Set in a topsy-turvy world like a holiday revel, this comedy devises a romantic plot around separated twins, misplaced passions, and mistaken identity. Juxtaposed to it is the satirical story of a self-deluded steward who dreams of becoming “Count Malvolio” only to receive his comeuppance at the hands of the merrymakers he wishes to suppress. The two plots combine to create a farce touched with melancholy, mixed throughout with seductively beautiful explorations on the themes of love and time, and the play ends, not with laughter, but with a clown’s sad song.

Each Edition Includes:

• Comprehensive explanatory notes

• Vivid introductions and the most up-to-date scholarship

• Clear, modernized spelling and punctuation, enabling contemporary readers to understand the Elizabethan English

• Completely updated, detailed bibliographies and performance histories

• An interpretive essay on film adaptations of the play, along with an extensive filmography