'Twelfth Night' by William Shakespeare

Genre: Comedy Play

As we head deeper into winter, it is important to remember to think on the bright side, which is easily done when you read or see a comedy play like William Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’.

Although I am not an avid fan of Shakespeare and have not read all of his works, I know that ‘Twelfth Night’ is quite a popular work of his for his intriguing and funny plot. Twins - Viola and Sebastian - are stranded on an island after a shipwreck and are separated from each other. Sebastian survives by making friends with the locals, whereas his sister, well she cross-dresses as her twin Sebastian of course! This comedic setup lends itself to all kinds of mischief, confused identities (obviously), accidental romances, fights and betrayals, but most of all it creates a lot of laughter.

As this is a play, it is inevitable that it would be best to see it performed rather than reading it, and some great performances can be found on YouTube. But as always some directors may choose to leave out certain parts or tweak Shakespeare’s wording, so I always say books are best. But from classic Shakespearean tales comes some fantastic modern adaptations, such as ‘She’s The Man’ (2006) starring actress Amanda Bynes, which I am sure a lot of us grew up watching.

I would definitely recommend watching or reading Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’, it is funny, strange, and even has some romantic scenes for all of those who love a happy ending.

Rating: * * * *