Twelfth Night, or, What You Will
By William Shakespeare
Yale University Press
Copyright © 2007
Burton Raffel
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-300-11563-5
Contents
About This Book................................................ix
Introduction...................................................xvii
Some Essentials of the Shakespearean Stage.....................xxvii
Twelfth Night..................................................1
An Essay by Harold Bloom.......................................145
Further Reading................................................153
Finding List...................................................159
Chapter One
CHARACTERS (DRAMATIS PERSONAE)
Orsino (Duke of Ilyria)
Sebastian (Viola's brother)
Antonio (sea captain, Sebastian's friend)
Sea Captain (Viola's friend)
Sir Toby Belch (Olivia's uncle)
Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Malvolio (Olivia's steward)
Curio, Valentine (the Duke's attendants)
Fabian (Olivia's servant)
Feste, a clown (Olivia's servant)
Olivia (a countess)
Viola (Sebastian's sister)
Maria (Olivia's chambermaid)
Lords, Sailors, a Priest, Officers, Musicians, and Attendants
Act 1
SCENE 1
Duke Orsino's palace
ENTER Duke Orsino, Curio, and other Lords,
and Musicians
Orsino 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.
O it came o'er my ear, like the sweet sound 5
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odor. Enough, no more,
'Tis not so sweet now as it was before.
O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou,
That notwithstanding thy capacity
Receiveth as the sea, nought 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 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 was I turned into a hart,
And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,
E'er since pursue me.
ENTER Valentine
How now, what news from her?
Valentine So please my lord, I might not be admitted,
But from her handmaid do return this answer:
The element itself, till seven years' heat, 25
Shall not behold her face at ample view.
But like a cloistress she will veilèd 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 30
And lasting in her sad remembrance.
Orsino O, she that hath a heart of that fine frame
To pay this debt of love but to a brother,
How will she love, when the rich golden shaft
Hath killed the flock of all affections else 35
That live in her? When liver, brain, and heart,
These sovereign thrones, are all supplied, and filled
Her sweet perfections with one self king?
Away before me, to sweet beds of flowers,
Love-thoughts lie rich, when canopied with bowers.
EXEUNT
SCENE 2
The seacoast
ENTER Viola, a Captain, and Sailors
Viola What country, friends, is this?
Captain This is Illyria, lady.
Viola And what should I do in Illyria?
My brother he is in Elysium.
Perchance he is not drowned. What think you sailors? 5
Captain It is perchance that you yourself were saved.
Viola O my poor brother, and so perchance may he be.
Captain True madam, and to comfort you with chance,
Assure yourself, after our ship did split,
When you, and those poor number saved with you 10
Hung on our driving boat, I saw your brother,
Most provident in peril, bind himself
(Courage and hope both teaching him the practice),
To a strong mast that lived upon the sea,
Where like Arion on the dolphin's back, 15
I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves
So long as I could see.
Viola For saying so, there's gold.
Mine own escape unfoldeth to my hope
(Whereto thy speech serves for authority)
The like of him. Know'st thou this country?
Captain Ay madam, well, for I was bred and born
Not three hours' travel from this very place.
Viola Who governs here?
Captain A noble duke, in nature as in name.
Viola What is his name?
Captain Orsino.
Viola Orsino. I have heard my father name him.
He was a bachelor then.
Captain And so is now, or was so very late,
For but a month ago I went from hence,
And then 'twas fresh in murmur (as you know,
What great ones do the less will prattle of)
That he did seek the love of fair Olivia.
Viola What's she?
Captain A virtuous maid, the daughter of a count
That died some twelvemonth since, then leaving her
In the protection of his son, her brother,
Who shortly also died. For whose dear love
(They say) she hath abjured the sight 40
And company of men.
Viola 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.
Captain That were hard to compass, 45
Because she will admit no kind of suit,
No, not the Duke's.
Viola There is a fair behavior in thee, captain,
And though that nature with a beauteous wall
Doth oft close in pollution, yet of thee 50
I will believe thou hast a mind that suits
With this thy fair and outward character.
I prithee (and I'll pay thee bounteously)
Conceal me what I am, and be my aid
For such disguise as haply shall become
The form of my intent. I'll serve this Duke,
Thou shall present me as an eunuch to him:
It may be worth thy pains. For I can sing,
And speak to him in many sorts of music
That will allow me very worth his service.
What else may hap to time I will commit,
Only shape thou thy silence to my wit.
Captain Be you his eunuch, and your mute I'll be,
When my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not see.
Viola I thank thee. Lead me on.
EXEUNT
SCENE 3
Olivia's house
ENTER Sir Toby Belch and Maria
Sir Toby What a plague means my niece, to take the death of
her brother thus? I am sure care's an enemy to life.
Maria By my troth, Sir Toby, you must come in earlier a'
nights. Your cousin, my lady, takes great exceptions to your
ill hours. 5
Sir Toby Why, let her except, before excepted.
Maria Ay, but you must confine yourself within the modest
limits of order.
Sir Toby Confine? I'll confine myself no finer than I am. These
clothes are good enough to drink in, and so be these boots 10
too. An they be not, let them hang themselves in their own
straps.
Maria That quaffing and drinking will undo you. I heard my
lady talk of it yesterday. And of a foolish knight that you
brought in one night here to be her wooer.
Sir Toby Who, Sir Andrew Aguecheek?
Maria Ay, he.
Sir Toby He's as tall a man as any's in Illyria.
Maria What's that to th' purpose?
Sir Toby Why, he has three thousand ducats a year.
Maria Ay, but he'll have but a year in all these ducats. He's a
very fool and a prodigal.
Sir Toby Fie, that you'll say so. He plays o'the viol-de-gamboys,
and speaks three or four languages word for word
without book, and hath all the good gifts of nature.
Maria He hath indeed, all most natural. For besides that he's
a fool, he's a great quarreler. And but that he hath the gift of a
coward, to allay the gust he hath in quarreling, 'tis thought
among the prudent he would quickly have the gift of a grave.
Sir Toby By this hand, they are scoundrels and subtractors that
say so of him. Who are they?
Maria They that add, moreover, he's drunk nightly in your company.
Sir Toby With drinking healths to my niece. I'll drink to her as
long as there is a passage in my throat, and drink in Illyria.
He's a coward and a coistrel that will not drink to my niece
till his brains turn o'the toe like a parish-top. What,
wench?
Castiliano vulgo, for here comes Sir Andrew
Agueface.
ENTER Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Sir Andrew Sir Toby Belch. How now, Sir Toby Belch? 40
Sir Toby Sweet Sir Andrew.
Sir Andrew (to Maria) Bless you, fair shrew.
Maria And you too, sir.
Sir Toby Accost, Sir Andrew, accost.
Sir Andrew What's that? 45
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 50
her, woo her, assail her.
Sir Andrew By my troth, I would not undertake her in this
company. Is that the meaning of "accost"?
Maria Fare you well, gentlemen.
Sir Toby An thou let part so, Sir Andrew, would thou 55
mightst never draw sword again.
Sir Andrew An you part so, mistress, I would I might never draw
sword again. Fair lady, do you think you have fools in hand?
Maria Sir, I have not you by th' hand.
Sir Andrew Marry but you shall have, and here's my hand.
Maria Now, sir, "thought is free." I pray you, bring your
hand to th' buttery-bar and let it drink.
Sir Andrew Wherefore, sweetheart? What's your metaphor?
Maria It's 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.
Sir Andrew Are you full of them?
Maria Ay sir, I have them at my fingers' ends. Marry, now I
let go your hand, I am barren.
EXIT Maria
Sir Toby O knight thou lackest a cup of canary. When did I
see thee so put down?
Sir Andrew Never in your life I think, unless you see canary put
me down. Methinks sometimes I have no more wit than a
Christian or an ordinary man has. But I am a great eater of 75
beef and I believe that does harm to my wit.
Sir Toby No question.
Sir Andrew An I thought that, I'ld forswear it. I'll ride home
tomorrow, Sir Toby.
Sir Toby Pourquoi, my dear knight? 80
Sir Andrew 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!
Sir Toby Then hadst thou had an excellent head of hair.
Sir Andrew Why, would that have mended my hair? 85
Sir Toby Past question, for thou seest it will not curl by
nature.
Sir Andrew But it becomes me well enough, does't not?
Sir Toby Excellent, it hangs like flax on a distaff, and I hope
to see a housewife take thee between her legs and spin it off. 90
Sir Andrew Faith, I'll home tomorrow,
Sir Toby. Your niece
will not be seen, or if she be, it's four to one she'll none of
me. The Count himself here hard by woos her.
Sir Toby She'll none o'the count, she'll not match above
her degree, neither in estate, years, nor wit. I have heard her
swear't. Tut, there's life in't, man.
Sir Andrew I'll stay a month longer. I am a fellow o'the strangest
mind i'the world. I delight in masques and revels
sometimes altogether.
Sir Toby Art thou good at these kickshawses, knight?
Sir Andrew As any man in Illyria, whatsoever he be, under the
degree of my betters, and yet I will not compare with an
old man.
Sir Toby What is thy excellence in a galliard, knight?
Sir Andrew Faith, I can cut a caper.
Sir Toby And I can cut the mutton to't.
Sir Andrew And I think I have the back-trick, simply as
strong as any man in Illyria.
Sir Toby Wherefore are these things hid? Wherefore have
these gifts a curtain before 'em? Are they like to take
dust, like Mistress Mall's picture? Why dost thou not go to
church in a galliard, and come home in a coranto? My very
walk should be a jig, I would not so much as make water
but in a sink-a-pace. What dost thou mean? Is it a
world to hide virtues in? I did think, by the excellent 115
constitution of thy leg, it was formed under the star of a
galliard.
Sir Andrew Ay, 'tis strong, and it does indifferent well in a
damned-colored stock. Shall we set about some revels?
Sir Toby What shall we do else? Were we not born under 120
Taurus?
Sir Andrew Taurus? That's sides and heart.
Sir Toby No sir, it is legs and thighs. Let me see the caper. Ha,
higher. Ha, ha, excellent!
EXEUNT
SCENE 4
Duke Orsino's palace
ENTER Valentine and Viola in man's attire
Valentine If the Duke continue these favors towards you,
Cesario, you are like to be much advanced. He hath known
you but three days, and already you are no stranger.
Viola You either fear his humor, or my negligence, that you
call in question the continuance of his love. Is he inconstant,
sir, in his favors?
Valentine No, believe me.
Viola I thank you. Here comes the Count.
ENTER Orsino, Curio, and Attendants
Orsino Who saw Cesario, ho?
Viola On your attendance, my lord: here.
Orsino Stand you a while aloof, Cesario,
Thou know'st no less but all. I have unclasped
To thee the book even of my secret soul.
Therefore good youth, address thy gait unto her,
Be not denied access, stand at her doors,
And tell them, there thy fixèd foot shall grow
Till thou have audience.
Viola Sure, my noble lord,
If she be so abandoned to her sorrow
As it is spoke, she never will admit me.
Orsino Be clamorous and leap all civil bounds 20
Rather than make unprofited return.
Viola Say I do speak with her, my lord, what then?
Orsino O then, unfold the passion of my love,
Surprise her with discourse of my dear faith.
It shall become thee well to act my woes. 25
She will attend it better in thy youth
Than in a nuncio's of more grave aspect.
Viola I think not so, my lord.
Orsino Dear lad, believe it,
For they shall yet belie thy happy years,
That say thou art a man. Diana's lip 30
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. Some four or five attend him - All,
if you will, for I myself am best
When least in company. Prosper well in this,
And thou shalt live as freely as thy lord,
To call his fortunes thine.
Viola I'll do my best
To woo your lady. (
aside) Yet, a barful strife,
Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife.
EXEUNT
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Twelfth Night, or, What You Will
by William Shakespeare
Copyright © 2007 by Burton Raffel.
Excerpted by permission.
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