Twelfth Night | Act I, Scene II

Scene II

The sea-coast

[Enter Viola, Captain, and Sailors.]

VIOLA:
What country, friends, is this?
CAPTAIN:
This is Illyria, lady.
VIOLA:
And what should I do in Illyria?
My brother he is in Elysium.
Perchance he is not drown'd: what think you, sailors?(5)
CAPTAIN:
It is perchance that you yourself were saved.
VIOLA:
O my poor brother! and so perchance may he be.
CAPTAIN:
True, madam; and, to comfort you with chance,
Assure yourself, after our ship did split,
When you and those poor number saved with you(10)
Hung on our driving boat, I saw your brother,
Most provident in peril, bind himself,
Courage and hope both teaching him the practice,
To a strong mast that lived upon the sea;
Where, like Arion on the dolphin's back,(15)
I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves
So long as I could see.
VIOLA:
For saying so, there's gold.
Mine own escape unfoldeth to my hope,
Whereto thy speech serves for authority,(20)
The like of him. Know'st thou this country?
CAPTAIN:
Ay, madam, well; for I was bred and born
Not three hours' travel from this very place.
VIOLA:
Who governs here?
CAPTAIN:
A noble duke, in nature(25)
As in name.
VIOLA:
What is his name?
CAPTAIN:
Orsino.
VIOLA:
Orsino! I have heard my father name him.
He was a bachelor then.(30)
CAPTAIN:
And so is now, or was so very late;
For but a month ago I went from hence,
And then 'twas fresh in murmur,—as, you know,
What great ones do the less will prattle of,—
That he did seek the love of fair Olivia.(35)
VIOLA:
What's she?
CAPTAIN:
A virtuous maid, the daughter of a count
That died some twelvemonth since; then leaving her
In the protection of his son, her brother,
Who shortly also died: for whose dear love,(40)
They say, she hath abjured the company
And sight of men.
VIOLA:
O that I served that lady
And might not be delivered to the world,
Till I had made mine own occasion mellow,(45)
What my estate is!
CAPTAIN:
That were hard to compass;
Because she will admit no kind of suit,
No, not the Duke's.
VIOLA:
There is a fair behavior in thee, captain;(50)
And though that nature with a beauteous wall
Doth oft close in pollution, yet of thee
I will believe thou hast a mind that suits
With this thy fair and outward character.
I prithee, and I'll pay thee bounteously,(55)
Conceal me what I am, and be my aid
For such disguise as haply shall become
The form of my intent. I'll serve this duke:
Thou shalt present me as an eunuch to him:
It may be worth thy pains; for I can sing(60)
And speak to him in many sorts of music
That will allow me very worth his service.
What else may hap to time I will commit;
Only shape thou silence to my wit.
CAPTAIN:
Be you his eunuch, and your mute I'll be:(65)
When my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not see.
VIOLA:
I thank thee: lead me on.

[Exeunt.]

  • an ancient country on the Adriatic Sea, somewhere near present-day Albania
  • the only good part of Hades, the Underworld; this is the Greek equivalent of paradise, where righteous people were supposed to find happiness after they died. It is sometimes referred to as the Elysian Fields or Plains.
  • wise
  • The captain is referring to the story of Arion, a Greek poet living in the 7th century BC, who was supposedly saved from drowning by a dolphin. According to legend, Arion was threatened by pirates. Before throwing him overboard, the pirates allowed him to sing one last song. The dolphin was charmed by Arion's voice and carried him away to safety.
  • from this place
  • it was rumored
  • mindless chatter
  • renounced; gave up
  • In this passage, Viola expresses her wish to remain anonymous and unknown until she decides to divulge her true identity as a noblewoman.
  • That will be hard to achieve
  • request or petition
  • This metaphor expresses the idea that looks can be deceiving and that an outwardly virtuous person might be immoral inside.
  • I beg you
  • plentifully, abundantly
  • Viola has decided to disguise herself as a young man in order to be hired as a servant in Orsino's household. This passage sets up one of the main conflicts of the play.
  • Eunuchs were males who had been castrated, which resulted in the stunting of certain growth characteristics, such as growing beards or the deepening of the voice. Eunuchs were generally employed as servants to royalty or as guardians of harems because they were believed to be less threatening than other men. Viola cleverly realizes that she may be able to get away with her disguise more easily if people believe she is a eunuch.
  • happen
  • cleverness
  • a male who has been castrated

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