Twelfth Night - Critical Quotations Flashcards
ORSINO - Act 1, Scene 1 - “The appetite may sicken and so die”
Chivalric lover, his love for Olivia is hurting him, he wants it to die
ORSINO - Act 1, Scene 1 - “How will she love when the rich golden shaft hath killed the flock”
Links to Cupid + Greek myth, theme of fate, Cupid’s arrow keeps missing Olivia
VIOLA - Act 1, Scene 2 - “Conceal me what I am”
Sets up for theme of disguise and illusion, Viola trusts the Captain
VIOLA - Act 1, Scene 2 - “It may be worth thy pains, for I can sing and speak to him in many sorts of music”
Link to Orsino’s opening lines, potential love between them, role of women, form of entertainment for men + to beautify them, love links to music
MARIA - Act 1, Scene 3 - “Bring your hand to th’ buttery bar”
Flirtatious + euphemistic, powerful female character
ORSINO - Act 1, Scene 4 - “To thee the book even of my secret soul”
Precise, poetic language when speaking to Viola, only talks to her in that way, foreshadows their future relationship
VIOLA - Act 1, Scene 4 - “Who’er I woo, myself would be his wife”
She is in love with Orsino, and there is nothing she can do about it - love triangle established
VIOLA - Act 1, Scene 5 - “Between the elements of air and earth”
Celestial imagery, agape love
OLIVIA + FESTE - Act 1, Scene 5 - “Take the fool away” “Do you not hear, fellows? Take away the lady”
Feste subverts authority by talking to someone of a higher status this way
FESTE - Act 1, Scene 5 - “The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother’s soul being in heaven”
Blunt joke, attempt to cheer Olivia up
MALVOLIO + FESTE - Act 1, Scene 5 - “Unless you laugh and minster occasion to him, he is gagged”
Personal attack on Feste, if they do not laugh at his jokes then he has nothing
OLIVIA - Act 1, Scene 5 - “If it be a suit from the count, I am sick, or not at home. What you will to dismiss it”
Malvolio fails at his task, Viola comes in and Olivia falls in love, Malvolio has very limited authority and cannot stop a servant from entering, love is inevitable and cannot be stopped, Malvolio cannot stop it from progressing
VIOLA - Act 1, Scene 5 - “‘Tis with him in standing water between boy and man”
Dramatic irony, tension of everyone finding out her true identity and seeing through her disguise
VIOLA - Act 1, Scene 5 - “I am not that I play”
Dramatic irony, disguise/misidentity, foreshadowing
VIOLA + OLIVIA - Act 1, Scene 5 - “But you should pity me”
Links to later in play - “I pity you”
