Twelfth Night, Or What You Will
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Summary
In a shipwreck near Illyria a brother
and a sister lost each other, and washing up in different places they each
believe the other to be dead. The sister, Viola and her friend, the captain of
the boat found themselves on the shores of Illyria. After mourning over the lose
of her brother, Sebastian, she asks of the land that she was on. He told her of
the duke, Orsino, a bachelor in love with the countess Olivia. Olivia, still in
mourning for her father and brother, will not return Orsino’s loving laments.
After hearing the Olivia will take no one into her house Viola, with help from
the sea captain, dresses up as a boy and goes to serve the duke.
At Olivia’s, her kinsman, Sir Toby has
brought his friend, Sir Andrew to woo her. Olivia’s waiting woman, Maria, also
a friend of Sir Toby, tells Sir Andrew that he has no chance in winning Olivia,
but Sir Toby says that he has faith in Sir Andrew.
Viola was accepted into Orsino’s
household and, under the name of Cesario she has become Orsino’s favorite
friend. He tells her all of his troubles and sorrows. He sends Viola to
Olivia’s, thinking that a young face might move Olivia into granting her
(Viola/Cesario) presence. On her way to tell Olivia of Orsino’s love for her,
Viola confesses that she was in love with the duke herself.
When Viola/Cesario arrives at
Olivia’s, the latter, intrigued by what she was told of the youth lets Cesario
talk to her. Privately Cesario informs Olivia of the duke’s love for her.
Olivia says he doesn’t love Orsino, and she starts to fall in love with
Cesario. She tells her that she would only hear of Orsino’s love if Cesario
was the one to bring her the news. After Cesario leaves Olivia takes a ring of
her own and tells her manservant, Marvolio that Cesario had left it with her as
a present from the duke. She orders him to find Cesario and “return” the
ring.
When Marvolio finds Viola he throws the
ring at her feet telling her to no longer leave gifts from Orsino at Olivia’s
house and departs. Viola realizes that Olivia has fallen in love with her,
mistaking her for a boy. Viola doesn’t know how she could right the love
triangle she had gotten herself into, and heads back to Orsino’s, helpless.
Finally Sebastian arrives in Illyria
with his new friend, Antonio. They make their way to Orsino’s court, even
though Antonio has gotten in trouble in Illyria before and is taking a big risk.
Antonio asks Sebastian to hang on to his purse for a while and then leaves him
to go see the sights.
Back at Olivia’s Sir Toby, Sir Andrew
and Olivia’s fool, Feste have a late night drink and song. It wakes up Maria
and she advises them to quiet down or Olivia will wake up and throw them out.
Marvolio finds them and also notifies them that Olivia will not be pleased when
he tells her of Sir Toby’s drunkenness. Sir Toby responds by another burst of
song and a call for another round. Marvolio huffs away and Sir Toby declares his
hatred for the stuck up Marvolio. Maria and Sir Toby conspire and form a plan
for Marvolio’s destruction. Maria, who’s handwriting is similar to
Olivia’s, plans to write a letter and leave it in Marvolio’s path, who, on
reading it will believe that Olivia is in love with him.
They trap is laid and Sir Toby, Sir
Andrew and their friend Fabian hide and watch Marvolio. At first he talks to
himself about what he would do if he became count. Then, spying the letter he
reads, it takes him a bit, but he finally figures out the letter, which tells
him that if he loves Olivia he should appear in cross gartered yellow stockings
(Olivia’s least favorite color) and always smile. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew
praise Maria’s handiwork and wait for Marvolio’s downfall.
At Orsino’s after hearing a love song
he speaks to Viola (as Cesario) of his undying and all consuming love for
Olivia. She, in return tells him a story of her “sister” who was in love
with a man once, she never told him and began to waste away in her deception. It
is a story of Viola herself and it draws Orsino out of his self lament and care
for Cesario’s sister. Thinking of Olivia again he sends Cesario back to
countesses’.
When Viola arrives Olivia sends everyone
else away. She tells Cesario how much she loves “him”. Viola tries to turn
the love toward Orsino, but Olivia won’t love anyone but “Cesario”. Sir
Andrew observes Olivia’s favors to the page (Cesario) and informs Sir Toby
that he will leave, since he lost Olivia. Sir Toby convinces him that Olivia
will love him if he challenges Cesario to a duel. Sir Andrew writes a letter to
Cesario as a challenge. It is ridiculous and Sir Toby decides to tell Cesario of
Sir Andrew’s challenge in person. When he does confront Cesario he makes Viola
believe that Sir Andrew is a mighty fighter and scares her since she confesses
not to be much of a fighter. He likewise informs Sir Andrew that Cesario does
wonders with a sword. Both Viola and Sir Andrew are hesitant to duel, but Sir
Toby encourages them on. Before they start Antonio arrives and stops them,
mistaking Viola for Sebastian. Orsino’s guards also arrive and arrest Antonio,
who pleads Viola for his purse, which Viola doesn’t have. Antonio yells at her
for her dishonor and calls her Sebastian. While Antonio gets taken away Viola is
excited that her brother may still be alive and Sir Toby convinces Sir Andrew
that Cesario is a coward and that he should start yet another duel with him.
Marvolio appears before Olivia, dressed
awfully and smiling. She believes him to be mad and when he starts quoting the
letter to her she is convinced and sends him to Sir Toby to be cared for. Sir
Toby sends him to be locked away in a dark room.
Sebastian arrives near Olivia’s house
and comes upon the Fool who believes him to be Cesario. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew
also find Sebastian and also believe him to be Cesario. They begin to duel and
Sebastian wounds both of them. The Fool fetches Olivia who reproaches her
kinsman for attacking Cesario. Olivia once again confesses her love to
“Cesario” this time to Sebastian, who is a bit bewildered, but is happy
about it nonetheless. When Olivia asks him to marry her, he accepts at once.
Orsino and Viola arrive at Olivia’s
and find there a guarded Antonio, who still believes that Viola is Sebastian.
Orsino tells him that he must be out of his wits because Cesario has been
attending him for the past three months. Olivia enters and tries to hint at
Viola, who is oblivious. Orsino is angered at Olivia’s attention to Cesario,
who in turn tells them both that “he” will not leave the duke. Olivia sends
for the priest who confirms that Olivia and Cesario are to be wed. Sir Toby and
Sir Andrew enter wounded and blame it on the confused Viola. Sebastian arrives,
apologizing to Olivia for his absence, greeting Antonio and finally sees Viola.
After their reunion Orsino asks Viola is she will become his wife. The two
couples are to be married on the same day. Marvolio is let out of his room and
his misfortune is cleared up. Sir Toby and Maria are married and have left.
Viola is the all around go-between for Orsino and Olivia. She mourns for
her brother, but she doesn’t let it consume her and become her way of life.
Same with her love for Orsino, it isn’t all that she has, like it is for him.
Marvolio is the only person who is truly unhappy. Orsino loves to be in
love and Olivia spends her time mourning, but does it happily.
Character Development
Orsino -
(1.1, lines 1-24) Orsino to his servant Curio about his love for Olivia: “If
music be the food of love, play on. / . . .The appetite may sicken and so die. /
. . . O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou, / That, notwithstanding
thy capacity / Receiveth as the sea, naught enters there, / Of what validity and
pitch soe’er, / But falls into abatement and low price / Even in a minute. So
full of shapes is fancy / That it is alone is high fantastical. Curio:
Will you go hunt, my lord? Orsino: What, Curio? Curio: The hart. Orsino:
Why, so I do, the noblest that I have / O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first,
/ Methought she purged the air of pestilence. / That instant I was turned into a
hart, / And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, / E’er since pursue me.”
– Orsino is very poetic and creative when it comes to his love for Olivia, he
also uses that and a myth to farther describe his love. Even through all his
imagery and pretty sayings he begins to become tedious as the play goes on, all
he thinks about is Olivia and all he speaks of is her virtues and how much he
pines for her. He loves to be in
love.
Sir
Andrew Aguecheek – (1.3, lines 46-56) “Sir
Andrew (to Maria): Bless you, fair shrew . . . Sir Toby: Accost, Sir
Andrew, accost! Sir Andrew: What’s that? Sir Toby: My niece’s
chambermaid. Sir Andrew: Good Mistress Accost, I desire better acquaintance. Maria:
My name is Mary, sir. Sir Andrew: Good Mistress Mary Accost – Sir
Toby: You mistake, knight. “Accost” is front her, board her, woo her,
assail her.” - this shows how Sir Andrew, though he might have good intentions
doesn’t have much between the ears.
Word Play
(1.1,
lines 14-24) Orsino to his servant Curio about his love for Olivia: “So
full of shapes is fancy / That it is alone is high fantastical. Curio:
Will you go hunt, my lord? Orsino: What, Curio? Curio: The hart. Orsino:
Why, so I do, the noblest that I have / O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first,
/ Methought she purged the air of pestilence. / That instant I was turned into a
hart, / And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, / E’er since pursue me.”
– In the first lines “fancy” meaning “love and “imagination” and
“fantastical” meaning “strong
images” Orsino describes his love for Olivia. He also plays of “hart”,
which Curio means as a stag, but sounds like “heart”, so Orsino uses that
and a myth to farther describe his love for Olivia.
(1.3, lines 68-76) Maria to Sir Andrew: “I pray you, bring your hand to th’ butt’ry bar and let it drink. Sir Andrew: Wherefore, sweetheart? What’s your metaphor? Maria: It is dry sir. Sir Andrew: Why, I think so. I am not such an ass but I can keep my hand dry. But what’s your jest? Maria: A dry jest, sir.” – “butt’ry bar” is the ledge above the door to the room where drink is kept. Maria hints at “dry” as in Sir Andrew’s lack of vigor and wits, with a pun on “dry” as is thirsty. Sir Andrew doesn’t get it, so she tells him that it was a “dry jest” meaning it was sarcastic or ironic.
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