# Please Help- Shakespeare Plot summary **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-shakespeare-plot-summary/123152 "2002-08-09T14:36:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-shakespeare-plot-summary/123152/1 "2002-08-09T14:36:02Z")
We’ve gotten a last minute invite to Twelfth Night this evening and, for the life of me, I cannot recall the plot. I do so much better with Shakespeare when I have the basic outline of a play. Could someone please give me a basic rundown on who’s who’s and what’s what’s? Ta ever so, ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-shakespeare-plot-summary/123152/2 "2002-08-09T15:08:26Z")
From All Shakespeare: [http://www.allshakespeare.com/plays/twelfth/ps.php?PHPSESSID=881baa076bd3822836a341afc20e1e18](http://www.allshakespeare.com/plays/twelfth/ps.php?PHPSESSID=881baa076bd3822836a341afc20e1e18) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-shakespeare-plot-summary/123152/3 "2002-08-09T16:15:41Z")
This is my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, and I think you could follow it even without a summary, but here’s a quick one: Twins Viola and Sebastian are seperated during a shipwreck. Each fears that the other is dead. Viola, fearing that she is in a vulnerable position as a young woman alone in a foreign land, disguises herself as a boy (“Cesario”) and enters the service of the local Duke Orsino. She soon falls in love with him, but as his servant must deliver his messages of love to the beautiful Countess Olivia! Olivia, despite her vow not to marry while in mourning for her father and brother, suffers from an abundance of suitors. Aside from the Duke there’s also her pompous steward Malvolio, and her drunken Uncle Toby wants her to marry his buddy Sir Andrew. Malvolio’s pretensions and puritanical ways lead Toby, Andrew, the court Fool, and Olivia’s clever servingwoman Maria to plan a practical joke to make him look crazy. Meanwhile, Olivia falls for “Cesario”. Matters become even more complicated when Sebastian shows up, since Viola in drag looks just like him. Needless to say, hilarity ensues. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-shakespeare-plot-summary/123152/4 "2002-08-09T18:22:37Z")
Is this the Shakespeare in the Park production? ---
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-shakespeare-plot-summary/123152/5 "2002-08-09T18:40:31Z")
If you’re in Boston, it was last year. This year is [Henry V](http://www.commonwealthshakespeare.org) which I wanted to go see but haven’t had the chance… ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-shakespeare-plot-summary/123152/6 "2002-08-09T18:46:24Z")
Thank you one and all-I knew I could count on the dopers! And no-it’s Shakespeare at Winedale.