Quotes

• "to be Count Malvolio!" 


  Malvolio, foolish dream, absurdity, comic -> transgressive dream/behaviour -> rise above the ranks
• "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em"


  Malvolio, absurd dream, ambitious nature, arrogant, 'pompous ass' architype, transgressive behaviour, fools and foolish behaviour
• "my stockings of late, and she did praise my leg being cross-gartered"


  Malvolio, dramatic irony, schadenfreude, fools and foolish behaviour, deceit, cruelty,
• "Fool, I say"


  Feste, ironic use of a vocative considering he is believed to be a fool by the majority of the cast and audience
• "If music be the food of love, play on"


  Orsino, rampant egotism, playing the role of the 'courtly lover', "mocking the self indulgence of people fancying themselves deeply in love" - Williams
• "Conceal me what I am"


  Viola, asking the Captain to disguise her as a man, important to structure of comedy, not safe to a women on her own, appearance vs reality, confusion, deceit
• "she purged the air of pestilence"


  Orsino, purged plague, idolising her, she is a miraculous heavenly figure, courtly lover
• "my desires like fell and cruel hounds" 


  Orsino, love has turned him into a hunted creature, suffering for love, courtly lover routine, theatrical aspect to love, he enjoys the performance of love
• "Thou shalt present me as an eunuch"


  Viola, castrated man for a stange sining sound, entertainment/performance, in order to be able to hide herself, safety, disguise, confusion
• "till seven years' heat, [...] like a cloistress she will veilèd walk"


  Valentine, describing Olivia's behaviour since her brother has died, Olivia's attempt to stay unmarried and protect her power, transgressive behaviour, female characters
• " That quaffing and drinking will undo you"


  Maria, showing her ability to critique people above her, transgressive behaviour, critiquing Sir Toby
• "th'buttery-bar"


  Maria, low sexual humour, showing Maria's wit and how she can joke alongside the higher status characters
• "I have unclasped/To thee the book even of my secret soul"


  Orinso, showing the level of trust he has for Cesario (Viola), tightly held as to not let anyone see but Cesario, trust, deceit, disguise, confusion
• "Take the fools away."/"Take away the lady"


  Olivia/Feste, Feste showing wit, seeing through Olivia, Olivia being being blunt and direct (ordering people around), power, Feste flipping Olivia's speech, 'corrupter of words'
• "I think his soul is in hell, madonna"


  Feste, does this to expose Olivia's foolishness, he sees through her performance, fools and foolish behaviour, Feste blending the lines between characters -> transcending social barriers
• "Cacullus non facit monachum [...] I wear not motley in my brain"


  Feste, Latin showing he is educated, he may be dressed as a fool but it is a job, natural fool vs licensed fool
• "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit"


  Feste, he is smart and educated even though he is a fool, natural fool vs licensed fool
• "And we'll strive to please you every day"


  Feste, last line of the play, fourth wall break (you), meta theatricality, show consciousness of performance, life as a play, comedy = reassurance -> but is it?, closing image
• "I do it more natural"


  Sir Andrew, foolish behaviour, natural fool vs licensed fool
• "Corrupter of words"


  Feste, linguistic prowess, educated, wit, role as a fool
• "Disguise, i see thou art a wickedness"


  Viola, lamenting on how she has deceived Olivia, showing the cruelty and suffering caused by disguise, deceit, disguise, comedic themes like confusion
• "Will you deny me now?" 


  Antonio, feeling betrayed as who he thinks to be Sebastian refuses to help him, cruelty caused by disguise, deceit, confusion, suffering, comedy
• "The madly used Malvolio"


  Malvolio, signing off his goodbye letter, the cruelty of comedy, victims of comedy, exclusion from the restoration at the end due to transgressive behaviour
• "The rain it raineth everyday "


  Feste, the last song of the play, this line is repeated, a reminder of the hardships of everyday life, things that may dampen our spirits, sorrow within the play, how Twelfth is tinged with sadness and tragedy, Shakespeare's goodbye to comedy, Tragic comedy
• "Come away, come away, death" "slain by a fair cruel maid,"


  Feste, another of his songs throughout the play, this specific one is a lament for unrequited love, the subject of the song has his heart broken and longs to die and be buried far away to escape the pain of his failed love
• "Here comes my noble gull-catcher."


  Fabian, references to hunting, gulling, consequences to transgressive behaviour, bear-baiting, gulling of Malvolio
• "He left thus ring behind him"


  Olivia, a trick to bring Cesario (Viola) back to talk to him more, trickery, deceit, wit
• "I do adore thee so/That danger shall seem sport"


  Antonio, showing how dedicated he is to Sebastian, he will for go death and punishment to 'serve' and be close to Sebastian, homoerotic themes
• "And I (poor monster)"


  Viola, love triangle, suffering, regretting her disguise, pain of lying
• "O time thou must untangle this, not I"


  Viola, reference to how comedy works -> resolution/restoration at the end, it is out of her hands, the love triangle is too complicated, disguise
• "Am i not of her blood?"


  Sir Toby, blood is the most important factor for being of nobility
• "My masters, are you mad?"


  Malvolio, out of control, drunk, acting a fool, out of sync with expectations, critiquing higher status characters
• "Go, sir, rub your chain with crumbs"


  Sir Toby, in reference to Malvolio, his chain is his status, reference to bear baiting, Puritan
• "I can write very like my lady"


  Maria, trickery, gulling of Malvolio, comedic device, confusion
• "She's a beagle, true bred, and one that adores me"


  Sir Toby, describing Maria, more hunting references, gulling as sport, expensive, transgressive relationship, exclusion from the resolution at the end
• "I was adored once, too"


  Sir Andrew, pathetic, pitiful, pathos, natural fool, fools and foolish behaviour
• "doublet of changeable taffeta, for thy mind is a very opal"


  Feste talking about Orsino, mind is very changeable, clothes change with the light, changeability, uncertainty
• "Here comes the little villain"


  Sir Toby, fondly, Maria is in charge and has everything planned, planing the gull
• "Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun; it shines everywhere"


  Feste, fools and foolish behaviour, folly is everywhere and Feste/the fools job is to draw attention to it
• "Wise enough to play the fool"


  Viola, she has good insight, oxymoron, it takes a lot of effort, verse, truth, sincere