UW THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE
A Night Without Rules:
Celebration, Escapism and Identity in Twelfth Night or What You Will
“Present mirth hath present laughter. What's to come is still unsure.”
Kiena Hyseni
This article explores how the spirit of partying and celebration in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or What You Will, represents freedom, escapism, and self-expression, mainly through characters like Sir Toby Belch. While these characters enjoy breaking away from society's rules and expectations, the play also shows how this behaviour can be harmful. By showing characters excessive drinking, conflicts, and the consequences of their actions, Shakespeare shows that having fun and enjoying freedom can come at a cost. Moreover, I want to consider how the play raises an important question: why do people feel the need to escape their everyday responsibilities, and what happens when their enjoyment starts to affect the people around them?
What if for just a night, you could forget about your responsibilities, go against societal expectations and become whoever you want to be? This idea connects to the history of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Even though the play is known for its humour, romance and mistaken identities, it also explores why people celebrate, what they hope to escape, and what happens when having fun can go too far.
Historically the Twelfth Night was celebrated on January 5th or 6th, marking the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas and the evening before the Feast of Epiphany. In Elizabethan England, festivities included music, dancing, drinking, feasting, and performances (Werner). One popular tradition was called Misrule, where people could temporarily break away from their usual roles and social norms. During Christmas celebrations someone known as the Lord of Misrule was often in charge of organizing the fun and encouraging people to act a little differently than they normally would (Lyon). This is interesting because Elizabethan society had a lot of strict rules about how people were expected to behave. These celebrations gave people a chance to let loose and enjoy themselves without having to follow all the usual expectations, even if it was only temporary. Scholar C. L. Barber explains how Shakespeare got inspiration from traditional festivals and celebrations. He points out that Shakespeare's comedies often start with confusion and chaos, but as the story goes on, the characters begin to understand themselves and each other better (Barber). In Twelfth Night, or What You Will the characters break away from the usual rules and expectations of society. The play raises an interesting question, why might people need temporary freedom from the rules that organize their everyday lives?
Sir Toby Belch is a clear example of the play's festive spirit. He constantly drinks, stays awake late into the night, and encourages others to join him. His behaviour is humorous, but it also causes problems for the people around him. Maria warns him, "Sir Toby, you must come in earlier 'a nights: that drinking will undo you." (Shakespeare 1.3.14). Although Sir Toby seems very carefree, this warning implies that his excessive drinking will have consequences. His behaviour can also be seen through a modern perspective of escapism. People sometimes use alcohol or social activities to distract themselves from stress or uncomfortable emotions. While Shakespeare never actually mentions Toby's drinking as a problem or a mental health struggle, we learn that Sir Toby is a war veteran, which raises the question for the audience whether his constant pursuit of pleasure is harmless. This shows how partying can be both a way to have fun and a way to escape reality. Sir Toby seems more focused on enjoying himself than thinking about the consequences of his actions, which makes us wonder whether having complete freedom is always a good thing.
There is conflict in the play between Sir Toby and Malvolio. While Sir Toby loves drinking, partying and having fun, Malvolio is a puritan and believes in following the rules. When Malvolio interrupts their late-night partying, Toby responds: "Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?" (Shakespeare 2.3.114-15). This shows the disagreement between Sir Toby and Malvolio. Sir Toby believes that just because Malvolio has certain beliefs and follows strict rules, he has no right to impose these beliefs and rules on others. But their conflict becomes heightened when Sir Toby and the others humiliate Malvolio through pranks, and eventually his incarceration for madness. Shakespeare scholar Reina Green goes into how Malvolio’s punishment shows the darker side of comedy and celebration. Her research looks at how Malvolio's treatment can seem funny at first but is actually cruel (Green). Although Malvolio can be strict and judgmental the others take things too far by tricking him and embarrassing him. What's interesting is that the same people who want the freedom to have fun and break the rules don't seem to accept someone who thinks differently. It shows how partying and group behaviour can sometimes make people feel excluded rather than included. This goes against the idea that partying is always positive and a fun celebration. While celebrations can bring people together, they can also create situations where one person's enjoyment comes at someone else's expense.
The idea of breaking societal expectations is also seen through Viola's disguise. When she arrives in Illyria, she pretends to be a man named Cesario so she can work for Duke Orsino (Shakespeare 1.2.56-59). The Folger Shakespeare Library identifies roleplaying and mistaken identities as important connections between the historical holiday and Shakespeare's play (Werner). Viola’s disguise lets her have opportunities that might otherwise been unavailable to her. It also raises questions about gender, identity, and how much freedom people have to express themselves Tim Welham's adaptation also explores gender roles further by changing Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Antonio into Lady Andrea and Antonia, challenging traditional ideas about gender and how characters are expected to behave. Although celebrations have changed since Shakespeare's time, the reasoning for them still remains. Parties, festivals, costumes can give a chance to connect with others, experiment with identity, and temporarily escape everyday worries. However Twelfth Night, or What You Will reminds us that celebration has two sides. It can encourage freedom, happiness, and self-expression, but it can also lead to excess, exclusion, and cruelty.
Overall, the play gets us to consider where enjoyment ends and responsibility begins. That is what makes Twelfth Night, or What You Will still relevant in contemporary society. Centuries later people are still trying to balance having fun, being themselves, and understanding how their actions affect others.
Barber, C. L. Shakespeare's Festive Comedy: A Study of Dramatic Form and Its Relation to Social Custom. Princeton University Press, 1959. JSTOR https://books.google.com.jm/books?id=z0cpwTZUHwYC&printsec=copyright#v=onepag e&q&f=false
Green, Reina. "Malvolio Within to Malvolia Out: Escaping Heteronormativity in Twelfth Night." Shakespeare, vol. 17, no. 4, 2021, pp. 451–71. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17450918.2021.1931419
Lyon, Karen. "Elizabethan Holidays: Christmas, New Year's Day... and Plough Monday?"
Folger Shakespeare Library, 18 Dec. 2015,
https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/elizabethan-holidays-christmas-ne w-years-day-and-plough-monday/.
Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. Folger Shakespeare, edited by Barbara Mowat, Paul Werstine, Michael Poston, and Rebecca Niles, Folger Shakespeare Library, https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/twelfth-night/.
Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Adapted by Tim Welham, University of Waterloo Theatre and Performance, production draft, 12 Sept. 2026.
Werner, Sarah. "Twelfth Night." Folger Shakespeare Library, 6 Jan. 2015, https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/twelfth-night/.