Reviews - Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will

2.48k reviews for:

Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will

William Shakespeare

3.93 AVERAGE

kit_the_creature's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

ANTONIO U DESERVED BETTER

dancingink's review against another edition

4.0

It's always be my favorite and in my top 5 Bard. 4.3/5

iholcomb4790's review against another edition

2.75

funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This play is by no means bad, it’s just that it feels like Shakespeare was running out of ideas and Frankensteined a lot of plot points from earlier plays into this one, but generally has less impact than their original play. You have the twins, Sebastian and Olivia, who due to the latter disguising herself as a man, causes mistakes in identity (the Comedy of Errors), as well as gender-bent romances (As You Like It). You have Olivia who has sworn off visitors out of an oath (Love’s Labor’s Lost), and her band of people that conspire to prank the nincompoop, Malvolio (The Merry Wives of Windsor). I will say, the prank is the best part that outshines the original, but the rest of the play feels convoluted and lacks the polish of some of his other comedies.

teaandpirates's review against another edition

3.0

3.5-4 stars

This was my first Shakespearean comedy and it was fun. I prefer Othello and Julius Caesar but I'd like to check out more of his comedies. I enjoyed Feste's character and all the misdirection. We watched clips of the movie with Helena Bonham Carter in class which really helped. Plays are so much better when they are performed. It also reminded me that She's the Man exists and made me want to re-watch it. Overall a solid play. The ending was a bit disappointing though.