Twelfth Night or What You Will

By William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt, William James Rolfe, et al.

Book Overview

"Twelfth Night or What You Will" is one of William Shakespeare's most beloved and enduring comedies, exploring themes of love, grief, and mistaken identity. The story follows Viola, a young woman shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria who, believing her twin brother Sebastian has perished at sea, disguises herself as a man named Cesario to enter the service of Duke Orsino. A complex and humorous romantic triangle ensues as Orsino pines for the Lady Olivia, who in turn falls for the disguised Viola, while Viola herself secretively loves the Duke.

Beyond the central romance, the play features a vibrant cast of supporting characters, including the rowdy Sir Toby Belch and the clever Maria, who orchestrate a famous subplot to humble the pompous and puritanical steward Malvolio. Blending slapstick humor with poignant reflections on the nature of desire and the fluidity of gender roles, "Twelfth Night" remains a cornerstone of English literature. This timeless masterpiece captures a festive spirit of misrule, offering a rich tapestry of wit, music, and dramatic irony that continues to captivate audiences and readers alike.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1026051223
• ISBN13: 9781026051221
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great introduction to Shakespearian comedy

This is a wonderful adaptation of one of Shakespeare's lighter works... Richly detailed artwork accompanies a brisk, skillful prose adaptation of this broad farce of mistaken identity and misplaced love... An ideal entry point for younger readers, one of several fine adaptations by Bruce Coville.

A truly delightful comedy

The characters are what make this play so wonderful. The play was originally written to be performed for a Christmas progam. The play is a glorious irony in that it is so joyful, but that is played off the terrible sadness of the principal characters. Shakesepeare also reinforces this plot with some glorious poetry. Shakespeare also makes use of identical twins in this one. This would be a wonderful play to use as an introduction to the genius that is Shakespeare

What a great idea!

I love the stories that Bruce Coville writes, and was browsing some other books of his, when I saw that he had retold some of Shakespeare's plays for children. I first bought Romeo and Juliet, and have been buying them all as they come out. What a great way for kids (and adults) to learn about Shakespeare's plays! The illustrations are appropriate to the plays, and beautifully done. Twelfth Night, like the others, is well written and easy to read, and includes quotes from the play. I enjoyed this version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

A refreshing way to read Shakespeare.

The Plays of William Shakespeare are great Literature, but they are PLAYS!, not Novels. That is, they are intended to be PERFORMED, not READ. This edition of the "Twelfth Night" resolves this problem brillantly, by combining the COMPLETE text of the play, with footnotes explaining archaic terms, with the illumination of Cartooning. Combining the written word with images is a powerful storytelling tool, & Shakespeare was, first & formost, a storyteller. If you can't see the play performed live, this is even better than a video. Note that the illustrations place the characters in a more contemporary setting, thus proving that Shakespeare's themes are universal, & apply to all eras.

the old texts

Neil Freeman edits the First Folio, showing how much "cleaning up" by most mosern text is unnecessary, and in fact, holds back information from the actor, director, and reader. Modern editors, even respected ones like the Arden, assume that Shakespeare couldn't have possibly meant to vary from the 10 syllable line and try to "correct" his "mistakes." To assume that Shakespeare was wrong and we are right is foolhardy, and Freeman's editions prove it.