Twelfth Night Act Five – “When that I was and a little tiny boy, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain…”

Twelfth Night Act Five – “When that I was and a little tiny boy,

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain…”

Although it is corny and forcibly ties together all the loose ends, the ending of ‘Twelfth Night’ still brings a smile to my face every time. The final act is done in one continuous scene and starts with Orsino finally coming to Olivia’s house. Viola (dressed as Cesario) is with him. Illyrian soldiers bring Antonio before Orsino and he recognizes him as his pirate enemy. When asked why he came to Orsino’s lands so openly, Antonio tells of how he rescued, befriended, and protected Sebastian who he thought was Cesario. Cesario (Viola) is berated for taking money and a purse and denying it. 

Just then, Olivia enters and she seems angry with Cesario, whom she claims she has just married. Orsino then becomes angry with Cesario and makes death threats. Viola (dressed as the male Cesario) declares her (his) love for Orsino and Olivia is flabbergasted and calls for the priest who had just performed the wedding. The priest confirms he just married Olivia to the person he identifies as Cesario (Olivia in disguise).

Just when we as an audience think that confusion could not be built up anymore, Sir Andrew enters, crying loud for a doctor as he reveals that Sir Toby and him have just got injured in a fight with Cesario. Viola (as Cesario) is perplexed and denies the charges. As Olivia sends Sir Andrew and Sir Toby away to have their wounds treated, the young Sebastian appears and we know that calm resolution is on the horizon.

Sebastian apologizes to his new wife for having beaten up her uncle and Sir Andrew and then he warmly greats Antonio. Everyone stops in their tracks and stares at, “One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons…” Sebastian and Viola shoot questions at one another and finally confim that they are who they are - long lost brother and sister. Viola then reveals that she is in fact a woman which brings great relief to everyone especially Orsino and Olivia. Orsino says to Viola, “Give me thy hand; and let me see thee in thy woman's weeds.” Viola says that her woman’s clothes are hidden with the sea captain, who is looking after the seemingly mad Malvolio. Feste, the clown remembers the letter he has from Malvolio to Olivia. Feste reads the letter aloud and Olivia summons Malvolio before her whom she thinks is not mad.

Malvolio enters and wants to know why he has been so ill treated. The letter that Malvolio thought was in Olivia’s handwriting is found out to be written in Maria’s handwriting and Fabian reveals all about the tricking of Malvolio and reveals some sense of the reasons why he thinks such a trick was justified while also mentioning that Sir Toby has just married Maria. Malvolio storms out, rightly furious. Orsino sends a servant off to placate Malvolio and find Viola some female clothes. 

The wedding of Sir Toby is crowned by Orsino announcing a grand double wedding of him to Viola and Olivia to Sebastian (who are already married but obviously don’t mind a grander second act to their marriage). As all the happy couples, friends and family exit, the clown Feste strikes up a surprisingly melancholic mood with a song that echoes Orsino’s opening melancholic meanderings at the opening of the play, “If music be the food of love, play on…”. And so, a play that starts in melancholy, despite misunderstandings, meanderings, love and marriage, ends in the same melancholic mood:

“When that I was and a little tiny boy,

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,

A foolish thing was but a toy,

For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came to man's estate,

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,

For the rain it raineth every day.

'Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate,

For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came, alas! to wive,

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,

For the rain it raineth every day.

By swaggering could I never thrive,

For the rain it raineth every day..

But when I came unto my beds,

With a hey, ho, the wind and the rain,

With toss-pots still had drunken heads,

For the rain it raineth every day.

A great while ago the world begun,

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,

But that's all one, our play is done,

And we'll strive to please you every day.”