Merced Shakespearefest

Plot Summary of 12th Night

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On the resort island Illyria tourists from two resort hotels enjoy the sun at the beach. However, the two owners, Orsino and Olivia, are not so happy. Orsino pines for Olivia, but she is in mourning for the deaths of family members and is not interested in love. Soon their staff and guests are pulled into their drama. This includes Viola whose yacht sank in a recent storm and she is swept ashore. She believes her twin brother is drowned. To survive, she disguises herself as a man, calls herself Caesario and goes to work for Orsino. She soon falls in love with him. Orsino, unaware of Viola’s true identity, sends her to court Olivia on his behalf. However, Olivia falls for Caesario instead, believing her to be a man. In addition to the love triangle of those three, Olivia’s uncle Toby, his friends Andrew, Maria and Fabiana like to party and contrive a plot against the stern head steward Malvolio. They are trying to embarrass Malvolio and Maria writes him a letter, imitating Olivia’s handwriting, so he believes she is in love with him.
 

In the meantime, Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian, arrives at the resort, having been found and brought to health by Antonio. He thinks his sister has drowned. Sebastian wants to explore the beach town leaving Antonio who is a wanted man there.
 

Andrew is encouraged to fight with Caesario as it is noticeable that Olivia has feelings for him. Caesario/Viola is not a fighter and runs away, but Sebastian runs into the fray, almost comes out as the winner, but Olivia stops the fight and persuades him to marry her on the spot. In the end the happy twins are reunited and everything is resolved. Orsino and Viola can get married, only Malvolio is unhappy about the joke played on him.