in Twelfth Night, or What You Will — Shakespeare, William
Metadata
Play
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Author
Shakespeare, William
Year (catalogued)
1623
First performance
1601
Decade
1620s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men
Speech prefix(es)
Fab. | Fa.
Words
870
Characters
4464
Typicality
0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A11954.13
BritDrama no.
1297
Cluster
Cluster 17 — Intriguers & schemers
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 17 (nat, leaguer, assyrian, mowche, bashas, andalle…). Matches are highlighted.
a Bearbaiting here. O peace: Contemplation makes a rare Turkey Cock of him, how he jets under his advanced plumes. Oh peace, now he's deeply in: look how imagi nation blows him. Oh peace, peace. O peace, peace, peace, now, now. Though our silence be drawn from us with cars, yet peace. Now is the Woodcock near the gin. A fustian
Full speech
Nay I'll come: if I lose a scruple of this sport, let me be boiled to death with Melancholy. Nay patience, or we break the sinews of our plot? This wins him, Liver and all. What dish a poison has she dressed him? Sowter will cry vpon't for all this, though it be as rank as a Fox. Did not I say he would work it out, the Cur is excellent at faults. I will not give my partly of this sport for a pensi on of thousands to be paid from the Sophy. Here comes my noble gull catcher. You must need yield your reason, Sir And drew ? This was a great argument of love in her towards you. I will prove it legitimate sir, upon the Oaths of judgement, and reason. She did show favour to the youth in your sighed, only to exasperate you, to awake your dormouse valour, to put fire in your Heart, and brimstone in your Liver: you should then have accosted her, and with some excel lent jests, fire-new from the mint, you should have banged the youth into dumbness: this was looked for at your hand, and this was b ulkt: the double gilded of this oppor tunitie you let time wash off and you are now sailed into the North of my Ladies opinion, where you will hang Like and ysickle on a Dutchmans beard, unless you do re deem it, by some laudable attempt, either of valour or policy. There is no way but this sir Andrew. And his opposite the youth bears in his visage no great presage of cruelty. Here he is, here he is: how is't with you sir? How is't with you man? Carry his water to the wise woman. Is't so saucy? Here he comes with your Niece, give them way till he take leave, and presently after him. I know the knight is incensed against you, even to a mortal arbitrement, but nothing of the circumstance more. Nothing of that wonderful promise to read him by his form, as you are Like to find him in the proof of his valour. He is indeed sir, the most skilful, bloody, & fatal opposite that you could possibly have found in any partly of Illyria: will you walk towards him, I will make your peace with him, if I can. Give ground if you see him furious. Oh good sir Toby hold: here come the Officers. A Coward, a most devout Coward, religious in it. Come, let's see the event. Now as thou lovest me, let me see his Letter. Any thing. This is to give a dog, and in recompense desire my dog again. Reads. By the Lord Madam, you wrong me, and the world shall know it: Though you have put me into darkness, and given your drunken Cosine rule over me, yet have I the benefit of my senses as well as your Lady ship. I have your own letter, that induced me to the semblance I put on; with the which I doubt not, but to do my self much right, or you much shame: think of me as you please. I leave my duty a little unthought of, and speak out of my injury. Good Madam hear me speak, And let no quarrel, nor no braule to come, Taint the condition of this present hour, Which I have wondered at. In hope it shall not, Most freely I confess my self, and Toby Set this device against Malvolio here, Upon some stubborn and uncourteous parts We had conceived against him. Maria writ The Letter, at sir Tobyes great importance, In recompense whereof, he hath married her: How with a sportful malice it was followed, May rather pluck on laughter then revenge, If that the injuries be justly weighed, That have on both sides passed. I would exult man: you know he brought me out of favour with my Lady, about a Bearbaiting here. O peace: Contemplation makes a rare Turkey Cock of him, how he jets under his advanced plumes. Oh peace, now he's deeply in: look how imagi nation blows him. Oh peace, peace. O peace, peace, peace, now, now. Though our silence be drawn from us with cars, yet peace. Now is the Woodcock near the gin. A fustian riddle. And Oh shall end, I hope. I, and you had any eye behind you, you might see more detraction at your heals, then Fortune's before you. This is a deer Manakin to you Sir Toby. We shall have a rare Letter from him; but you'll not deliuer't. No way but gentleness, gently, gently: the Fiend is rough, and will not be roughly used. If this were played upon a stage now, I could con demne it as and improbable fiction. Why we shall make him mad indeed. More matter for a May morning. Good, and valiant. A good note, that keeps you from the blow of y e Law Very brief, and to exceeding good senseless. Good. Still you keep of that windy side of the Law: good. He is as horribly conceited of him: and pants, & looks pale, as if a Bear were at his heals.
Plot summary
Plot — Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Orsino is in love with Olivia, but she is in mourning and has renounced the company of men. Shipwrecked in Illyria and believing her twin brother dead, Viola enters Orsino’s service posing as a eunuch, ‘Cesario’. She falls in love with him, but is sent to woo Olivia on his behalf. Olivia in turn falls in love with ‘Cesario’. Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby, is trying to marry her off to his idiot acquaintance, Sir Andrew. After her steward Malvolio interrupts their raucous nocturnal sing-song, and unjustly accuses her gentlewoman Maria of complicity, the offended parties plot to humiliate him. Maria writes a letter, in handwriting similar to Olivia’s, and leaves it for him to find. It encourages him to believe possible his fantasies of marrying his mistress, and induces him to behave and dress inappropriately in her presence. Olivia thinks he is mad or possessed, and has him confined in Sir Toby’s charge. Sir Toby and his accomplices take the opportunity to mock him. Sebastian, Viola’s brother, is alive after all: he was rescued from drowning by Orsino’s enemy Antonio. They too come to Illyria, and Antonio entrusts Sebastian with his purse. Sir Toby encourages Sir Andrew to challenge ‘Cesario’ to a duel, and makes each afraid of the other. They are on the point of fighting when Antonio intervenes to help the youth, believing him to be Sebastian. When he is arrested by Orsino’s officers, Viola is unable to return the purse he gave to Sebastian; he reproaches ‘Sebastian’s’ ingratitude, and Viola realizes her brother has survived. Taking ‘Cesario’ for a coward, Sir Andrew and Sir Toby renew the quarrel when they encounter Sebastian, but Olivia intervenes. After arranging for a priest, she contracts to marry Sebastian, thinking him “Cesario’. Orsino realizes that ‘Cesario’ has become an obstacle in the pursuit of his love, and considers killing ‘him’ until it emerges that Olivia is now married. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are wounded after attacking Sebastian, whose arrival on stage resolves all confusions. Orsino transfers his affections to Viola. Malvolio is released, but goes away swearing vengeance. Feste sings.