One of the many accusations hurled against Shakespeare by his (mostly jealous) critics is that he wasn’t original, in that he appropriated his plots from earlier writers. In many cases, this criticism is fair. When it comes to his comedy Twelfth Night, the shoe fits in an entirely different way — Shakespeare actually recycled plot elements from HIS OWN earlier works. Barrett Wendell called it a “masterpiece of recapitulation”, incorporating elements from Merchant of Venice, Comedy of Errors, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Much Ado About Nothing, and As You Like It.

In addition to this, we must include the many other sources of his plot and characters. An Italian play in 1537, called The Deceived Ones, featured a heroine disguised as a man, who must now woo a woman on behalf of the man she loves, only to have the target of his courtship fall in love with her instead. Another Italian play from 1562, Inganni (The Deceits), and one from 1537 also called The Deceits, contained much the same plot, as well as an apparent shortage of creativity when it came to titles. An English version of this story in book form by Barnabe Rich (1581) would also have been available to Shakespeare.  

To Shakespeare’s credit, however, none of these sources contain a parallel to the vain and hypocritical character Malvolio, one of literature’s most recognizable villains. The subplot involving him, Sir Toby (himself a Falstaff clone), Sir Andrew and Maria appears to be entirely Shakespeare’s creation.

Unlike most of the Bard’s plays, we can pinpoint the completion of Twelfth Night with external evidence. A law student named John Manningham noted in his diary seeing “a play called Twelfth Night, or What You Will, much like The Comedy of Errors … but most like and near to that in Italian called Inganni” at the Middle Temple (a London law school) on February 2, 1602. To a Shakespeare historian, that’s as close as you can get to an open-and-shut case. The play as we know it seems to have been completed by or before that date. Making a reasonable assumption that Twelfth Night would have been performed at the Globe around Epiphany, or January 5, prior to private performances for smaller venues, most sources place the writing one or two years before that.

 ACT I

 scene i 

Duke Orsino is in love with Olivia, who has promised to mourn her dead brother for seven years and so rejects Orsino’s suits.

 scene ii

Viola has survived a shipwreck in Orsino’s land, and decides to disguise herself as a boy while she searches for her twin brother Sebastian. 

 scene iii

Olivia’s uncle Toby is a boastful and fat knight. (Think Falstaff, but a good deal more clever.) He encourages his friend Sir Andrew, a cowardly knight, to woo Olivia despite her refusals. (He probably does this less out of friendship for Andrew, and more for his own enjoyment at seeing Andrew embarrassed.) 

 scene iv

Viola is now a servant in Orsino’s court, disguised as a boy named Cesario. She accepts the mission of wooing Olivia on Orsino’s behalf, even though Viola already has fallen in love with him herself.

 scene v

Olivia admits Viola/Cesario into her house, intending to rebuff Orsino’s advances. Viola argues so passionately for Orsino that Olivia quickly falls in love — with Cesario! 

 ACT II

 scene i

Viola’s brother Sebastian has survived the shipwreck as well, and has made friends with Antonio, Orsino’s bitter enemy.

 scene ii

Olivia sends her pompous steward Malvolio to “return” a ring to Viola/Cesario — Viola realizes, upon receiving it, that Olivia loves her, not Orsino.

 scene iii

Olivia’s maid Maria resolves to play a prank on Malvolio. By counterfeiting her lady’s handwriting, she will convince Malvolio that Olivia harbors a secret love for him.

 scene iv

Orsino wonders whether Viola/Cesario loves someone. Viola frames all of her answers as riddles, identifying Orsino as the true object of her affection. 

 scene v

Malvolio finds Maria’s letter, claiming to be Olivia’s profession of love for Malvolio, and falls for it completely.

 ACT III

 scene i

Olivia speaks again to Viola/Cesario, and falls even more in love.

 scene ii

Andrew is jealous of the attention Viola/Cesario is getting from Olivia. Toby, planning a prank on both, encourages him to challenge Viola/Cesario to a duel.

 scene iii

Antonio entrusts Sebastian with his money, and they promise to meet later at a tavern.

 scene iv 

Long scene! Malvolio takes the “advice” of the letter he thought was from Olivia; he dresses in yellow stockings, with garters that cross his legs — fashions she detests. Above all, he is smiling like a lunatic, and she actually fears for his sanity. She orders Toby and Maria, to look after him; instead, they lock him up in a dark room, pretending that they think him possessed by demons.

Toby convinces both Viola and Andrew that the other is a dangerous swordsman, although he knows they’re not, thinking to swindle them both in return for settling the quarrel between them.  When Andrew finally draws his sword, Antonio comes to Viola’s defense, thinking it is Sebastian. Then Antonio is arrested when he is recognized as Orsino’s enemy. He is furious that Viola doesn’t recognize him, or give him the money he loaned to Sebastian.

 ACT IV

 scene i

Meanwhile Sebastian is being mistaken for Viola/Cesario. When Andrew makes the mistake of striking him, he is given a good thrashing in return. Before Sebastian and Toby can begin fighting, Olivia intervenes on Sebastian’s part, thinking he is Cesario, and Sebastian decides to accept the attentions of this beautiful lady.

 scene ii

The servants continue to torment Malvolio, treating him like a madman.

 scene iii

Olivia, overjoyed that her handsome young man is now responding to her advances, calls in a priest to marry her to Sebastian.

 ACT V

 scene i

Another long scene! Orsino confronts Olivia, who announces that Viola/Cesario is now her husband. Of course she denies it, but now both Orsino and Olivia are angry at her.

While offstage, Andrew and Toby picked another fight with Sebastian, and he bloodied them both.

All are amazed to see Viola and Sebastian side by side. Viola reveals that they are brother and sister. Orsino accepts that Sebastian is married to Olivia, and agrees to marry Viola instead.

Finally, Malvolio is released from his dark room, but he swears revenge for this prank.