Twelfth Night

Viola and Sebastian perform on a ship and use their likeness to entertain the crew. A sudden storm tears the vessel apart, leaving them to fight for survival. They are swept away and separated on the journey to Illyria.

Viola washes ashore in Illyria and discovers her twin is missing. Believing Sebastian is dead, she resolves to survive in this unfamiliar land. She must adapt her appearance and manner to conceal her true identity.

Viola cuts her hair, dresses as a boy, and becomes Cesario to serve Duke Orsino. The disguise allows her to move unseen within the court and speak with the Duke freely. She is sent to deliver messages of love and resolve the Duke's romantic pursuit.

Orsino is madly in love with Countess Olivia, who mourns her brother and avoids all visitors. He dispatches Cesario to woo Olivia on his behalf, hoping the mission will spark Olivia's interest. The arrangement places Cesario in Olivia's orbit and closer to Viola's hidden feelings.

Olivia, despite her mourning, falls for Cesario, unaware that Cesario is a woman in disguise. Meanwhile Viola harbors her own unspoken love for Orsino, complicating her position as a trusted messenger. The courtship becomes a tangled tangle of mistaken identities.

Olivia's household schemes against her pompous steward Malvolio by tricking him into thinking Olivia loves him. Maria, Feste, and Sir Toby plant letters and witticisms that flatter him, while he remains blind to their deception. He wears a toupee to appear younger and is humiliated when the scheme is exposed.

Sir Toby Belch and his ally Sir Andrew Aguecheek push Andrew toward courting Olivia. Sir Andrew challenges Cesario to a duel, and the contest ends badly for him, thanks to Viola's quick thinking and the farce around them. The scene heightens the comic tension at Olivia's estate.

Sebastian miraculously survives the wreck and arrives in Illyria, accompanied by Antonio, who saved him from drowning. Antonio, who has enemies in Orsino's court, is recognised and forced to flee. The two newcomers navigate the precarious politics of Illyria.

Olivia meets Sebastian, mistaking him for Cesario, and persuades him to marry her. The match is arranged in ignorance of his true identity, adding to the web of deceptions in Illyria. The misidentifications grow even more tangled as Viola and Sebastian's paths cross.

Orsino learns that Olivia intends to marry Sebastian and that Cesario is Viola in disguise, which enrages him. He dismisses Cesario from service, ending their close association. The revelation leaves Viola's secret in jeopardy and forces her to confront her own feelings.

Sebastian and Cesario meet, and Cesario reveals Viola's true identity to Sebastian. The confusion is resolved, and the lovers can move toward honest unions. Orsino agrees to marry Viola, uniting the two couples.

The estate hosts a festive finale with both couples married. Malvolio and Sir Andrew depart, humbled but leaving with their heads held high, while Feste ends the night with his song The Wind and the Rain. The community looks toward a hopeful future as the curtain falls.