Twelfth Night, or What You Will Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory

Somebody forgot to tell the characters in Twelfth Night that it's rude to pass notes in class. Yes, we're aware this joke may not hold the same meaning for you as it does for those of us who experi...

This one gives theater prop departments everywhere a run for their money (silly pun intended). Seriously, we dare you to count the number of times coins are exchanged in the play, because it seems...

There's a lot of bling going around in Twelfth Night. Come to think of it, Olivia's the one who seems to be always handing it out. First, she gives a ring to "Cesario" (which is a secret signal tha...

Poor Malvolio. When he decides to wear a crazy get-up that involves yellow stockings (hosiery for men) with cross-garters, his silly costume becomes a glaring symbol of his social ambition and fool...

After Maria, Toby, and their crew trick Malvolio into thinking Olivia loves him and wants him to behave foolishly, they lock him in a dark room and hold him prisoner. (They get away with it because...

Characters are always accusing others of being crazy. "You're a lunatic!" "No, you're a nutcase!" and so forth. Madness or insanity is mostly code for wacky, silly, or zany, which is exactly how on...

The OceanLike many other Shakespeare plays (The Comedy of Errors, Pericles, etc.), Twelfth Night is full of images and allusions to the sea. It's the place where the twins, Viola and Sebastian, are...

Food shows up everywhere in Twelfth Night, so we've broken it down into a couple of categories below. (Be sure to check out the relationship between "Food" and "Fluids" above.)Cakes and AleWhen Mal...