‘Twelfth Night or What You Will’ Act One – “If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it…”

‘Twelfth Night or What You Will’ Act One – “If music be the food of love, play on;

Give me excess of it…”

‘Twelfth Night or What You Will’ was probably performed in December 1601 or in January or February of 1602 for beginning of the Christmastide celebrations or for twelfth night celebrations or at the Candlemas celebration at the end of Christmastide celebrations. Originally celebrations for Christmas went for twelve days hence the Twelfth Night was the end of Christmastide and then it was extended for forty days so that Candlemas (the celebration of Jesus’ presentation by his mother at the temple) traditionally ended the Christmastide celebrations.

So, ‘Twelfth Night’ may have been performed on the first day of Christmas on December 1601 or on Twelfth Night on January 6^th, 1602 or at Candlemas on February 2^nd, 1602. Any of these dates meant that it was probably performed in doors so the playwright and screenplay writer Tom Stoppard in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ making the play one that was requested by Queen Elizabeth I is not beyond the realms of belief (even though this is highly improbable since it would place the play much earlier and the quite precise Royal records would probably confirm this if it was so). So we can probably best imagine that on the evening of January 6^th (the Twelfth Night) or February 2^nd (Candlemas) 1602, the candles were lit in the Middle Temple of the Inns of Court (one of the four law schools in London at the time), musicians appeared on stage and played a lyrical melancholic tune on a violin, a viola da gamba, a lute and theorbo (bass lute) and then the actor Richard Burbage entered the stage dressed as Lord Orsino and the music stopped and Burbage uttered the now famous first lines of the play that let us know that this play is going to be about love, rejection and desire:

“If music be the food of love, play on; (music continues)

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,

That breathes upon a bank of violets,

Stealing and giving odour! Enough; no more… (music stops)”

Orsino of Illyria is in love with the beautiful Lady Olivia but she will not see him or return his love since she pines for her recently deceased brother. Orsino only wishes to listen to melancholic music and dream of Olivia all day. .

Meanwhile, off the Illyrian coast, the young Viola, a noblewoman who has just been rescued by the Captain of the ship she was shipwrecked with, asks about what happened to her brother Sebastian. The Captain reveals that:

“I saw your brother,

Most provident in peril, bind himself,

Courage and hope both teaching him the practise,

To a strong mast that lived upon the sea;

Where, like Arion on the dolphin's back,

I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves

So long as I could see…”

The Captain tells Viola that they have landed in Illyria where Duke Orsino, rules unmarried because he is in love with the Lady Olivia who since her brother died has “abjured the company and sight of men.” Viola says that she would like to offer her services to lady Olivia but when the Captain says that this is unlikely, Viola decides to disguise herself as a young nobleman and try to serve Duke Orsino and she offers to pay the Captain handsomely if he helps her to disguise herself. So we start the first of many identity changes and complications which will drive this play.

We cross to the mansion of the Lady Olivia, where we meet some of the comic relief of this play. Maria (Olivia’s gentlewoman) is warning Sir Toby Belch (Olivia’s uncle), that Sir Toby’s drinking and the presence of Sir Andrew Aguecheek (who is also a drunkard but fancies himself as courting Olivia), is annoying Olivia. Sir Andrew enters and show himself to be a fool). Maria leaves, and Sir Toby and Sir Andrew talk of how Olivia seems to scorn Sir Andrew and he intends to leave but Sir Toby convinces him that he still has a chance with Olivia particularly if he shows off his dancing skills.

The scene switches to over at Duke Orsino’s mansion, where three days have passed and Viola (has changed her gender and taken on the name of Cesario) and entered service with Orsino who now wishes Cesario to take messages of Orsino’s love to Olivia. Cesario points out that since Olivia has shunned Orsino’s advances up to this point, it is unlikely that she will embrace his love now. But Orsino thinks that Cesario’s youth and his beauty (which is remarkably feminine) will impress Olivia and this combined with Cesario being able to “act” Orsino’s woes out, will add to his suit. This scene ends with Viola as herself telling the audience of her growing affection for Orsino and her desire to be his wife.

Back at Olivia’s house, Maria talks with Feste, Olivia’s clown. The reference in this scene to Feste having been somewhere else for some time suggests that this may have been one of the first major appearances in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men of the new comic actor Robert Armin (who entered the company after William Kempe left in 1599 to Morris dance from London to Norwich). Anyway, in this scene Feste gives as good as he gets first with Maria and then with Olivia who enters with her household steward, Malvolio. Feste does manage to put Olivia in a lighter mood. Malvolio does not see the point in keeping Feste around. Maria exits and arrives back to tell of young man at the gate called Cesario (really Viola in disguise) who brings messages from Duke Orsino. Malvolio is sent out to drive away the young man but Malvolio comes back insisting thay the young man will not leave until he has spoken to Olivia.

Olivia concedes and lets Cesario in who starts to repeat one of Orsino’s love poems and praise Olivia’s beauty but eventually Olivia turns the conversation to the subject of Cesario). After a fashion, Cesario is sent back to tell Duke Orsino that Olivia does not love him and Olivia asks Cesario to come back and tell of Orsino’s reaction. After Cesario leaves, Olivia gets Malvolio to catch up to Cesario to give him a ring which he supposedly left with Olivia (but which she is simply giving to Cesario). Yes, you guessed it, the immovable Olivia has fallen in love with the messenger Cesario (who is really Viola).