One of Shakespeare's most popular and light-hearted plays, Twelfth Night engages one of Shakespeare's favorite themes, the discrepancy between appearance and reality. The play weaves together a series of plots and subplots into a seamless tapestry of deception and trickery, love achieved and pomposity exposed. With its colorful cast of characters, from Duke Orsino and Countess Olivia, to Feste the clown, the drunken prankster Toby Belch, the shape-shifting Viola, and the vainglorious Malvolio, Twelfth Night presents an unforgettable slice of Elizabethan life that still resonates wonderfully today.
Oxford School Shakespeare presents acclaimed editions especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. In this edition of Twelfth Night, illustrations have been extended and updated; the preliminary notes have been expanded; reading lists have been updated, and include websites; and the classroom notes have been brought in line with recent practice. This edition of Twelfth Night offers high school students everything they need to understand and, most importantly, to enjoy this marvelous work.