Shakespeare\'s Twelfth Night: Annotation Pursue

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Annotation

Pursue him and entreat him to a peace. Orsino directs Olivia to pursue Malvolio and try to convince him to get along with them.

He hath not told us of the captain yet. Malvolio has not told them about the captain that brought Viola there and who is now being detained in prison due to Malvolio.

When that is known, and golden time convents, When they know of the captain and the time is right, solemn combination shall be made then a marriage can occur. (Presumably this marriage is between Viola and Orsino, though it could be the marriage of Sebastian

Of our dear souls, Meantime, sweet sister, and Olivia).

We will not part from hence. Cesario, come -- Orsino says that they will not leave until the captain is found. He then asks Viola (Cesario) to come with him.

For you shall be while are a man, He reveals that Viola has disguised herself as a man, but that, when she is dressed as herself, she reveals that she is a woman.

But when in others habits you are seen, Moreover, she is not only a woman, but the woman whom Orsino loves and intends to marry.

Orsino's mistress and his fancy's queen." (Twelfth Night, V.i, 380-388).

Twelfth Night: Essay

Orsino's speech at the end of Twelfth Night serves its purpose in helping resolve the issues presented in the play. This is an important factor because comedies are notable for the fact that problems are resolved within the time-frame of the comedy. Therefore, though there has been substantial confusion and disorder in the play, that disorder needs to be resolved by the play's conclusion. The speech addresses the major disorder in the play. First, it resolves the audience's conflicting feelings about the character of Malvolio, who is initially presented as an antagonist to more likeable characters. Next, it addresses Orsino's feelings towards Olivia, whom he initially pursued at the beginning of the play, and who has since fallen in love with Sebastian. Finally, it reveals that Orsino has fallen in love with Viola, who has been dressed as a man to help Orsino win Olivia's favor. Although there is other confusion in the play, the resolution of these three major issues returns order to the play, fulfilling the traditional format of a comedy.

When the play opens, Malvolio is treated like an antagonist. This is not due to any malevolence on his part, but is actually attributable to the fact that he seems determined to prevent any of the other characters from engaging in any type of revelry. This immediately sets Malvolio up as the antagonist, because the play's title is Twelfth Night, which would have given an Elizabethan audience the expectation that the play was going to feature a certain amount of Bacchanalian wild abandonment. Malvolio argues for sobriety and temperance. In response, some of the other characters make him the victim of their practical jokes. This ill-will results in a practical problem for Viola. At the play's beginning, she is accompanied by a captain. When she learns that Orsino, whom she does not know, has been unsuccessful in his pursuit of Olivia, Viola decides to dress like a boy and help Orsino press his suit. However, only the captain is privy to Olivia's plans, and Malvolio has had him arrested and imprisoned. Therefore, in order to verify Viola's claims, and to free him, Orsino has to find out where the captain is and why he has been imprisoned. When Malvolio leaves, Olivia notes that he has been abused. (Twelfth Night, V.i., 379). In response, Orsino addresses Olivia, asking her to "Pursue him, and entreat him to a peace; He hath not told us of the captain yet." (Twelfth Night, Vi., 380-381). This line makes the reader understand that, while the main characters may not like Malvolio, they acknowledge that he has been mistreated and that they must make amends to him in order for the play to reach its resolution.

The play also opens with Orsino hopelessly in love with Olivia. Olivia, however, is consumed with grief for her brother, and rebuffs Orsino's attempts to woo her. For the play to reach its conclusion, which has the two of them marrying others, it first has to address the issue of Orsino's feelings for Olivia. Elsewhere in the play, it is clear that Orsino's love for Olivia is largely based upon her physical beauty, and he also seems to reveal that he is in love with the idea of being in love with her more than with any of her specific qualities. However, Orsino fails to directly address any of those issues within the speech. Instead, the audience is left to presume that those issues have somehow been resolved, because the audience is aware that Olivia has fallen in love with Sebastian and plans to marry him. The one clue that Orsino gives to the resolution of his feelings is that he addresses Olivia as "sweet sister." (Twelfth Night, V.i., 384). This may refer to the notion that they will soon be in-laws. However, it could also simply refer to the idea that his feelings for her have changed from amorous to simply friendly. Either way, it signals the audience that Orsino is no longer in love with Olivia, and that Olivia is free to marry Sebastian without causing distress to Orsino.

Finally, the play must deal with the fact that Orsino has only been acquainted with Viola in her disguise as a man. Apparently, Viola's disguise was convincing, because, when she was dressed as a man, Olivia believed that she was her twin brother, Sebastian, and asked "him" to marry her. Therefore, the audience cannot assume that Orsino saw through Viola's disguise and never believed her to be a man. This concept is highlighted by the fact that Orsino addresses Viola as Cesario, the name she took in her guise as a male, in his final speech. He instructs her, "Cesario, come- for so you shall be while you are a man; but when in other habits you are seen, Orsino's mistress, and his fancy's queen." (Twelfth Night, V.i., 385-388). This speech is remarkable because Orsino has not actually seen Viola in other habits. Though he obviously has some idea what she looks like, he does not know how she will actually look like when dressed as a woman. This is a major transformation for Orsino; he loved Olivia only for her beauty, but has fallen in love with Viola without truly knowing her physical appearance.