SOURCE: "Twelfth Night," in Introductions to Shakespeare: Being the Introductions to the Individual Plays in the Folio Society Edition, 1950-76, edited by Charles Ede, Michael Joseph, 1978, pp. 136-42.

In the following essay, originally published in 1966, Hall describes his handling of Twelfth Night on the stage, commenting that it is "impossible to cut a word" of the play.

It is impossible to cut a word of Twelfth Night. Even its obscure jokes are brought alive by the exuberant rhythm of the scenes. It belongs to that small group of Shakespeare's plays (Macbeth and the Dream are others) that are sinewy and compact. They have no excess fat. Twelfth Night is complex, ambiguous, and heartbreakingly funny. It is the masterwork among the comedies.

It was written in 1600—or so we think—the date is only important in understanding its place in the canon. Its mood is ripe and rich. It...