Twelfth Night Themes

Step into Illyria, Land of Love and Lost Identities

Step beyond the footpath and into the dreamlike realm of Illyria, a place where the rules of love twist like vines, and nothing is quite as it seems. Wild Will’s outdoor production of Twelfth Night invites you to a sun-dappled world of disguise, desire, and deep emotional truth, set beneath open skies and alive with mischief.

Here, shipwrecked twins and melancholy dukes, drunken knights and quick-witted maids collide in a swirling dance of longing and laughter. What begins in shipwreck and sorrow unfolds into a festival of mistaken identity, radical love, and rebirth.

This is Shakespeare unchained: joyful, elemental, and rich with the raw energy of nature. In the dappled light of Mothecombe Gardens, Twelfth Night becomes a story not just watched, but felt, shared, and celebrated.

A group of people gathered outdoors on stone steps and terraces surrounded by flowers and greenery, next to an old stone building.

Key Themes

1. Disguise, Identity & the Fluid Self

Viola’s transformation into “Cesario” unravels fixed ideas of gender and truth. In Illyria, identity is performance, and freedom begins with reinvention.

“I am not what I am.”

2. Love, Longing & the Madness It Brings

Love in Twelfth Night is sweet, sudden, and ridiculous. It humbles dukes, confuses maidens, and tricks even the cleverest into folly. Yet it is also redemptive, restoring joy to the lost.

3. Nature, Festivity & the Carnivalesque

Set amidst trees and sea winds, the play draws on pagan festivity and seasonal renewal. Misrule is welcomed, hierarchies inverted. The fool becomes the wisest, and grief gives way to laughter.

4. Community, Belonging & the Outsider

Viola, Malvolio, Feste all live on the edges of Illyria’s social world. Each seeks recognition and connection, reflecting the human desire to be truly seen.

Central Relationships

Central Relationships

Viola & Orsino
Viola, disguised as Cesario, falls for the Duke who believes her to be a man. Their relationship explores hidden truths, emotional intimacy, and what love looks like beyond appearances.

Viola & Olivia
Mistaken identity fuels comic chaos but Olivia’s passionate love for Cesario reveals how desire can break convention, even in error.

Sir Toby, Sir Andrew & Maria
These revellers bring riotous humour but also challenge authority and hypocrisy. Their pranks offer a rough, wild form of justice.

Feste & The Audience (yes, you!)
The fool sees all. Feste links the joy and melancholy of the play, whispering truths in riddles. He reminds us that laughter and sadness often share a stage.

Why is the play called Twelfth Night?

The play is called Twelfth Night because it was originally written to be performed as part of the festivities surrounding the Twelfth Night holiday, the evening of the twelfth day after Christmas, marking the end of the Christmas season (January 5th or 6th, depending on tradition). It is also sometimes known by the name What You Will, again suggesting a playful and mischievous adventure.

Twelfth Night = Misrule and Revelry
The Twelfth Night holiday was associated with feasting, masquerade, and role reversal, servants might act as masters, women might dress as men, and rules were joyfully upended.

Shakespeare’s play mirrors this spirit with:

Disguises (Viola as Cesario)
Mistaken identities
Romantic chaos
Inversions of social order

What makes Wild Will's production different? Should I be familiar with the play to attend? Are there mature themes? Will I understand all the Shakespearean language?

Don’t worry about the Shakespearean language, live performance brings every emotion, twist, and laugh to life with clarity, energy, and heart. It's amazing how once experienced you begin to easily understand what is being said - you may even find yourself recognising a few famous phrases!

Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.
(Malvolio, Act 2 Scene 5)

Twelfth Night isn’t just a comedy. It’s a story about how we lose and find ourselves in others, in love, and in nature. In this outdoor staging, the world becomes Illyria: open, strange, beautiful, and full of possibility.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION