Twelfth Night or What You Will

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Named for the twelfth night after Christmas, the end of the Christmas season, Twelfth Night plays with love and power. The Countess Olivia, a woman with her own household, attracts Duke (or Count) Orsino. Two other would-be suitors are her pretentious steward, Malvolio, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Onto this scene arrive the twins Viola and Sebastian; caught in a shipwreck, each thinks the other has drowned. Viola disguises herself as a male page and enters Orsino’s service. Orsino sends her as his envoy to Olivia—only to have Olivia fall in love with the messenger. The play complicates, then wonderfully untangles, these relationships.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1602

This edition

Format
144 pages, Paperback
Published
June 17, 2004 by Kessinger Publishing
ISBN
9781419191282
ASIN
1419191284
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • Viola

    Viola

    Viola is the central character in Shakespeares play, Twelfth Night. She is washed up on a beach in Illyria after losing her twin brother in a shipwreck. She disguises herself as a boy, gives herself the name Cesario and finds employment with Duke Orsino, ...

  • Duke Orsino

    Duke Orsino

    Duke Orsino is the noble Duke of Illyria. He is a powerful nobleman who is trustworthy and kind to everyone he meets. As a bachelor, Orsino is in love with the beautiful Lady Olivia, and he constantly compares his love for her with music. Duke Orsino is a...

  • Sebastian

    Sebastian

    Sebastian is the twin brother of Viola. After the beginning of the play, Viola mentions that her brother Sebastian is drowned in the sea....

  • Sir Toby Belch

    Sir Toby Belch

    Sir Toby Belch is Olivias boisterous and disreputable uncle. With his love of drinking and practical jokes, he embodies the revelrous and chaotic spirit of Twelfth Night. His surname Belch is indicative of the comical and often crude role he occupies with...

  • Malvolio

    Malvolio

    Malvolio initially seems to be a minor character, and his humiliation seems little more than an amusing subplot to the Viola-Olivia-Orsino love triangle. But he becomes more interesting as the play progresses, and most critics have judged him one of the m...

  • Sir Andrew Aguecheek

    Sir Andrew Aguecheek

    A friend of Sir Tobys. Sir Andrew Aguecheek attempts to court Olivia, but he doesnt stand a chance. He thinks that he is witty, brave, young, and good at languages and dancing, but he is actually an idiot....

About the author

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William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".


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Rating(4 / 5.0, 98 votes)
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98 reviews All reviews
April 25,2025
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باز هم جا به جا شدن شخصيت ها با هم! كم كم دارم به اين نتيجه مى رسم كه شكسپير فقط همين يك ايده رو براى نمايش كمدى داشته و توى همه ى نمايش هاى كمدى ش از همين ايده استفاده كرده.
April 25,2025
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Twelfth Night; or, What You Will, William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season.

The play centers on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola (who is disguised as Cesario) falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with the Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man.

The play expanded on the musical interludes and riotous disorder expected of the occasion, with plot elements drawn from the short story "Of Apollonius and Silla" by Barnabe Rich, based on a story by Matteo Bandello.

The first recorded performance was on 2 February 1602, at Candlemas, the formal end of Christmastide in the year's calendar. The play was not published until its inclusion in the 1623 First Folio.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: دوازدهم ماه ژانویه سال 1989میلادی

عنوان: ن‍م‍ای‍ش‍ن‍ام‍ه‌ خ‍ن‍ده ‌آور ش‍ب‌ دوازده‍م،‌ ی‍ا «ه‍ر چ‍ه‌ ب‍خ‍واه‍ی»"؛ اث‍ر وی‍ل‍ی‍ام‌ ش‍ک‍س‍پ‍ی‍ر؛ مت‍رج‍م‌ ع‍لاء ال‍دی‍ن‌ پ‍ازارگ‍ادی‌؛ ت‍ه‍ران : بنگاه ترجمه و نشر کتاب‏‫، سال1354؛ در 189ص؛ موضوع نمایشنامه های نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 17م

عنوان: شب دوازدهم یا آنچه شما بخواهید؛ اثر ویلیام شکسپیر؛ مترجم افضل وثوقی؛ تهران، رادیو تلویزیون ملی ایران، 1354، در 110ص؛

عنوان: شب دوازدهم نمایشنامه؛ اثر ویلیام شکسپیر؛ مترجم حمید الیاسی؛ تهران، روشنگران، 1368، در 197ص؛ چاپ دیگر 1390، در 238ص، شابک9789646751521؛

عنوان: شب دوازدهم نمایشنامه؛ اثر ویلیام شکسپیر؛ مترجم رحیم اصلانی؛ تبریز، گهواره؛ 1397؛ در 64ص؛ شابک9786229972588؛

عنوان: شب دوازدهم؛ ویلیام شکسپیر؛ مترجم میلاد میناکار؛ تهران: بنگاه ترجمه و نشر کتاب پارسه، ‏‫1398؛ در 190ص؛ شابک9786002533708؛

عنوان: شب دوازدهم شکسپیر؛ بازنگاری اندرو متیوز؛ تصویرگر تونی راس؛ مترجم بیژن اوشیدری؛ تهران: نشر مرکز، کتاب مریم، ‏‫1393؛ شابک9789642131648؛

این نمایش، در پنج پرده، تدوین شده؛ و دارای چهارده شخصیت؛ و تعدادی سیاهی لشکر است؛ شخصیت‌های اصلی نمایش عبارتند از «اورسینو، دوک احساساتی ایلیریا، انسانی نیک»؛ «اولیویا، کنتسی ثروتمند، همسایه اورسینو، در نهایت زیبایی»؛ «ویولا، قاصد اورسینو؛ مخفی در لباس پسران و با نام واقعی سزاریو (هرگز عشق را به زبان نمی‌آورد…؛)»؛ «سباستین، برادر دوقلوی ویولا»؛ «سر توبی بلچ، دایی اولیویا که در خانه او لنگر انداخته»؛ «ماریا، ندیمه اولیویا، یک سوسک کوچولو ولی زنده دل»؛ «سر آندرو اگوچیک، شوالیه‌ ای احمق»؛ «فست، دلقک اجازه سر خود اولیویا»؛ «مال ولیو»؛ «فابیان»؛ «آنتونیو»؛ «یک کاپیتان»؛ «والنتین»؛ «کوریو»؛ «لردها»، «یک کشیش»، «افسران»، «ملاحان»، «نوازندگان» و «خدمتکاران»؛

شخصیت «صوفی» در این نمایش‌نامه، به «شاه عباس صفوی» اشاره دارد؛ محل رخداد رویدادهای نمایش��امه «شهری در ایلیریا (کشوری باستانی در ساحل دریای آدریاتیک) و اسکله مجاور آن»؛

چکیده نمایشنامه: «اورسینیو» دوک محبوب «ایلیریا»، از فرط سیری، و پول و جاه، با بازی کردن نقش افتادن در دام عشق؛ دل بیمار و روح احساساتی خود را، تا سرحد حالت جذبه و نشوه، برانگیخته‌ است؛ معشوقه ی او البته کسی جز «کنتس اولیویای» زیبای شهر نیست، که قصری در همسایگی کاخ «دوک» دارد؛ «اورسینو» به منظور ابراز عشق، و شروع خواستگاری، پیام و هدیه‌ ای، توسط قاصد جدید خود، «سزاریو»ی جوان، برای «کنتس» می‌فرستد؛ اما نمی‌داند «سزاریو»، که به تازگی، به خدمت او درآمده، در واقع دختری، در لباس پسران است، با نام واقعی «ویولا»؛ او از روزهای اول دیدن «دوک»، عاشق «دوک» شده، و اکنون، بیش از همیشه، غمزده‌ است؛ در سوی دیگر «کنتس اولیویا» نیز، در قصر خود، همانند «دوک» احساساتی برانگیخته دارد، ولی آکنده از اندوه و تاسف است؛ «کنتس» زیبا، به تازگی تنها برادر عزیزش را، از دست داده، و از پذیرفتن، و ابراز عشق، و حتی همدمی با هر مردی، خودداری می‌کند؛ اما اینهمه باعث نمی‌شود، که در نخستین دیدار، با قاصد «دوک (ویولا در لباس مبدل)» به دریای عشق پرتلاطم او نیفتد…؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 21/11/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 06/07/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
April 25,2025
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As a person named Olivia, I wish I enjoyed this comedy more.
April 25,2025
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25.Haziran.2024 Özdemir Nutku çevirisi için; ⭐⭐⭐⭐
İlk okumamda hem çeviri hem de Shakespeare cahilliğimin kurbanı olup oyunu beğenmediğimi yazmıştım. Bu yıl Shakespeare grubum için tekrar ele almam gerekti. Dipnot açıklamalı İngilizce versiyonu Twelfth Night: or, What You Will okumaya çalışıp başıma ağrılar girince Özdemir Nutku çevirisine sığındım. Açıklayıcı bir önsöz ve yine ders niteliğinde dipnotlarla mükemmel bir çalışmaya imza atmış kendisi. Orijinalindeki şiirsellik tam anlamıyla verilmiş diyemem ama dilimizin imkanları ile harika bir iş çıkarılmış bence.

Viola, Beatrice ve Rosalind ile birlikte şairin hem duygulandıran hem güldüren en içten kadın karakteri olarak kabul ediliyor. Malvolio karakteri üzerinden neşe ve sevgi düşmanı puritanlardan intikam alınmasını okumak zevkliydi. Ve oyundaki en bilge kişi olan soytarı Feste sayesinde nitelikli alayın nasıl zeka işi olduğunu görüyoruz.

Benim için Shakespeare'in dünyasını temsil eden oyunlardan. Birilerine şairi anlatmak isteseydim bu metni temel alırdım. Kurguda, diyaloglarda, karakterlerde, olaylarda denge; cinsiyet rollerinin sorgulanması, alaylar, kelime oyunları, sosyal ve siyasal olaylara göndermeler ile aşina olduğum bir diyarda dolaşmak gibiydi bu oyunu okumak.

12.Ocak.2022 Sevgi Sanlı çevirisi için; ⭐⭐ "Romeo ve Juliet oyunundan sonra okuduğum ikinci Shakespeare eseri. Daha serbest bir dil var burada. İnce nükteler yerine alaycı bir anlatım ağır basıyor. Çeviri bana fazla yerelleştirilmiş geldi. Dipnotlar gayet yerindeydi."
April 25,2025
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Read this as part of my Open University studies and I really enjoyed it.
April 25,2025
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از متفاوت ترین نمایشنامه‌های شکسپیر!
نمایشنامه‌ای که خصیصه‌های انسانی را با حالتی طنز به تحریر درآورده


ترجمه حمید الیاسی
چاپ 1390
223صفحه

ترجمه سخت ادبیاتی بود وبعضی مواقع،ارتباط قطع میشد
ارتباط با شخصیت ها سخت بود وفقط با بطن داستان پیش میرفتم
بهتر است ترجمه دیگری را نیز امتحان کنم
April 25,2025
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I liked the dialogue in this one a lot more than the first one we read for class (A Comedy of Errors). I love the whole "girl poses as a guy in order to trick misogynists into letting her participate in their society" trope, and I just in general loved Olivia and Viola as characters, so I was super into this. My only complaint is that the ending wraps up too swiftly for me and a few of the plotlines were just kinda smooshed into one grand finale, but I was left wanting more.

Not the best Shakespeare I've read (but I mean, NOTHING compares to hamlet), but still an enjoyable read that I didn't dread picking up.
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