William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night (c.1601) is one of his most enjoyable and captivating plays. A festive comedy of mistaken identities, it also raises serious questions about role-playing, gender identity, manipulation and deception.Taking the form of a sourcebook, this guide to Shakespeare's spirited play offers: *extensive introductory comment on the contexts, critical history and performance of the text, from publication to the present*annotated extracts from key contextual documents, reviews, critical works and the text itself*cross-references between documents and sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism*suggestions for further reading.Part of the "Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of "Twelfth Night and seeking not only a guide to the play, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Shakespeare's text.