Dramatis Personae (Characters) of Twelfth Night

Duke Orsino:
He is the Duke of Illyria, which basically means he is the Premier of a
province. So, he’s a big deal. He’s rich, good looking and absolutely head over
heels in love with Olivia.

Olivia:
She is a rich Countess, which basically means she is also important, but a few
rungs lower on the political ladder than the Duke. He is technically out of her
league. She’s also fairly rich. She’s beautiful, and she is in mourning for her
brother, who has just died at a young age. She wants absolutely nothing to do
with love or men.

Viola:
A young woman who is sailing past Illyria with her twin brother, when in a
terrible storm, they are both shipwrecked. Viola loses her twin brother and
assumes him to be dead. Being a woman, Viola fears for her safety in a strange
land, and dresses as a man (and calls her alter-ego, Cesario) in order to be
safer. Viola goes to Duke Orsino’s house and offers to be his servant, planning
to earn some money to eventually be able to reveal herself as a woman and
buy passage on another ship to return home.

Sebastian:
A young man who is sailing past Illyria with his twin sister, when in a terrible
storm, they are both shipwrecked. Sebastian loses his twin sister and assumes
her to be dead. Being a man, Sebastian travels to the court of Duke Orsino to
seek help.

Feste:
A servant of Olivia, who performs as a “clown” in her house, Feste is the
comedic character of Twelfth Night. Along with Sir Toby Belch and Maria,
Feste enjoys playing tricks on the other characters, especially Malvolio.

Sir Toby Belch:

He is Olivia’s alcoholic uncle, who is staying at Olivia’s house. He spends most
of his time drinking and partying with his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek. He
also flirts with Maria, and dislikes Malvolio, seeking every opportunity to
annoy him.
Malvolio:
He is Olivia’s butler. He is much older than Olivia. He is a very grumpy and
religious man, who cannot stand the other members of Olivia’s household. He
often yells at Sir Toby Belch for drinking too much and at Feste for being too
silly. He is also secretly in love with Olivia.

Maria:
She is Olivia’s maid. She was also Olivia’s nurse, so she acts as a motherly
figure to Olivia. She tolerates Sir Toby Belch’s antics and flirts with him on
occasion. She cannot stand Malvolio and his grumpiness. She takes every
opportunity to make Malvolio’s life miserable.

Sir Andrew Aguecheek:

He is a knight who is visiting Sir Toby Belch. Like Sir Toby, Sir Andrew enjoys
drinking, dancing and partying. His purpose for visiting Olivia; however, is to
win her hand in marriage. He is frustrated, because she appears to have no
desire to spend any time with
him.

Valentine and Curio:

They are both servants to the
Duke Orsino.

Fabian:
He is a servant to Olivia.

The Sea Captain:

He is the only one who knows
Viola’s secret, and helps her
hide her true identity and
become Cesario.

Antonio
He rescues Sebastian from the
sea, and becomes a good friend
to Sebastian. Antonio is a
former pirate, who has raided
Duke Orsino’s ships. He is not
welcome in Illyria, but travels
there with Sebastian to protect
him.