Twelfth Night; or What You Will

William Shakespeare

April 26, 1564

Stratford-upon-Avon

Began career around 1585

Famous plays such as Hamlet, King Lear, and Twelfth Night

April 23, 1616

Carnivalesque Themes

GrotesqueExcrementInversion of HierarchyTrickeryLord of Misrule

Carnival Themes in Twelfth Night

Cross-dressingHomoeroticismDrunkennessExcrementTrickery

DON’T BE INTIMIDATED!

Concentrate on what the actors are saying to understand.

Go See It!

After you finish reading

the play:

Acting troupes still perform this amazing play! There are also

movie versions of this play available on DVD, including one starring Helena Bonham Carter

and Ben Kingsley.