The text of Twelfth Night is relatively uncomplicated. Unlike several of Shakespeare's plays, there is no known quarto edition of the play published during Shakespeare's lifetime. The first time the play was published was in 1623 in the First Folio. As in all cases of Shakespeare's plays, there are no manuscripts to which scholars can turn, so the only authority for this play is the First Folio. In addition, the First Folio prints what appears to be a good copy of the play. I have already commented in the Summary on when the play may have been written, but let me repeat that it is first referred to in a diary by a man named Manningham in February 1602. Therefore, scholars date the play on or before that day. There is also the possibility that the play was first performed on Twelfth Night for Queen Elizabeth and her guests in January 1601.

Although the play appears to have been printed from a good copy, there are still problems or issues with the text. The most obvious is in character designation. First, the Captain who helps rescue Viola disappears after I, 2; but Antonio, who is also described as a captain, enters later and has a significant role. Are these both the same person? Surely not as Sebastian laments the death of his sister, and the Captain would know that she is safe. Yet many texts identify the Captain and Antonio as the same person as there is only one captain of a ship.

By the same token are Feste and the Clown one person or two? Some texts separate them, others identify them as one in the same. Shakespeare often has a Fool in his plays, particularly his comedies. One can see why. They certainly lend a great deal of humor to the play and often represent the servant class of which many were probably in the audience particularly at the Globe. In this case the Fool is not called a fool but a clown, which is not exactly the same. A clown had the connotation of country bumpkin. Clearly this clown in not just in from the barn.