Viola survives a shipwreck but is separated from her brother, Sebastian, and thinks he has died (though he has also survived, and neither knows the other is alive). Viola ends up in Illyria, the kingdom of Duke Orsino. To find work, she disguises herself as a boy named Cesario and becomes Orsino's servant. Orsino is in love with a woman named Olivia, but she refuses his advances because she is mourning her brother and has vowed not to see any visitors for seven years.
As Cesario, Viola becomes Orsino's favorite servant. Orsino asks Cesario to deliver a message of love to Olivia. However, Viola secretly loves Orsino. When Cesario speaks to Olivia, Olivia falls in love with Cesario, not knowing he is actually Viola in disguise. After Cesario leaves, Olivia sends her servant Malvolio with a ring, asking Cesario to come back again.
Here are some books that you may find useful during your studies. Search the Bennies catalogue Accessit for more, or browse the Non-fiction collection NFS.
Twelfth Night Graphic Novel by 
Download a copy of The Twelfth Night audiobook here.
In STORY: A simple overview of the story
In CHARACTERS: Basic character descriptions
In LANGUAGE: Key language terms
In STAGING: Facts about the settings
Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
