Twelfth Night ACT THREE

Act three commences with the introduction of Cesario to Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. It is no surprise that the gentlemen sound to be drunk once again and begin to make an awkward conversation with Cesario. Toby says, “Taste your legs, sir; put them to motion.” (III.i.79) Viola misunderstands him in assuming they must be crazy, “My legs do better understand me, sir, than I understand what you mean by bidding me taste my legs.” (III.i. 80-82) Its obvious she wants to get away from these idiots and soon enough her wish is granted.

 Olivia comes to her, I mean his rescue. However…. things get pretty strange between these two ladies. Olivia says, “Let the garden door be shut, and leave me to my hearing. Give me your hand, sir.” (III.i.94-96) I can only imagine what Viola [still disguised as Cesario] is thinking. Olivia babbles on about how she has fallen in love with Cesario and cannot live without him. “Enough is shown; a cypress, not a bosom, Hides my heart. So, let me hear you speak.” (III.i. 122-123) Viola is blindsided by Olivia’s statement so on the spot she goes about telling her, “I have one heart, one bosom, and one truth, And that no woman has; nor never none Shall mistress be of it, save I alone.” (III.i. 159-161) In my opinion that was the best thing Viola could have told her, maybe to lessen the pain of being rejected.

Moving onto scene two, Sir Andrew decides that he wants to leave because he figured it out that Olivia isn’t going to start loving him anytime soon. FINALLY!! “No, faith, I’ll not stay a jot longer… Marry, I saw your niece do more favors to the Courts servingman than ever she bestowed upon me. I saw’t I’ th’ orchard.” (III.ii. 1, 5-8) Despite Sir Andrews own personal feeling, Sir Toby wants to keep him around just so he can keep on spending his money. Soon Maria comes into the play once again and informs us that because of the letter she wrote to Malvolio he is acting like a complete idiot. “If you desire the spleen, and will laugh your selves into stitches, follow me. Yond gull Malvolio is turned heathen, a very renegado; for there is no Christian that ever means to be saved by believing rightly can ever believe such impossible passages of grossness. He’s in yellow stockings.” (III. Ii. 68- 73) There plan worked in the long run, but honestly this Malvolio guy must be pretty delusional to think that such a nice lady would stoop down to his level and actually have feelings for him.. what a buffoon!

In the next seen we hear that Antonio and Sebastian have finally made it to Illyria. Sebastian thanks Antonio for being such a grand friend. And oddly enough, Antonio doesn’t think that following his friend there was enough, so he just gives him his wallet and tells him to buy stuff. Let me just say here that I wish Antonio and I were friends!

Finally in scene four of act three, things start to come together. Malvolio goes about telling Olivia that he is wearing his ridiculous outfit because she had said it in her letter (which she still has no idea about). “Remember who commended thy yellow stockings…. And wished to see thee cross gartered.” (III. iv. 50, 52) Olivia thinks this guy has gone mad and has him locked up in some padded room I believe. Olivia sends for Cesario and is met with once again another letter, this time for Ceasio challenging him to a duel with Sir Andrew. Sir toby then gets in the middle of this “fake fight” and makes each opponent believe that the other is a great swordsman. Olivia loves Cesario too much to see him get hurt so she gives him a locket with a picture of her inside. How cheesy is that?!

Then only to make things more confusing, Antonio arrives and mistakes Cesario (Viola) as her brother Sebastian. Once Antonio is seen by the guards he is arrested and taken away as Viola goes off in search for her brother Sebastian, leaving everybody confused. Hopefully this play will end just as good as its movie counterpart, “She’s the Man”. J