Twelfth Night (29 page)

Preparation of “
Twelfth Night
in Performance” was assisted by a generous grant from the CAPITAL Centre (Creativity and Performance in Teaching and Learning) of the University of Warwick for research in the RSC archive at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded a term’s research leave that enabled Jonathan Bate to work on “The Director’s Cut.”

Picture research by Michelle Morton. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for assistance with picture research (special thanks to Helen Hargest) and reproduction fees.

Images of RSC productions are supplied by the Shakespeare Centre Library and Archive, Stratford-upon-Avon. This Library, maintained by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, holds the most important collection of Shakespeare material in the UK, including the Royal Shakespeare Company’s official archive. It is open to the public free of charge.

For more information see
www.shakespeare.org.uk
.

Maya Angelou A. S.
•
Byatt Caleb Carr
•
Christopher Cerf
•
Harold Evans
•
Charles Frazier
•
Vartan Gregorian
•
Jessica Hagedorn
•
Richard Howard
•
Charles Johnson Jon
•
Krakauer Edmund
•
Morris Azar Nafisi
•
Joyce Carol Oates
•
Elaine Pagels
•
John Richardson
•
Salman Rushdie
•
Oliver Sacks
•
Carolyn See
•
Gore Vidal

MODERN LIBRARY ONLINE IS YOUR GUIDE
TO CLASSIC LITERATURE ON THE WEB

THE MODERN LIBRARY E-NEWSLETTER

Our free e-mail newsletter is sent to subscribers, and features sample chapters, interviews with and essays by our authors, upcoming books, special promotions, announcements, and news. To subscribe to the Modern Library e-newsletter, visit
www.modernlibrary.com

THE MODERN LIBRARY WEBSITE
Check out the Modern Library website at
www.modernlibrary.com
for:

• The Modern Library e-newsletter
  
• A list of our current and upcoming titles and series
  
• Reading Group Guides and exclusive author spotlights
  
• Special features with information on the classics and other paperback series
  
• Excerpts from new releases and other titles
  
• A list of our e-books and information on where to buy them
  
• The Modern Library Editorial Board’s 100 Best Novels and 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century written in the English language
  
• News and announcements
  

Questions? E-mail us at
[email protected]
.
For questions about examination or desk copies, please visit the Random House Academic Resources site at
www.randomhouse.com/academic

Act 1 Scene 1

1.1
Location:
Illyria
(
country on the east of the Adriatic Sea; now Croatia
).
The entire action takes place here, moving between the households of Duke Orsino and Olivia, with occasional scenes in undetermined public places

1.1
Orsino
Italian for “bear-cub”; perhaps suggestive of immaturity

1.1
Curio
either “curious” or “courtly” (from the Italian for “court”); may suggest fastidious affectation in dress and manners

2
surfeiting
overindulging (in food or sex)

3
appetite
hunger/sexual craving

4
dying fall
dropping cadence (plays on the sense of “orgasm and detumescence”)

5
sound
i.e. of a breeze

9
quick and fresh
sharp and eager, hungry

10
capacity
(small) size/ability to contain

11
as the sea
i.e. without limit

12
validity and pitch
worth and utmost elevation

13
abatement
diminution

14
shapes
imaginary forms

14
fancy
love/desire (plays on the sense of “imagination”)

15
alone … fantastical
is uniquely imaginative/delusory

18
hart
male deer (Orsino puns on “heart”)

21
pestilence
plague (often attributed to bad air)

23
fell
fierce

23
hounds … me
as in the classical myth of Actaeon, hunted down by his own hounds as punishment for gazing on the naked goddess Diana
Valentine
the name of the patron saint of lovers

27
element
sky

27
years’ heat
i.e. summers

28
ample
full, i.e. unveiled

29
cloistress
nun

31
eye-offending brine
stinging, salty tears

31
season
preserve (with salt)

36
golden shaft
i.e. arrow of Cupid (god of love)

37
affections else
other feelings

38
liver … heart
seats
(thrones)
of sexual passion, intellect, and emotion

39
supplied
filled/satisfied

39
filled … perfections
her perfect qualities are filled

40
one self
one and the same

Act 1 Scene 2

1.2
Viola
Italian for “violet,” a flower that symbolized faithfulness and was thought to purge melancholy; also suggestive of musical instrument

4
Elysium
the heaven of classical mythology

5
Perchance
perhaps (the Captain shifts the sense to “by chance”)

8
chance
the possibility of good fortune

11
driving
storm-driven

12
provident
foresighted/resourceful/fortunate

13
practice
method

14
lived
floated

15
Arion
Greek musician who jumped overboard to escape being murdered and was carried to safety by a dolphin charmed by his music

16
hold acquaintance with
remain afloat upon

19
unfoldeth … hope
encourages me to hope

21
like of him
i.e. that he has also survived

30
late
recently

32
murmur
rumor

33
What … of
whatever the aristocracy do, the lower classes gossip about it

43
be … is
have my identity/rank revealed until I decide the time is ripe

46
compass
bring about

47
suit
petition/courtship

48
not
not even

49
fair behaviour
good conduct/promising appearance

50
though that
though

51
close in
enclose

52
suits With
matches

53
character
appearance

56
haply … intent
may suit the shape of the purpose

58
eunuch
male castrated to maintain a high singing voice

61
allow
prove

61
worth
worthy of

62
hap
happen, chance to occur

63
wit
cunning plan

Act 1 Scene 3

1
What a plague
an oath, like “what the hell”

1
niece
Toby may be Olivia’s uncle, but “niece” could be used more generally for any female relative

2
care
worry/grief

3
troth
faith

4
a-nights
at night

4
cousin
relative

5
ill
antisocial

6
except, before excepted
plays on the legal phrase
exceptis excipiendis
(“with the aforementioned exceptions”); essentially Sir Toby says he does not care, Olivia may object all she likes

8
modest
moderate

9
confine … finer
I won’t restrain myself further/I won’t dress more finely

11
An
if

13
quaffing
copious drinking

16
Aguecheek
suggesting thin face of one suffering from a fever (ague)

18
tall
brave/noble/of great height (Maria understands the latter meaning)

18
any’s
any (man) is

20
ducats
gold coins
(three thousand
was a considerable annual income)

21
he’ll … ducats
he’ll have spent all his money in a year

22
very
complete/veritable

22
prodigal
excessively extravagant person

23
o’th’viol-de-gamboys
the viol da gamba, a bass viol played held between the legs (often has sexual connotations)

25
without book
i.e. spontaneously, from memory

26
natural
like an idiot

28
allay … in
reduce his taste for

31
subtractors
detractors, slanderers

37
coystrill
knave

38
o’th’toe
head-over-heels

38
parish top
large spinning-top (kept rotating by being whipped), provided for parishioners’ entertainment

39
Castiliano vulgo!
unclear Latin-Italian phrase; possibly “Speak of the devil!”

39
Agueface
playful variation of
Aguecheek

42
shrew
small mouse/troublesome one

44
Accost
approach/woo/grapple with

46
chambermaid
female attendant

50
front
confront

50
board
accost (sexual-naval metaphor referring to sex as attacking a ship)

51
assail
attack, seduce

52
undertake
approach/have sex with (literally, “have her underneath me”)

52
in this company
in front of spectators

55
An … so
if you let her leave in this way

56
sword
symbol of gentlemanly status (with phallic connotations)

58
in hand
to deal with (Maria takes the phrase literally; also plays on the idea of masturbation)