Twelfth Night Quotes and Introduction Flashcards
Feste
“Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage”
- pun saying a bad marriage can be prevented by a woman rejecting and also a “well-hung” man can too
language : pun
“for the rain it raineth everyday”
- he is sad, lonely (could lead to pr on his character)
language : song lyric
“my house doth stand by the church”
- Linguistic terrorism (wordplay) shows his wit
language : linguistic terrorism
“that that is, is”
- shows Feste’s wit with words reveals how complex and layered his character is , he is supposedly the clown and not bright but is actually quite witty with his words and he seems cheery and jovial though deep down he feels empty and is desperate for love
language : wordplay
Malvolio
“you would not give means for this uncivil rule”
- represents his puritan nature (pr on religion and Shakespeare almost mocking Puritans with Malvolio’s character)
“Some are born great… other’s achieve greatness”
- his awareness and crave to be of a higher class and stays, impact and struggle associates with class and status
language: representative of class and status
“Nothing that can be come between me”
- dramatic irony, unaware of the trick (after reading what he thinks is Olivia’s letter)
language: dramatic irony
“I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you”
- not everyone gets a happy ending, sense of guilt inflicted by audiences amusement of Malvolio’s fate
Orsino
“If music be the food of love play on”
- music symbol, hyperbolic language , shows he’s in love with the idea of being in love instead of the person itself
language: hyperbolic language
“Maiden’s organ shrill and sound”
- dramatic irony, blindness, appearance vs. reality - when speaking to Viola
language: dramatic irony
“I’ll sacrifice the lamb that I do love”
- shows his stubborn selfish nature (if I can’t have you no one can) - after finding out the Sebastian is married to Olivia
“One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons”
- climactic moment of play, appearance vs. reality, heavy influence and important of appearance
Olivia
“Unless perchance you come to me again”
- Shows Olivia’s interest for Cesario/Viola and the purity of her love as it isn’t influenced by Cesario’s status but wit with words
“Methinks I feel youth’s perfections”
- surprised by her interest and liking of Cesario/Viola’s beautiful features, ironic as those are the features of a woman
“laid my honour too unchary on’t”
- shows presence of status and risk of reputation by loving Viola but does so anyway , shows extent of love
“Plight me full assurance of your faith”
- Olivia’s anxious nature and need to do things properly (disciplined nature?) and by getting married to Sebastian things will be settled, societies expectations of marriage
Viola
“Though that nature with a beauteous all”
- app vs. reality (praising him for being an honourable man despite being physically attractive) shows her respect for people with a good heart and hence hers as well as her status as she is able to pay him graciously for simply telling her what he knows
“myself would be his wife”
- reveals her love for Orsino and shows the difficult, challenging and precarious position she is in by having disguised herself
“leave the world no copy”
- having a conversation with Olivia from a woman to woman point of having children and getting married irony
“ perhaps, were I a woman, your lordship”
- hints to Orsino her feeling for him to which he blindly ignores
Love
“If music be the food of love play on”
- give me so much of it that it ruins my appetite and I want no more
“she hat abjured the sight and company of men”
- The captain to viola explaining Olivia’s mourning for her brother
“What is love? Tis’ no hereafter”
- sung by Feste the future is unknown and the love it may bring or take away is just as uncertain
“add my love without retention”
- opens the possibility to interpret Antonio’s admiration or brotherly love for Seb as something more
Madness
“My masters, are you mad? Or what are you?”
- Malvolio showing his disapproval of Sir Toby and his partying ways, his view of his behaviour as mad (lighter madness)
Disguise and deception x8
“Thy small part”
- Orsino to Viola (ref to feminine voice)
”Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness”
- Personification of Viola seeing wickedness and the consequences of her disguise
“I am all the daughters”
- Viola coming close to revealing her true identity
“I will dissemble myself in’t”
- Toby, Maria and Feste’s plot to trick Malvolio (deceive him), also pun on dissemble as to disguise himself and taking a dig at the church to say all deceptive priests need to do is dress for the part
“Maiden’s organ shrill and sound”
- Orsino commenting on Cesario actually Cesario’s feminine voice (dramatic irony)
“One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons”
- Orsino seeing both Viola and Sebastian together dressed as men
“Though that nature with a beauteous all”
- Viola commending the captain on his kindness despite her expectation of him not to be like that due to his physical charm
“she were better love a dream”
- Viola voicing that Olivia were to be better of loving a dream than loving her fake identity
TN Introduction
‘Twelfth Night’ by playwright William Shakespeare is an Elizabethan romantic comedy. The play is set in Illyria and explores the themes: love, madness and deception.
