Act 1 Scene 1 Duke Orsino pines for Olivia, who is in mourning for her

brother and vows to wear a veil and not marry for seven years.

Scene 2 Viola is rescued from a shipwreck, but her twin brother

Sebastian remains missing. The captain tells her that Orsino is
a bachelor but in love with Olivia, and Viola decides to
disguise herself as a man to seek service with Orsino.

Scene 3 Sir Toby Belch brings his friend Sir Andrew to court Olivia, but
he makes a fool of himself by getting her name wrong.

Scene 4 Disguised as Cesario, Viola becomes Orsino's favourite

servant and falls in love with him. He asks Cesario to deliver
his love messages to Olivia and pretend to be in love with her.

Scene 5 Olivia's clown, Feste, puts her in a better mood. Viola arrives
as Cesario to deliver Orsino's love message, but Olivia falls in
love with Cesario and sends Malvolio after him with a ring.

Act 2 Scene 1 Sebastian survives and Antonio watches over him. Sebastian
plans to go to Orsino's court, and Antonio follows him despite
having enemies there.

Scene 2 Malvolio gives Cesario the ring from Olivia, falsely. Viola
realises that Olivia is in love with her disguise of Cesario, that
Orsino loves Olivia and that she herself loves Orsino, and she
hopes time will untangle the web.

Scene 3 Malvolio reprimands Sir Toby and Sir Andrew for being drunk,
rude, and loud, and threatens to throw them out. Maria
suggests playing a practical joke on Malvolio by writing letters
in Olivia's handwriting suggesting she is in love with him.

Scene 4 Orsino can tell that Cesario is in love, but when they talk he
misses her hints that she loves someone like him. Feste sings a
sad love song, and then Orsino gives Cesario a jewel to give
to Olivia.

Scene 5 Malvolio finds Maria's letter, which tricks him into thinking that
Olivia is in love with him, and instructs him to do ridiculous
things to show his reciprocation.
Act 3 Scene 1 After joking with Feste and meeting Sir Toby and Sir Andrew,
Viola goes to Olivia's house as Cesario to give her another
love message from Orsino. Olivia admits her love for Cesario,
who rejects her, and Olivia suggests that Cesario can convince
her to love Orsino after all.

Scene 2 Sir Toby convinces Sir Andrew to impress Olivia by challenging

Cesario to a duel. Maria reports that Malvolio is following the
instructions in the letter and acting like a total fool.

Scene 3 Sebastian and Antonio arrive at their destination and

Sebastian roams the streets while Antonio finds an inn.
Antonio is not safe in Illyria because of a past fight with
Orsino, but he likes Sebastian enough to follow him.

Scene 4 Olivia thinks Malvolio has gone mad because of his strange
behaviour, and Sir Toby, Fabian, and Maria try to convince him
he is possessed by the devil. Sir Andrew challenges Cesario to
a duel, but Antonio comes in and mistakes Cesario for
Sebastian; when Viola doesn't know Antonio, he takes it as
Sebastian's betrayal, Viola realises her brother may be alive.

Act 4 Scene 1 Feste, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew mistake Sebastian for Cesario.
Both sirs begin to fight him, but Olivia stops it and tells
Sebastian to follow her, also mistaking him for Cesario.

Scene 2 Maria and Sir Toby lock Malvolio in a dark room and send
Feste to pretend to be a priest and convince Malvolio he is
insane, continuing the practical joke.

Scene 3 Olivia still thinks Sebastian is Cesario and woos him with gifts.
Confused but happy, Sebastian agrees to marry her.

Act 5 Scene 1 Orsino, Antonio, Olivia, and Sir Andrew mix up Viola and
Sebastian until the twins appear in the same room and sort
everything out. Orsino realises Cesario is Viola and agrees to
marry her. Malvolio is released and Feste explains the practical
joke, and Sir Toby marries Maria.