario when he arrives in town and falls in love with Oliva.

Antonio

Antonio is a sea captain and pirate who helps Sebastian. When he is arrested, Antonio confuses Sebastian and Cesario. He thinks that Viola is Sebastian.

Sir Toby Belch

Sir Toby is Olivia’s uncle who lives with her. She is tired of his drinking and partying. He enjoys playing tricks on her with his friends. He marries Maria at the end of the play.

Sir Andrew Aguecheek

Sir Andrew is a friend of Sir Toby who has been courting Olivia. She doesn’t love him but Sir Toby wants him to keep courting her so Sir Andrew will give him money for drinking.

Malvolio

Malvolio is the steward of Lady Olivia. He dreams of marrying Olivia one day. He doesn’t like Sir Toby’s drinking habits and becomes the target of one of Sir Toby’s tricks.

Maria

Maria is Olivia’s maid. She is very clever and comes up with the trick that is played on Malvolio. Sir Toby admires her wit and marries her at the end of the play.

Feste

Feste is a jester working for Olivia. He has an amazing talent for wordplay and gets involved in the trick played on Malvolio.

Fabian

Fabian is a servant working for Olivia who often acts as a peacemaker in arguments.

Curio

Curio is a servant working for Orsino.

Valentine

Valentine is another servant working for Orsino.

What is the plot of Twelfth Night?

Here is a scene-by-scene guide to the plot of Twelfth Night to help you learn more about this Shakespearean play.

Act 1

Act 1 Scene 1

Orsino, Duke of Illyria, is listening to music with Curio and his other friends and servants. The music is making Orsino think about his love for Countess Olivia. Valentine arrives with a message from Olivia for Orsino. It says that she doesn’t want to see him because she is in mourning for her brother. Orsino isn’t put off as he believes that she’ll grow to love him even more in time.

Act 1 Scene 2

A young woman called Viola is washed up on the shores of Illyria after a shipwreck. The ship’s captain and other sailors have survived but she can’t find her brother Sebastian. She’s scared that he hasn’t survived. She asks the Captain: “What country, friends, is this?”

He tells her that she’s in Illyria and Orsino is the duke. He also tells her about Orsino’s love for Olivia but Olivia won’t see him as she is in mourning for her father and brother. Viola decides to serve the duke and asks the Captain to help her disguise herself as a boy.

Act 1 Scene 3

Sir Toby Belch complains about Olivia, his niece, being in mourning. Her maid Maria tells him that Olivia is annoyed by his drinking and partying with his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Sir Toby tries to defend Sir Andrew saying he’s learned but when he arrives he’s clearly a fool. Maria makes fun of him. Sir Andrew wants to marry Olivia but has decided to give up because she’s not showing any interest in him. Sir Toby convinces him to try again and they leave to make a new plan.

Act 1 Scene 4

Viola is working for Orsino disguised as a man called Cesario. Orsino arrives and tells Cesario to go talk to Olivia for him. He tells Cesario not to take no for an answer. Cesario doesn’t want to but agrees in the end. Viola tells the audience that she loves Orsino.

Act 1 Scene 5

Maria and Feste are talking. Olivia arrives with Malvolio her steward. Feste gently teases Olivia about being in mourning for her brother. She forgives him. Malvolio finds Feste’s comments insulting. Maria announces that Cesario has arrived. Olivia sends Malvolio to dismiss him. Sir Toby arrives drunk and Olivia asks Feste to look after him. 

Malvolio comes back saying the young man still wants to speak to Olivia. She agrees but puts a veil on first. Cesario enters and begins to talk. Olivia is intrigued by him. Cesario asks to see her face and accuses her of being “the cruellest” woman alive for not marrying and having children. Olivia jokes that she can leave a copy of her beauty in the form of a list and insists that she can’t love Orsino despite his good qualities.

Olivia sends Cesario away but confesses to the audience that she’s fallen in love with him. She tells Malvolio to return a ring to Cesario even though he left no ring.

Act 2

Act 2 Scene 1

Sebastian believes that his sister Viola has drowned. He tells his new friend Antonio about his sister. Antonio rescues Sebastian after the shipwreck and offers to be his servant but Sebastian turns him down. Sebastian leaves for Orsino’s court with Antonio following him.

Act 2 Scene 2

Cesario returns to Orsino’s house. Malvolio catches up to him and gives him the ring that Olivia asked him to return. After Malvolio leaves, Viola realises that Olivia has fallen in love with her disguise of Cesario.

Act 2 Scene 3

It’s night and Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are drinking with Feste who is singing for them. Maria arrives and tells them to be quiet. Malvolio also arrives to tell them off but the men sing louder until he leaves. Maria comes up with a plan to make Malvolio believe that Olivia has fallen in love with him by writing him fake letters. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew think it’s a great plan.

Act 2 Scene 4

Orsino sends Curio to get Feste to sing for him. He speaks to Cesario about love. Cesario admits to being in love with someone and Orsino asks who. Cesario describes him but Orsino doesn’t realise. Orsino asks Cesario to go to Olivia again. Cesario asks Orsino to accept that Olivia doesn’t love him. 

Act 2 Scene 5

Maria tells Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian to hide so they can watch Malvolio. She leaves a fake letter for him to find. Malvolio arrives talking about his dreams of marrying Olivia. He reads the letter and believes that it’s from Olivia. She wants him to wear yellow stockings with crossed garters and be surly with the servants. Malvolio plans to do all of these things. Sir Toby is very impressed with Maria’s plan.

Act 3

Act 3 Scene 1

Cesario meets Feste on the way to see Olivia. They trade witty remarks with each other. Cesario then meets Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. Sir Toby tells him that Olivia wants Cesario to see her. He then meets Olivia and Maria before he reaches Olivia’s house. Olivia says that she wants to be alone with Cesario. She then asks Cesario what he thinks of her after she sends him the ring. Cesario says that he pities her. Cesario then tries to tell Olivia why he can’t love her without revealing that he’s Viola.

Act 3 Scene 2

Sir Andrew and Sir Toby are talking about how Olivia clearly loves Orsino. Sir Andrew decides to leave as Olivia isn’t interested in him. Fabian persuades Sir Andrew to try again and challenge Cesario to a duel. Sir Andrew leaves to write the challenge letter. Maria arrives with news that Malvolio is following every part of her false letter.

Act 3 Scene 3

Antonio has managed to catch up with Sebastian. Sebastian wants to talk around the town but Antonio doesn’t want to as he’s wanted for crimes of piracy against Orsino’s ships. Antonio gives Sebastian some money and tells him to meet him at a pub called The Elephant.

Act 3 Scene 4

Olivia is making a plan to see Cesario again. She calls for Malvolio but Maria warns that he’s in a strange mood. Malvolio arrives smiling and wearing yellow stockings with cross-garters. Olivia thinks he’s unwell and asks if he won’t go to bed. Malvolio misunderstands and thinks Olivia wants him to join her in her bed.

A servant arrives with news that Cesario has arrived. Olivia tells Maria to get Sir Toby to look after Malvolio. Malvolio thinks that everything is working well and that he and Olivia will be together. Sir Toby and Fabian treat Malvolio as if he’s been possessed by demons. Malvolio thinks they are unworthy of his attention and tells them to go away. Sir Toby, Fabian, and Maria laugh and plan to lock Malvolio in a room. 

Sir Andrew arrives to challenge Cesario. Sir Toby reads the challenge letter aloud. Olivia arrives with Cesario trying to persuade him to love her.

Olivia leaves. Sir Toby and Fabian tell Cesario that Sir Andrew is a very good dueller and he’s waiting to fight Cesario. Fabian offers to go with Cesario and make peace. Cesario is grateful.

Sir Andrew wants to let the matter slip and tells Sir Toby to offer his horse to Cesario and not to fight. Instead, Sir Toby tells Cesario that Sir Andrew is insisting on fighting. Sir Toby returns with Sir Andrew and tells him that Cesario insists on fighting but has promised not to hurt him.

Sir Andrew and Cesario reluctantly face each other to fight. Antonio enters and stops them. He defends Cesario who he thinks is Sebastian. Then officers enter and arrest Antonio. Antonio asks the man he thinks is Sebastian for help. Cesario doesn’t have any idea what Antonio is talking about. Antonio is taken away and Viola is left wondering if Sebastian is still alive.

Act 4

Act 4 Scene 1

Feste has been told to find Cesario but finds Sebastian instead. Sebastian thinks Feste is behaving strangely by pretending to know who he is. He offers him money to go away. 

Sir Andrew arrives with Sir Toby and Fabian. He strikes Sebastian thinking he’s Cesario. Sebastian strikes him back. They are about to fight when Olivia arrives and tells Sir Toby to stop. She sends Sir Toby and the others away and apologises to Sebastian. She invites him to her house thinking he’s Cesario. Sebastian is happy to go with Olivia.

Act 4 Scene 2

Maria tells Feste to disguise himself as “Sir Topas the Curate”. She sends him to speak to Malvolio in a locked room. Feste tries to confuse Malvolio but Malvolio won’t listen to him. Feste then tries again using his own voice. Malvolio begs for a candle and to be able to write a letter to Olivia.

Act 4 Scene 3

Sebastian is confused by Olivia’s behaviour towards him. Olivia returns with a priest and Sebastian agrees to go to church and promises to marry her.

Act 5

Act 5 Scene 1

Orsino, Cesario, and Orsino’s attendants meet Feste and Fabian on the way to see Olivia. Feste jokes with Orsino who gives him money. He promises to give Feste more money if he can bring Olivia to him. 

Feste leaves and the officers bring in Antonio. Orsino recognises Antonio to be a pirate. Antonio denies this and says that he saved Cesario’s life but he is too ungrateful and has taken money from him. He still believes that Cesario is Sebastian.

Olivia arrives to speak with Cesario. She ignores Orsino. This makes Orsino jealous and he threatens to hurt him. Olivia calls Cesario her “husband” and calls for the priest who married them to confirm it.

Sir Andrew and Sir Toby arrive and complain about Cesario. Sebastian arrives apologising to Olivia for striking Sir Andrew. Everyone can now see that Sebastian and Cesario are identical. Sebastian and Viola are very happy to see each other. Viola admits that she’s not Cesario. Orsino asks Viola to marry him.

Feste arrives with Fabian. Feste has a letter from Malvolio. Fabian reads it out loud. Olivia asks Fabian to fetch Malvolio. Malvolio arrives complaining that he has been wronged. He shows Olivia the forged letter. Fabian admits his part in the plan. He also reveals that Sir Toby has married Maria. Malvolio walks out demanding revenge. Orsino asks Fabian to calm him down and everyone begins planning the joint wedding.

What are the main themes of Twelfth Night?

Keep reading to explore the main themes of Twelfth Night:

Mistaken Identity

Many characters in Twelfth Night are in some kind of identity confusion. Viola is disguised as Cesario, and Antonio confuses Viola and Sebastian as does Olivia. In Shakespeare’s time, all female roles were played by boys which would have added more confusion to the play when it was first performed in Elizabethan England. 

The mistaken identity causes many problems throughout the play as Viola and Sebastian are confused causing fights to break out and people to fall in love with each other (e.g. Olivia falls in love with Cesario before Sebastian falls in love with her).

Ambition

The character of Malvolio illustrates the danger of ambition. He believes that he will rise out of his position as a servant and marry Olivia even though she is in a class above him. Malvolio believes the false letters that Maria writes. The others find her trick very funny because Malvolio isn’t of noble blood like Olivia but has ambitions above his station.

In Shakespeare’s time, it would have been unthinkable for a woman to marry a man of lower social status than her own. Those who did would have found themselves isolated from their own social class.

Disguises

Disguises are used throughout the play. The character who uses disguises the most is Viola. When she arrives in Illyria she disguises herself as a man called Cesario. This disguise would protect her from being attacked as a young woman alone.

Viola soon learns that her disguise is costly as her actions are constantly being misinterpreted. Olivia has fallen in love with her male disguise while Viola loves Orsino and can’t tell him. However, while she is disguised, Viola can speak more freely as “Cesario”. 

To discover more about the plays of William Shakespeare, one of England’s most famous playwrights, check out these fun resources!

KS3 Twelfth Night Lesson 1: Introduction

Twelfth Night: Duke Orsino

Twelfth Night: Viola as Cesario Colouring Sheet