Facts in Twelfth Night

In productions the character will often pause as if waiting for the audience to answer then mock them with the following line “better a witty fool than a foolish wit,” to suggest that they should know what Quinapalus says.

Sebastian’s alias “Rodorigo” is never mentioned again within this play. This suggests that there was another sub plot or backstory that was never actually developed. It could also suggest a printing error in which a scene explaining this alias was lost.

The word “sack” is an old word for a particular variety of fortified wine from Spain and the Canary Islands. The most popular variety was the Sherris sack, which in England became simply known as “sherry.” The verb “to burn” here likely means “to warm up.” So, rather than going to sleep, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew decide to warm up several glasses of sherry and continue their drunken adventures.