Classic Literature

Twelfth NightAct 1, Scene 4

Act 1

Scene IV

The Duke’s palace.

	Enter Valentine* and Viola in man’s attire.*
Valentine	If the duke continue these favours towards you, Cesario, you are like to be much advanced: he hath known you but three days, and already you are no stranger.
Viola	You either fear his humour or my negligence, that you call in question the continuance of his love: is he inconstant, sir, in his favours?
Valentine	No, believe me.
Viola	I thank you. Here comes the count.
	Enter Duke, Curio, and Attendants.
Duke	Who saw Cesario, ho?
Viola	On your attendance, my lord; here.
Duke	Stand you a while aloof, Cesario, Thou know’st no less but all; I have unclasp’d To thee the book even of my secret soul: Therefore, good youth, address thy gait unto her; Be not denied access, stand at her doors, And tell them, there thy fixed foot shall grow Till thou have audience.
Viola	Sure, my noble lord, If she be so abandon’d to her sorrow As it is spoke, she never will admit me.
Duke	Be clamorous and leap all civil bounds Rather than make unprofited return.
Viola	Say I do speak with her, my lord, what then?
Duke	O, then unfold the passion of my love, Surprise her with discourse of my dear faith: It shall become thee well to act my woes; She will attend it better in thy youth Than in a nuncio’s of more grave aspect.
Viola	I think not so, my lord.
Duke	Dear lad, believe it; For they shall yet belie thy happy years, That say thou art a man: Diana’s lip Is not more smooth and rubious; thy small pipe Is as the maiden’s organ, shrill and sound, And all is semblative a woman’s part. I know thy constellation is right apt For this affair. Some four or five attend him; All, if you will; for I myself am best When least in company. Prosper well in this, And thou shalt live as freely as thy lord, To call his fortunes thine.
Viola	I’ll do my best To woo your lady: aside yet, a barful strife! Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife. Exeunt.

Companion

Previously

Act 1, Scene 3: At Olivia's house, Maria warns Sir Toby that his late hours and drinking offend her mistress. Sir Andrew arrives and fails to follow Maria's wordplay. Although he plans to leave because Olivia seems unlikely to accept him, Sir Toby persuades him to stay another month and encourages him to dance.

Who's who so far

Orsino The Captain identifies Orsino as Illyria's ruler and describes his courtship of Olivia.
Curio A lord attending the Duke, who asks whether he will go hunting.
Valentine The Duke's messenger, who has been refused entry to Olivia's house and brings back her handmaid's account of her mourning.
Viola A woman saved from a shipwreck, uncertain whether her brother survived, who asks the Captain to conceal her identity and present her to the Duke as a eunuch.
The Captain A survivor of Viola's shipwreck who saw her brother clinging to a mast, knows Illyria and promises to keep her disguise secret.
Sir Toby Belch Olivia's uncle, who rejects Maria's warnings about his late nights and drinking and persuades Sir Andrew to stay as a suitor.
Maria Olivia's chambermaid, who warns Sir Toby about his disorderly habits and makes jokes that Sir Andrew struggles to understand.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek A wealthy knight hoping to woo Olivia, who misunderstands Maria's jokes and lets Sir Toby persuade him to remain for another month.

Words to know

clamorous: loud and insistent
nuncio: a messenger or envoy
rubious: red like a ruby

Spoiler-free: these notes only cover what you have read.

Act 1, Scene 4 in brief

Valentine tells Viola, now dressed as a man and called Cesario, that she has quickly gained the Duke's confidence. Orsino confirms this intimacy by describing his soul as a book he has opened to the youth. He orders Cesario to insist on an audience with Olivia, even if this means abandoning polite restraint. He thinks Olivia will listen more readily to a youthful messenger than to one of more solemn appearance and praises Cesario's lips and voice for resembling a woman's. The audience knows that these observations describe the person beneath the disguise, while Orsino treats them as advantages in a young male servant. Viola promises to do her best, but her aside reveals that the task conflicts with her own desire to become Orsino's wife.

Key quotes

Be clamorous and leap all civil bounds Rather than make unprofited return.

Why it matters Orsino places the success of his suit above ordinary courtesy. The order makes his servant responsible for overcoming Olivia's refusal of access.

Love and desireRank and serviceOrder and excess

And all is semblative a woman’s part.

Why it matters Orsino notices feminine features without recognising Viola's disguise. The audience's greater knowledge makes his confidence dramatically ironic.

Disguise, gender and identity

Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife.

Why it matters The aside reveals the feeling Viola cannot share with her employer. Her duty to speak for his love conflicts with her own desire.

Love and desireDisguise, gender and identityRank and service

Themes in this chapter

Love and desireDisguise, gender and identityRank and serviceOrder and excess

Exam tip

Explain how the stage direction placing Viola in men's clothes and her final aside give the audience knowledge that Orsino lacks, then connect that difference to his description of Cesario.

Study notes cover this chapter in full, so they include what happens in it.

Explore the study guide (includes spoilers)