| Orsino (1.4.29-35) | “Dear lad, believe it; for they shall yet belie thy happy years that say thou art a man. Diana’s lip is not more smooth and rubious; thy small pipe is as the maiden’s organ, shrill and sound, and all is semblative a woman’s part. I know thy constellation is right apt for this affair.”-talking to Viola (as Cesario)-recognizes the female beneath the costume-language is both male and female-eroticization of the boy (boy playing a a girl playing a boy)-deeply moved by Cesario’s beauty-wake makes Cesario so attractive is that he is hiding a secret and grieving (deeply melancholic)-emotional unattainabilityrechannels melancholy and grief-Viola and Sebastian are twins (loss makes her lacking; represents a loss when she embodies Cesario) |
| Valentine (1.1.25-31) | “The element itself till seven years’ heat shall not behold her face at ample view, but like a cloistress she will veiled walk and water once a day her chamber round with eye-offending brine–all this to season a brother’s dead love, which she would keep fresh and last in her sad remembrance.”-she will not even step outside for 7 years-she will not expose herself to the environment-cloistress= nun-extreme (to mourn brother for 7 years)-making grief a fetish-a lot of societal pressure on her-she’s the head of the household (father and brother are dead)-constant discussion of her grief being unnatural |
| Feste and Olivia (1.5.57-62) | “Good madonna, why mournest thou?””Good fool, for my brother’s death.””I think his soul is in hell, madonna.””I know his soul is in heaven, fool.””The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother’s soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen.”-the fool makes fun of Olivia for mourning-suggests that you are too attached to the material world-spiritual resolution to know that your brother is in heaven |
| Viola (1.2.38-40) | “O that I served that lady, and might not be delivered to the world till I had made mine own occasion mellow, what my estate is.”-talking to Captain-obsessed with class and rank-property-not being allowed into a man’s house-her desire to dress as a boy is not just to hide herself outward self and mourn, but it is also so she can impersonate her brother (keeping her brother alive by playing him) |
| Orsino (1.1.32-38) | “O, she that hath a heart of that fine frame to pay this debt of love but to a brother, how ill she love when the rich golden shaft hath killed the flock of all affection else that live in her–when liver, brain, and heart, these sovereign thrones, are all supplied, and filled her sweet perfection with one self king!”-speaking to Valentine-the reason why Orsino find Olivia attractive is because she is mourning her brother-her mourning is a good sign of how much she’ll love him once he has taken away everything she is passionate about and only has him to love-“once i have conquered all of her body”-narcissism |
| Orsino (1.1.1-15) | “If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken and so die. That strain again, it had a dying fall…”-speaking to himself-opening line-Orsino is in love with being in love-he wants the musicians to play the part that has the “dying fall” to it again |
| Viola (1.5.151-155) | “Most radiant, exquisite, and unmatchable beauty–I pray you, tell me if this be the lady of the house, for I never saw her. I would be loath to cast away my speech, for besides that it is excellently well penned, I have taken great pains to con it. Good beauties, let me sustain no scorn; I am very ‘countable, even to the least sinister usage.”-speaking to Olivia-undercurrent of seriousness-play about twins and mirroring (Cesario (Viola) and Olivia are emotional twins)-emptiness of love scripts-patriarchan, trite, love script-response: reject Cesario |
| Olivia (1.5.214-218) | “O sir, I will not be so hard-hearted. I will give out divers schedules of my beauty. It shall be inventoried and every particle and utensil labelled to my will, as item, two lips, indifferent red; item, two grey eyes, with lids to them; item, one neck, one chin, and so forth. Were you sent hither to praise me?”-speaking to Viola (as Cesario)-Olivia keeps pressing Cesario to leave behind his text-Olivia wants to hear what Cesario’s words are |
| Viola (1.5.241-245) | “Halloo your name to the reverberate hills, and make the babbling gossip of the air cry out ‘Olivia!’ O, you should not rest between the elements of air and earth but you should pity me.”-speaking to Olivia-what would I want to hear? (what Cesario would want to hear)-Cesario missing her brother-indictment of how Orsino has been wooing-Echo and Narcissus (myth of falling in love)-Olivia has fallen in love with Cesario (Viola)-felt moved by what Cesario is saying (resonance that is being plucked; that is on a deeper level)-might be attracted to Cesario because she can boss him around |
| Viola (2.4.109-117) | “A blank, my lord. She never told her love, but let concealment, like a worm i’th’bud, feed on her damask cheek. She pined in though and with a green and yellow melancholy she sat like patience on a monument, smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed? We men may say more, swear more, but indeed our shows are more than will for still we prove much in our vows, but little in our love.”-speaking to Orsino-part of her lovesickness is actually making her ill-worm in the bud that is feeding on her from within-what is keeping Cesario/Viola from telling Orsino that she’s in love with him (she would have to give up Cesario if she tells Orsino if she’s in love with him) |
| Viola (5.1.242-248) | “If nothing lets to make us happy both but this my masculine usurped attire, do not embrace me till each circumstance of place, time, fortune do cohere and jump that I am Viola, which to confirm I’ll bring you to a captain where lie my maiden weeds…”-speaking to Sebastian-until everything makes me look like I am Viola, I don’t want you to embrace me-we never see Viola again (she stays Cesario until the end of the play)-Shakespeare wants to sustain Cesario (revival of Sebastian)-radical vision of a man and a boy about to be married (at the end of the play) |
| Sebastian (5.1.252-256) | “So comes it, lady, you have been mistook. But nature to her bias drew in that. You would have been contracted to a maid, nor are you therein, by my life, deceived. You are betrothed both to a maid and man.”-speaking to Viola -is it more natural for like to be attracted to like?-the most pure, devoted, love in the play is Antonio and Sebastian-calls his attraction to Sebastian (who is really Cesario who is really Viola) unnatural-Antonio has no one at the end of the play-nature doesn’t work on a straight line (nature is curved)-attracted to Cesario, but then nature intervened and provided you with me-mistook by nature-I too am a virgin: “you are betrothed to both maid and man” |
| Orsino (5.1.371-375) | “Meantime, sweet sister, we will not part from hence. Cesario, come–for so you shall be while you are a man; but when in other habit you are seen, Orsino’s mistress, and his fancy’s queen”-speaking to Olivia (and Cesario)-even though he knows Cesario is Viola, he still calls her Cesario |
| Maria (2.3.131-136) | “The dev’l a puritan that he is, or anything constantly but a time-pleaser , an affectioned ass that cons state without book and utters it by great swathes; the best persuaded of himself, so crammed, as he thinks, with excellencies, that it is his grounds of faith that all that look on him love him; and on that vice in him will my revenge find notable cause to work.”-speaking to Sir Toby and Sir Andrew-Malvolio comes in and tells people to be quiet-spoil-sport-Maria knows she can fool him/gull him-has a pomposity that allows her to trick him |
| Sir Toby (2.3.102-104) | “Out o’ tune, sir, ye lie. Art any more than a steward? Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”-speaking to Feste and Malvolio-Malvolio wants to marry up-about having the authority more than being in love with Olivia-irks Sir Toby because Toby believes that Malvolio should not be allowed to penetrate the class separations-the audience is irked by him too |
| Sir Toby (4.2.60-63) | “I would we were well rid of this knavery. If he may be conveniently delivered, I would he were, for I am now so far in offence with my niece that I cannot pursue with any safety this sport to the upshot.”-speaking to Feste-sports and merry-makers gets darker and darker |
| Sir Andrew (1.3.78-80) | “What is ‘Pourquoi’? Do, or not do? I would I had bestowed that time in the tongues that I have in fencing, dancing, and bear-baiting. O, had I but followed the arts!”-speaking to Sir Toby-not a real “sir”-bought his knighthood-has money but no class-thin venire of class over excess money and no manhood |
| Maria (2.3.118-123) | “Sweet Sir Toby, be patient for tonight. Since the youth of the Count’s was today with my lady she is much out of quiet. For Monsieur Malvolio, let me alone with him. If I do not gull him into a nayword and make him a common recreation, do not think I have wit enough t lie straight in my bed. I know I can do it”-speaking to Sir Toby-Sir Toby marries her in response to her being such a great trickster-she knows how to impersonate-imitates her lady’s hand-get rewarded at the end instead of punished (like Malvolio) |
| Malvolio (2.5.108-124) | “‘M.’ Malvolio–‘M’–why, that begins my name. … ‘M.’ But then there is no consonancy in the sequel. That suffers under probation. ‘A’ should follow, but ‘O’ does. …”-Malvolio speaking to Fabian and Sir Toby-follows the letter to the word (literally)-there are rules and you should follow the rules-he can’t think outside the rules-doesn’t get the joke that is in the letter-made to be a fool but can’t play the fool |
| Viola (3.1.53-58) | “This fellow is wise enough to play the fool, and to do that well craves a kind of wit. He must observe their mood on whom he jests, the quality of persons, and the time, and like the haggard, check at every feather that comes before his eye.”-speaking about Feste-brings together two figures who are playing the fool (Cesario and Feste); both are adaptive and flexible-Cesario notes what is talented about Feste-adapts to every situation (understands how to use language; Malvolio doesn’t)-outside the plot of the play (“free agent” as a fool) |
| Malvolio (1.5.71-76) | “I marvel your ladyship takes delight in such a barren rascal. I saw him put down the other day with an ordinary fool that has no more brain than a stone. Look you now, he’s out of his guard already. Unless you laugh and minister occasion to him, he is gagged. I protest I take these wise men that crow so at these set kind of fools no better than the fools’ zanies.”-speaking to Olivia about Feste-starts to criticize the fool-Olivia says that Feste’s words don’t mean anything-Malvolio is suggesting that he is nothing but a needy begger-denial of what Feste’s power is dependent, needs an audience, does not move freely |
| Feste and Malvolio (5.1.359-364) | “Why, ‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrown upon them.’ I was one sir, in this interlud, one Sir Topas, sir; but that’s all one. ‘By the Lod, fool, I am not mad’–but do you remember, ‘Madam, why laugh you at such a barren rascal, an you smile not, he’s gagged’–and thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.”M: “I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you.”-Sir Andrew Aguecheek-Malvolio-Antonio-does not have the neat, revival romance feeling (happens through Malvolio plot) |
Twelfth Night
July 23, 2019