‘Twelfth Night or What You Will’ Act Two – “… some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.”

‘Twelfth Night or What You Will’ Act Two – “… some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.”

One of Shakespeare’s greatest gifts is his ability to juggle multiple plots extremely well. In Act Two of ‘Twelfth Night’ we switch to somewhere near the coast of Illyria, where we meet Antonio and Sebastian (Viola’s twin brother who has in fact survived the shipwreck and was taken in by Antonio). This scene comes when Sebastian has decided to reveal to Antonio all about his past and his future intentions (convenient for the audience because we get an already established relationship but new and old details at the same time) . We also hear that Sebastian now believes that his sister Viola was drowned in the shipwreck and thinks that he is alone in the world. Sebastian decides to attempt to join Duke Orsino’s court but Antonio says that he won't follow him because he has enemies in the court of Orsino. After Sebastian leaves, Antonio leaves to go to Orsino’s court, Antonio ponders the situation because he wants to follow his friend and help him, but he has many enemies in Orsino’s court and is afraid to go there. He cares about Sebastian so much, however, that he decides to face the danger and follow him to Orsino’s court anyway.

“The gentleness of all the gods go with thee!

I have many enemies in Orsino's court,

Else would I very shortly see thee there.

But, come what may, I do adore thee so,

That danger shall seem sport, and I will go.”

We seem to jump back in real time to the events just after the scene where Viola (in disguise as the young male Cesario) has just left Olivia. Marvelous the way that Shakespeare can play with time to interweave plots covering long time periods and swapping back to a scene where only a few minutes has passed. Olivia has just sent Malvolio off to find Cesario to chastise him and give him back a ring which he supposedly gave to her. Viola (as Cesario) realizes what Olivia is up to (giving him a ring as a sign of her affections while claiming he gave it to her) and goes along with this and suggests that he did give Olivia the ring. Malvolio throws the ring on the ground and leaves and Viola (Cesario's true identity) picks up the ring and reflects:

“I left no ring with her: what means this lady?

Fortune forbid my outside have not charm'd her…

She loves me, sure; the cunning of her passion

Invites me in this churlish messenger…

Poor lady, she were better love a dream…

How easy is it for the proper-false

In women's waxen hearts to set their forms!

Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we!

For such as we are made of, such we be.

… As I am man,

My state is desperate for my master's love;

As I am woman,--now alas the day!--

What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!

O time! thou must untangle this, not I;

It is too hard a knot for me to untie!”

After such thoughtfulness, it is apt that Shakespeare takes us forward in time to later that night (or early in the darkness of the next day's morning) to Sir Toby and Sir Andrew who are up late on one of their all night drinking sessions at Olivia’s house. Feste, the clown, adds to the ruckus and sings and is praised for this until Maria enters warning them that Olivia’s steward Malvolio may soon appear to confront them. Soon after, Malvolio does appear and he berates the men for their drunkenness and warns them that Olivia may soon ask him to throw them out. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste don't endear themselves to Malvolio by insulting him and he leaves giving them final warnings.

They want to get back at Malvolio and while Sir Andrew suggests a duel, Maria trumps this by suggesting that they play an elaborate trick on him by using Malvolio’s puritanical attitudes, his vanity and large ego to have Malvolio believe that Olivia is in love with him. Maria suggests that she leave some fake letters lying around which she will write in Olivia’s handwriting and these letters will profess Olivia’s love for Malvolio. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew love Maria’s plan and instead of going to bed, go off to heat up some more wine to watch the trickery.

We move onto later the next day (a part of the morning when the sun is up) and over to Duke Orsino’s mansion where Orsino is discussing, you guessed it, love, with young Cesario (Viola in her seasoned male disguise). Orsino says that he thinks Cesario is in love (in fact, if he could see deeper, he would realize that Viola disguised as Cesario is really in love with him Duke Orsino). Cesario resigns to admitting that he is in love and he gives hints by suggesting that he loves someone is similar to Orsino in age and features. Orsino gives his opinion that because men are so fickle that Cesario like all men should look towards a younger woman. Feste, who seems to be able to move back and forth between Olivia’s house and Orsino’s in a magical or at least socially promiscuous way, sings another melancholic song which spurs Orsino to send Cesario to plead Orsino’s case to Olivia one more time. Orsino is reminded by Cesario that Olivia shows no romantic interest in him (just as Olivia's/Cesario’s love is unrequited by his love). Orsino then claims that women cannot love with the intensity of men and then Cesario disagrees and tell of a woman he knew (it is in fact Viola’s own tale).

“My father had a daughter loved a man,

As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman,

I should your lordship…

She never told her love,

But let concealment, like a worm i' the bud,

Feed on her damask cheek: she pined in thought,

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.”

Orsino misses the cryptic point of the story and ends the scene by giving Cesario a jewel to give to the Olivia as a sign of his love.

Over at Olivia’s house, no worse for drinking all night without any rest, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, along with Maria and another servant called Fabian, prepare their deception of Malvolio. Malvolio enters fantasizing about various things including being Count Malvolio with everyone kowtowing to him. He finds Maria’s letter (which he thinks is Olivia’s) which is addressed to the “unknown lover” and this feeds his fantasy and makes him think that Olivia secretly desires him and he decides to wear his yellow stockings, appear cross gartered and smile before Olivia as suggested by the letter:

“I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade

me; for every reason excites to this, that my lady

loves me. She did commend my yellow stockings of

late, she did praise my leg being cross-gartered;

and in this she manifests herself to my love, and

with a kind of injunction drives me to these habits

of her liking. I thank my stars I am happy. I will

be strange, stout, in yellow stockings, and

cross-gartered, even with the swiftness of putting

on…”

Malvolio leaves proclaiming he will do everything in the letter to display his love for Olivia. The others come out of hiding and Maria reveals that Olivia in fact actually hates the color yellow and crossed garters, and people who smile since she is still in mourning. They know that they have set up Malvolio well and truly.