Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a lovely, immensely entertaining, and -- when provocatively mounted -- haunting play. Yet it is too often misused as an occasion for slapstick comedy. Even many of the best productions realize only a fraction of its sublimity. The Book of "Twelfth Night, or What You Will" Musings on Shakespeare's Most Wonderful (and Erotic) Play explores the play's arresting ambiguities, with an emphasis on the sexual. It's for anyone who loves this rhapsodic play, and especially for the new Twelfth Night, or What You Will audience that has greater expectations of theater companies mounting one of the world's strangest comedies. About the Author A 2003 graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Wayne Myers was the features editor for the Oneida Daily Dispatch in upstate New York, where he reviewed theater, opera, films, and art exhibitions from 2003 to 2008. His work has won a handful of first-place awards in the New York State Associated Press Association, Suburban Newspapers of America, and Syracuse Press Club writing contests. Endorsements "It is what every book about our greatest writer should be: fun, fascinating, and filled with delights. Myers's analysis is exhaustively researched but effervescently revealed; each trim chapter is a page-turner, compelling the reader to read on. This is a must-have for anyone who loves Shakespeare, but also anyone who doesn't 'get' Shakespeare. After reading Myers's book, you won't be able to get enough." -- John Christian Plummer, director, 2008 Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night, or What You Will "I wish there were more books like this!" -- Shakespeare Geek Blog

Among the most enduring poetry of all time, William Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets address such eternal themes as love, beauty, honesty, and the passage of time. Written primarily in four-line stanzas and iambic pentameter, Shakespeare’s sonnets are now recognized as marking the beginning of modern love poetry. The sonnets have been translated into all major written languages and are frequently used at romantic celebrations. Known as “The Bard of Avon,” William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare’s works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare’s innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday speech. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by Barnabe Rich. It is named after the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season. It was written around 1601 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The main title is believed to be an afterthought, created after John Marston premiered a play titled What You Will during the course of the writing.