William Shakespeare wrote his famous comedy "Twelfth Night Or Whatever You Wish" in 1600. Two centuries later, Charles and Mary Lamb told the play as a story for children. Read the beginning of this story.
Sebastian and his sister Viola were twins, and from the moment they were born, they were so similar to each other that only the difference in their clothes allowed people to know who was who. They were both born one hour apart, and one hour apart, they were both in danger of dying when the ship on which they were sailing hit a rock off the coast of Illyria. There was a terrible storm, and only a few people (a very small number) of the ship's crew survived. The captain of the ship, with several of his sailors, made it to land in a small boat, and with them they brought Viola to the shore, where she, the poor lady, wept because she thought she had lost her brother. The captain, however, explained to her that he saw her brother while Sebastian was holding onto the sturdy mast, and so he hoped the young man had survived.
After the words of the captain, Viola felt a little better, for he had given her hope, and now she wondered what she could do in a foreign country, so far from home; and she asked the captain if he knew anything about Illyria. “Yes, very good, madam,” the captain replied, “since I was born near this place. - Who rules here? Viola asked. The captain told her that it was the Duke of Orsino, a man of noble character. Viola said that she heard about Orsino from her father and that he was not married at the time. “The same as now,” said the captain. He added that many people thought that Orsino was in love with the beautiful Olivia. But Olivia, whose father and brother had died shortly before, did not want to hear about Orsino's love.
Viola asked the captain to introduce her to Lady Olivia, saying that she could be of use to her. But he replied that it was impossible, because Olivia refused to accept anyone in her home after her brother's death. Viola then came up with another plan. She decided to become a servant of the Duke of Orsino. It was an unusual idea for a young lady to wear men's clothing and try to look like a boy. But Viola, young and unusually beautiful, alone in a foreign country, thought that men's clothing would protect her.
