Twelfth night act 1 summary
Storyboard Text
- Act 1: scene 1
- if music be the food of love, play on! give me excess of it.
- Act 1: scene 2
- do you think my brother survived the shipwreck?
- act 1: scene 3
- sir toby you must stop staying up late drinking!
- Count Orsino of Illyria is introduced, lamenting his lovesickness and wishing that if music is the food of love, he may kill his unrequited love by overdosing on music. Curio, his servant, asks Orsino if he wants to go hunting; Orsino responds with another lovelorn monologue about how his love for Lady Olivia is ripping him apart. Valentine, Orsino's servant whom Orsino had sent to express his feelings for Olivia, returns; Valentine was not permitted to speak directly to Olivia, but Olivia sent a message to her handmaiden, stating that Olivia will continue to mourn her dead brother and will not allow Orsino to see her or woo her. Orsino bemoans the fact that Olivia does not share his strong feelings.
- act 1: scene 4
- i need to you go over to olivias household ceasar
- After a tragic shipwreck in which she was separated from her twin brother, Sebastian, viola landed in Illyria. Viola hopes that her brother was saved in the same way that she was; the Captain, who also made it ashore, tries to reassure her that her brother is still alive. After the shipwreck, the Captain recalls seeing her brother in the ocean, clinging to a mast and riding above the waves. The Captain, who is from Illyria, tells Viola about Count Orsino and his love for Lady Olivia; the Captain also discusses Olivia's recent loss of both her father and brother, and Viola, who has also lost a brother, sympathises with Olivia's plight. Viola suggests that she serve Orsino because he is a nobleman.
- act 1: scene 5
- Olivia's handmaiden, Maria, approaches Olivia's inebriated uncle, Sir Toby, about his late hours and unruly behaviour. Sir Toby's drinking buddy, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, a rather dumb man whom Sir Toby has brought as a potential suitor for Olivia, also irritates Maria. Sir Toby adores Sir Andrew, but Maria despises him, believing him to be an alcoholic and a fool who should not be tolerated. Sir Toby tries to introduce Sir Andrew to Maria, but a series of misunderstandings, puns, and different word usages lead to wordplay. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew continue to argue, with funny outcomes, until they finally decide to start drinking.
- Viola has now assumed the identity of Cesario, a little boy, and has been enlisted in Count Orsino's service. In the short time that Viola has been employed, Valentine observes that Orsino and Viola, as Cesario, have grown close; indeed, Orsino has already told Viola of his deep love for Olivia. Orsino wants Viola to go to Olivia and present Orsino's case to her; he feels Viola/ Cesario will succeed because she is younger and more articulate than his other messengers. Viola promises to obey, however she admits in passing that she already loves Orsino and would prefer to be his wife rather than try to court Olivia for him.
- Olivia and her entourage arrive, and Olivia is irritated and dismissive of Feste; Feste tells Olivia that she is a fool for mourning her brother when she knows he is in heaven. After considerable waiting and examination by both Sir Toby and Malvolio, Viola/ Cesario arrives at Olivia's mansion and is allowed. Viola is brought in to meet Olivia, who discovers that Viola is a courier for Orsino and advises Viola against courting her for the Count. Olivia resists Viola's attempt to make Orsino's suit with cryptic and witty remarks; Olivia begins to exhibit interest in Viola as Cesario in this scene, despite her refusal to love Orsino. Finally, Viola is banished, and Olivia has Malvolio to go after viola with a ring and an indentation for tomorrow.
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