Twelfth Night ACT FOUR & FIVE

 

            Act four starts with much confusion between characters. First, Feste mistakes Sebastian as Cesario (Viola) “Will you make me believe that I am not sent for you?” (IV. i. 1-2), and of course Sebastian has no clue what is going on. He thinks everyone around him has gone mad, “Why there’s for thee, and there, and there! Are all the people mad?” (IV. i. 26-27) Then toby and Andrew enter the situation and only make things more confusing for Sebastian. As earlier said, Toby and Andrew said they would fight Cesario, and they kept their promise and attack Sebastian. The only thing is that Sebastian still has no clue what is going on so has no choice but to fight them back for his own personal safety. Luckily for him a nice lady comes along and rescues him. Olivia even mistakes Sebastian as Cesario and has him come back to her place to talk things out. “Go with me to my house, And hear thou there how many fruitless pranks this ruffian hath botched up, that thou thereby Mayst smile at this.” (IV. i. 54-57)

            While all this is happening Maria still isn’t done messing around with Malvolio. In act three, he was taken and forcefully put into a dark room because everyone thought he had gone mad for what he had dressed as in front of Olivia. So Maria now has Feste pretend to be a priest named Sir Topas and talk to Malvolio in his chamber and make it seem as though he really has gone mad. Malvolio says, “I am not mad, Sir Topas. I say to you this house is dark.” (IV. Ii. 41) Feste replies, “Madman, thou errest. I say there is no darkness but ignorance, in which thou art more puzzled than the Egyptians in their fog.” (Iv. ii. 42-45) I am thinking that Malvolio is just like what the in the French toast is happening to the world?! Sebastian is still walking around in a love daze probably thinking ‘how could this lady be in love with me? I just met her!’ “This in the air; that is the golorious sun; This pearl she gave me, I do feel’t and see’t; And though ‘tis wonder that enwraps me thus, Yet tis’ not madness.” (IV. Iii. 1-4)

            Everything comes to a conclusion in Act five. To start off, Antonio is discovered by his enemy Orsino and is brought in front of Viola who is disguised as Cesario at the moment. He mistakes Viola for Sebastian and starts yelling at him for denying knowing him and stealing his wallet. Viola is sooo confused with all this, “ But in conclusion put strange speech upon me. I know not what twas but distraction.” (V.i.67-68) Soon Olivia comes in thinking that Cesario is Sebastian whom she thought was Cesario and married him only moments earlier. Everybody now is baffled as both Viola and Sebastian enter the play. At first they don’t see one another but when their eyes meet, the twins cannot fathom that they are both alive and reuniting once again! They begin questioning each other, “My father had a mole upon his brow….. And so had mine.” (V.i.242-243)

            In the end, brother and sister are reunited, madmen are released, and true love is finally found. I believe that Viola ends up marrying Orsino and Sebastian stays married to Olivia. To be honest, this is one of the better plays that Shakespeare has composed, and I am glad to see that it end so happily.