CHARACTERS OF TWELFTH NIGHT

Part 1
 Viola serves as the play’s main protagonist. She has a
Viola (Cesario) twin brother named Sebastian. She is an aristocrat
who washed up on the shore of Illyria when her ship
was wrecked in a storm. Grieving her assumed loss of
her brother, she wished to “get away from it all”. She
disguises herself as a man in order to seek service
with Duke Orsino, whom she falls in love with.

Her main struggle in the play is about her identity, as

she constantly switches between Viola and Cesario.
She is unable to love Orsino because she is disguised
as a man, and she cannot reciprocate Olivia’s love
because she is a woman. No one in Illyria knows who
she truly is.

(Honestly, her love is probably the only pure one in this story.
We love a crossdressing woman.)
Orsino
Orsino is a powerful duke in Illyria, who was courting
Lady Olivia. However, after hiring Cesario, he
becomes fond of him– even without knowing that he
was actually a woman in disguise.

His character explores the absurdity of love, with

how his attraction to Cesario provides him with
sexual ambiguity, and how his pining for Olivia is one
he continuously complains about in order to gain
attention.

(Basically, he’s a “softboi”.)

Olivia
Olivia is a noble Illyrian renowned for her beauty and
wealth. Despite her numerous suitors, she sets them
aside as she was mourning for her brother, who
passed away– and thus she refused to marry until
meeting Cesario. She falls in love with Cesario after
he tries to convince her to accept Orsino’s love, and
soon tries to convince Cesario (actually Sebastian) to
marry her.

(So lowkey this kinda implies that girls are better at romance at
guys, since Viola was able to woo her … as a guy? She’s probably
a little bit desperate.)
Sebastian
Viola’s twin brother, whom she thought did not think
survived the shipwreck. However, he survives, and
He essentially fills the role that Viola did when she
was disguised as Cesario, and becomes Olivia’s
betrothed. This in turn frees his sister’s identity crisis,
and helps her return to being who she truly is.

(Honestly, he’s the saving grace of this entire plot, but he’s also
a little weird for accepting a random beautiful woman’s
marriage proposal.)
Malvolio
The servant of Olivia, who is tricked by her household
into believing that Olivia was in love with him
because he’s a little prissy. He chose to follow
embarrassing instructions in order to please her, but
is actually just humiliated and thought to be insane.
He believed in a delusion that would help him rise
socially.
He is often portrayed as the main antagonist. He is
haughty, and basically likes to meddle in affairs.
Antonio
Antonio is a sea captain who saved Sebastian after
his shipwreck, and became very fond of him, helping
him by giving him money, and even accompanying
him to Illyria, where he is a wanted man. There is an
implied attraction he has for Sebastian, making him
more sexually ambiguous, but nothing happens
between them.

(Basically, he was cucked by traditional gender roles. Boo.)

Olivia’s Household Sir Toby - Olivia’s uncle, whose behavior she does not
condon.
+ Another Suitor Maria – Olivia’s clever, daring young waiting-
gentlewoman. She also wants to rise the ranks
through marriage.
(Honestly these two just bully Malvolio, and are the comedy
relief of this whole fiasco.)

Sir Andrew Arguecheek - A friend of Sir Toby’s. Sir

Andrew Aguecheek attempts to court Olivia, but he
doesn’t stand a chance. He thinks that he is witty,
brave, young, and good at languages and dancing,
but he is actually an idiot.

Feste – The clown, or fool, of Olivia’s household,

Feste moves between Olivia’s and Orsino’s homes. He
can actually be perceived as one of the wisest in the
household.
THEMATIC CONCERNS OF THE
CHARACTERS
 THE ABSURDITY OF LOVE
Are people just desperate? Is love even real? Is it a way to cope, or a means to gain?

Olivia and Orsino are prime examples

of how the absurdity of love is tackled
by the play. Orsino wants Olivia for her
beauty and for the “clout”. He keeps
complaining about how she won’t like
him back like a teenage boy.
Olivia falls in love with Cesario and is
sort of delusional. It might be a way to
cope with losing her brother, honestly.
Malvolio wants to gain Olivia’s
affections for social gain, in order to be
more wealthy.
So really, is Malvolio an antagonist
when Olivia and Orsino, two of the
main characters, also want something
out of their love?
 GENDER AND SEXUALITY
I was rooting for Antonio, man.

Gender is challenged by the play because of how

gender, a social construct, can be impersonated with
costumes, voice, and mannerisms. Viola, the
protagonist of the story, chooses to dress up as a boy
in order to get a good job. However, there are even
other challenges to gender– such as how Orsino was
willing to switch from being friends with Cesario to
loving her because she was actually a woman.

Twelfth Night features even an implied homosexual

pining, wherein Antonio expresses his adoration for
Sebastian, whom he saved. However, marriage at the
time was only accepted between man and woman–
and Antonio was taken away by the authorities.
 SOCIETY AND CLASS
There’s always money involved.

Illyria is basically a Total Drama Island.

The Nobility act like the fools, with the four main
characters being nobles themselves. Even
characters such as Sir Toby and Maria, who are part
of Olivia’s household, are joking around and
messing with others.
Feste, the fool, trying to earn an honest buck, is
actually one of the wisest characters in the story,
with a well-known quote: “Better a witty fool than a
foolish wit.”
THANK YOU
FOR NOW