This analysis of Act 1, Scene 5 of Twelfth Night focuses on the introduction of Feste, the wise fool, and the burgeoning, complex romantic entanglements initiated by Viola's disguise as Cesario, highlighting Shakespeare's use of language, character archetypes, and thematic elements.
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hello and welcome to our next step in
our journey through 12 night as we
reached the end of act one so we're into
act one scene 5 as
again like comment subscribe check out
my other videos you know the drill like
a very experienced dentist you know the
drill anyway let's carry on and jokes
are a theme because in this scene we are
introduced to Fest day so we have Mariah
here as well also introduced to Mariah
Mariah
and no we're not actually introduced to
Mariah Mariah we've met before but
anyway fate Mariah speaking at the start here
here
so we have Shak SP again starting in
media rest as well and the idea of
halfway through conversation Mariah is
not going to be making excuses for
feste's absence so bit of context of
course you can go into this in more
detail but a fool is like a licensed
comedian they were allowed through you
know Medieval Times in into the chuda
period and then now into the well it is
still technically is the chuda period
when the play is set because of
Elizabeth the but all the way through
you have the idea of what effectively we
think of as a Jester and they were
allowed to make jokes and get away with
things that other people wouldn't get
away with that was part of their job
they did often like modern comedians
often tread a fine line between even
what was acceptable for them as
well but one of the things feste is not
supposed to have done even though he's
referred to as fool here and he's been
away and he's not meant to do that his
job's meant to be with Olivia he's meant
to be part of Olivia's household and
he's meant to be he's meant to be there
so Mariah saying you better tell me
where you've been otherwise I'm not
going to be making any excuses for you
he that is well hanged in this world
needs to fear no colors make that good
he shall have none to hear a good lent
and answer I can tell thee where that
saying was born for of I fear no
colors in the wars and you may B to say
in your Foolery so this could imply that
feste has been traveling around with the
military or something is but anyway
whatever it is whatever the reason for
is the main reason is is that Fest day
is being presented by Shakespeare here
is being very casual and dismissive
about his time away he's he's not being
very clear about what he's been doing
and he's not really that bothered about
what people think of him for it so
whatever he's been doing and why he's been
been
absent and actually even the reference
to Colors itself could be an ironic
reference to the motley that gers would
wear that fools would wear as in the
multicolored costumes so it could
actually be an indirect ref ref to that as
as
well well God give them wisdom that have
it and those are the fools let them use
their talents with feste is as I say
refer his name is
feste and with feste Shakespeare
establishes one of his
real character archetypes that he has
which is of the wise fo and you see it
in other Shakespeare plays as well but
this is this is your first one really
the role was probably written for a well
no actually know definitely was it was
written for a comic actor called Robert
Armen who was a contemporary of
Shakespeare's and he was a famous
comedian of the time and Robert Armen
between hi and Shakespeare developed
this character of The Wise Fool so even
though feste is is a effectively a
Jester is a comedian he tells jokes
there is wisdom in what he says and you
see this in you know other shakes plac
King Le which you might have studied as
well but and others anyway
and then frese again and Shakespeare by
extension not afraid of doing more
sexual innuendo as well many a good
hanging prevents a bad marriage you
might have to deconstruct that slightly
to get to the rude joke but if you start
thinking about it a good hanging sounds
very similar to a more modern phrase
good hanging good for well hanging hung
again I'm treading around the words
carefully because of YouTube but he's
yeah work out what he's implying there
so there's more bardy humor
there people don't always notice
it then this also
foreshadows something for later on in
the play if soobi would leave drinking
thou wer as witty a piece of Eve's flesh
as any in ayria so this is yeah
foreshadowing Cobia
Mariah I don't I'll be careful as
spoilers but anyway I don't want to
spoil things too much but anyway there
foreshadowing something important later
on come back to this video later on then
you'll make sense
then but you can work it out
anyway then we have the fool here he's
got a chance here to he needs to get
back into Olivia's good books so this
scene is broken up into different phases
so you've got this you've got this bit
really with feste and Mariah and you
could argue that the next bit is still
part of this same phase where it's
introducing feste and also introducing
malvolio another important character
introducing this scene as well and yeah
this like a this is like phase one but
anyway he's speaking in a side so it's
not exactly the same as a soliloquy but
it's an aside he's talking to himself
we'll hear what he's saying and then I
always like thish what his quapos better
a witty fool than a foolish wit so this
is an example of
antimetabole so you can see look how
clever Shakespeare is here look look at
this technique so witty fool foolish wit
so you can see it's transposing
adjective noun adjective noun witty fo
actually fo there is capitalized that's
not capitalized in every Edition in this
version here that implies he's talking
about himself as a witty okay never seen
that before all right but anyway don't
always see that capitalized as far as I
can remember but it's a minor point for
what says quapos this could be a variety
of things I think my favorite
explanation of this is that you know
Jesters would have those little sticks
with a miniature version of themselves
and I like the idea that the stick is
actually quinapalus is the name of his
stick and quinap he then do a little
puppetry thing with it you know better
Wy fool than a foolish wit and I I like
the idea it seems to fit in with it more
but it's I've never seen it performed
like that I've seen multiple versions
I've never seen it perform like that at
all so but I like to imagine that's what
it is cuz they did have those
sticks so to the idea of God bless thee
lady so the polite and respectful
salutation of Fest we
have Olivia ordering yeah her respon her
instant response is take the fool away
so an imperative again this links to
Olivia being
a strong head of the household she's in
charge she's decisive Shakespeare's
obviously I think echoing Elizabeth I
first as a strong decisive world I think
there's elements of of uh Elizabeth the
first coming through to Olivia there
with this but I mean not just in this
line I mean that would be over that
would be exaggerating the point but you
get what I mean you'd have to have more
evidence than
that there's lots of other things you
could talk about which I'm not going to
do right now do you hear do you not hear
fellows take away the
lady what we have here is what a lot of
modern comedians do is exploiting a
sense of pragmatics and you might know
about pragmatics you might not but
pragmatics is about context and implied
meanings and the idea is a lot of jokes
will exploit with taking things
literally or talking across
purposes and Festa uses this kind of
comedic logic or Shakespeare has F they
use this comedic logic to
effectively feste talks himself out of
this difficult situation and gets back
in Olivia's
favor so you could anything that's
mended is but patched virtue that
transgresses is patched with sin and sin
that amends is but patched with
virtue so this is more antimetabole here
as well Shakespeare would have known all
of these well not all of these
techniques some techniques are modern
but a term like anti antimetabolic he'd
be aware of because he would have
learned it at school
and then the lady bad take away the fool
therefore I say again take her away so
he say I'm not a fool you're a
fool Miss prian in the highest degree
lady culus non-asset monachum that's
much as I say I wear not mly in my brain
that means the cow doesn't make the monk
so don't judge things by appearances and
that also what Shakespeare do if you if
you're struggling to understand
Shakespeare it does take a while to tune
into the language but one of the things
that Shakespeare does is because in his
time he his plays and other play writes
actually as well they were writing more
thinking about audience listening to the
play rather than watching it know there
was a visual element definitely but the
primary consideration was people
listening to it rather as you're doing
listening to me now and even though it
may not sound like it there's certain
things I'm doing I try to be mindful
that I've got a listening audience and
you I've got to think of that kind of
thing so in ter terms of how Shakespeare
is writing he will repeat the same image
sometime in different words you won't
repeat it word for word but he will use
a new image you might use another
metaphor it might be a completely
different technique to reinforce the
same idea and as you're listening to
something that helps you take it in and
process it and I've been doing the same
thing as I'm explaining it I'm going
through multiple examples aren't I and
I'm rephrasing it and these are just
standard techniques that you would
use so mly yeah that is the clothing
that Jesters wear so despite his
appearances he's actually really clever
and that is Shakespeare is establishing
feste's personality very quickly or his
character very quickly
here uh give me leave to prove you a
fool can you do it dextrously good M
make your proof I must catechize you for
it catechize to catechize is religious
instruction through question and answer
they also used to teach children like it
as well particularly in terms of um you
with private tutors in rich houses they
would often catechize but religious
instruction was often through teaching
through question and
answer so that's what so he's now going
to teach her a lesson effectively my
mouse of virtue answer me well so for
one of other iress I'll bide your proof
so he goes through what would happen in
Cate with um catechism is to talk
through a hypothetical scenario and you
question and answer and you learn you
would learn through that through
exploring that that so this is what
happens here good Madonna why want thou
good fool for my brother's death I think
his soul is in Hell Madonna I know his
soul is in heaven fool the more fool
madon to mourn for your brother's Soul
being in heaven take away the fool
gentlemen few things to talk about here
let's go for the first one and the first
most important one which is fese uses
this logic of saying well you must be a
fool if you're mourning for your brother
if you're certain that he's in heaven so
why are you still sad you you know if if
you're certain that he's in heaven you
should be
happy and he does winner over with this
logic also if anyone's confused about
Madonna reference here he's using this
is Shakespeare using an example of Anton
amazia which is giving a person you're
addressing a person by a name that's
associated with a figure from The Bible
or literature or maybe ancient Greece
and ancient Rome and it can be used
sarcastic it can be used respectfully it
can be used in a variety of ways and in
this one Madonna is referring to the
Virgin Mary and so really it's it's like a
a
hyperbolically respectful still nickname
he's calling it that but he's he's used
he's using that as a as a sign of as a
sign of respect actually but it does it
is kind of hyperbolic as well hope that makes
makes
sense then seems quite amused by feste's
clever logic
here now malvolio is the he's the
steward he's a steward he is the head of
the he's not the head of the household
but he's the head of the servants
basically he's the top ranking
servant and malvolio and feste
Shakespeare sets
as foil characters as in they are
opposite they are very opposite
characters they're set apart so feste is
intelligent perceptive humorous
you know he is very intelligent malvolio
is very stuck up he's very reserved very
judgmental humorless and in the play We
tend to laugh at malvolio rather than
anything witty that malvolio says
himself so there's an instant contrast
between the two characters there as
well so malvolio infirmity that decays
the wise do ever make the better fools
so the things malvolio says at least
superficially seem wise
but FES they will always have a more
intelligent counter forever Malo says
God send you sir a speedy infirmity for
the better increasing your Folly so like
hope um hope God sends you some kind of
illnesses have you as you age so then
foolish
then we've got I'm Marv your lhip takes
the light in such a Barren Rascal Malo
is very dismissive of fest's
comedy I saw him put down the other day
with an ordinary fo that has no more
brain than a stone I can't help but
wonder if um this is meant to be maybe
sir Andrew maybe it could have been in s
Toby I don't know I have no real
evidence for that and when I sit here
thinking about it maybe that doesn't
quite add up in terms of the timeline
timeline of the play it's something I
have to look into a bit more but whoever
it is it doesn't matter but he's seen
some he's seen feste with people he
considers idiots laughing at his jokes
look you now he's out of his guard
already unless you laugh and Minister
occasion to him he is gagged so say if
you don't if you don't laugh at his
jokes he has no power his H his humor
doesn't work does if no one's laughing
at him he's completely
powerless I Prest I take these wise men
that Crow so at these set kind of fools
no better than the fool Zan is I love
that word Zan is zanis are the comedy
Stooges so if you think of like a group
of clowns you know there'll be one who's
getting the custard down his uh down his
pants and uh custard pie in the face and
all those things so they would be like
the full Zan is so saying these these
wise men who find this kind of Comedy so
funny I think they're they're just like
comedy Stu they idiots so malvolio is no
time for fest's comedy as well and again
remember context of the play 12th night
it's a festival 12 Days of Christmas at
the end of 12 Days of Christmas it's a
big Festival in Shakespeare's time it's
a time of jokes and fun and you are
meant to take things more lightly and so
Malo is set as a as a more antagonistic
character he's not really villainous but
he's definitely set apart from the fun
and high Jinks of the Season he's
deliberately framed in that way as a
character as someone who's dismissive of
these things and not not interested in
any of them at all
then you are sick of self-love Mal and
taste with a distempered appetite so
this Olivia say you're too full of
yourself basically you're too
self-important to be generous Guiltless
in a free disposition is to take those
things for bird bolts that you deem
Cannon bullets so this is deliberate
contrast here a deliberate use of
antithesis actually bird bolts and
Cannon bullets like they're projectiles
so bird bolts would be things that you'd
fire at Birds to maybe not even kill
them just to scare them away like from a
probably from what Americans call a
slingshot but not should be referred to
as a as a catapult and yeah but anyway
I'm quibbling over terms there
slingshots something different really but
but
anyway so there is no slandered and
allowed fall so this is there's no harm
in a fo a fool is meant to tell jokes
that's his job don't be such a grump
malvolio effectively and like even
malvolio's name as well if you're
talking about acronyms in the in the
play you know feste obviously sounds
like festival and it's linking to that
malvolio actually roughly translated
Italian is going to be like bad thought
or ill will if you think of it like that
anyway so different phase of the scene
now Mariah announces that there a young
gentleman wants to see her and we know
this is actually not really a gentleman
it's it's Vier in Disguise in her
Persona of cesaria
and if it be a suit from the count I am
sick or not at home what you will to
dismiss it Mal exit she say just give me
some excuse I'm Ill I'm not in I don't
want to talk to him it's a message from
message from Oro I'm not
interested then we have soobi arrive we
have he's completely drunk so we have
sat toi's been talking at the gate to
Cesario as in
Viola famous line here to gentleman a
plague of these pickle Herring pickle
Herring you might think that's not very
significant what's going on he's been
eating pickled fish well it's a a
typical Pub snack of the era so someone
who eats a lot of pickled herring is
he's been he's been at the pub at ETO
there's still pubs out there where you
can buy this kind of thing but probably
not many but I don't know if you can get
Pickle hering you probably could there
must be somewhere that SS
anyway there's some comedy through how
Shakespeare sets up Sir Toby's
personality because he's so drunk and
this actually does link to the theme of
perception of reality as well because he
of so Toby will often mishar what
someone else is saying and then
Shakespeare generates some comedy off of
this how come so early by this lethargy
as in you're tired out it's because he's
been drinking obviously he Mish hears it
leery I defy Leery and that's basically
being pervy you know lustful and pervy
I'm not like that and he said there's
one at the gay as it he means there's
there's someone
here and so Toby's done a great job on
being sarcastic of welcoming Cesario
there what a drunken man like fool like
a drowned man a fool and a Madman one
draft above heat makes him a fool the
second mads him and the third drowns him
so there's a sense of incrementum there
as in buildup of saying like as more
more drunk you get little bit drunk
you're a fool so a little bit more drunk
and you're mad really really drunk
you're as good as drowned you so there's
wisdom in the Fool's words here excess
and actually yeah that another theme of
the play about excess you think back to
orino music be the food of love and you
think of the excess there and then you
consumption he is but mad yet Madonna
and the fool shall look to the madman
this sounds very very wise his words as
well the fool is going to look after the
madman so that's not necessarily the
best person on paper to look after him
however feste is very sensible
really so Bola re-enters and says that
the visitor is refusing to leave he's
going to not stand for any excuse to not
speak to
Olivia this is always interesting this
bit so what kind of man is he why of
mankind I don't know if this is because
Shakespeare in cont to Fest day
Shakespeare's presenting malvolio as
being not very bright I've always
wondered if that's as simple as that
what kind of man is he why of mankind
it's played in a variety of ways
sometimes there malvolio being
dismissive and not interested in who the
man is at the gate sometimes seems to be
performed like that but I think it's
maybe just to show malvolio being not
very bright to be honest what manner of
man or very ill manner he'll speak with
you will or
no and again that could just must be
another M misunderstanding as well so
what manner of man what's he like what
type of man is he was he it would imply
you know is it is it a farmer is it a
gentleman is it a lord is it a clergyman
rude what personage in years is he not
yet old enough for a man nor young
enough for a boy so this is interesting
the idea of Lial spaces of being between different
different
states as a squashes before his appease
cord or according with is almost an
apple then so we get this idea of
the counts man as in Cesario being very
youthful and whatever malvolio's lack of
intelligence may be the description that
he provides Olivia is enough to Intrigue
her to ask to
see the
visitor then we have some business here
with give me my Veil come throw it over
my face so again this links to again
appearance versus reality and in some
ways as well like the theme of
duplication as well because Mariah and
Olivia are go as many from Olivia's
brain doing this are going to play a
little bit of a trick on the visitor
here so Violet doesn't know actually who
Olivia is The Honorable Lady of the
house which is so this will there's two
of them on stage going to be similar
similarly dressed probably in an normal
production of it so the visiting Cesario
as obviously Viola doesn't really know
who's the noble woman she should be
addressing speak to me I shall answer
for her your will so this implies that
this is actually a servant you know
Olivia is posing as a servant there but
of course you've got Cesario posing as a
servant in this scene you see it's all very
very
clever most radiant Exquisite and
unmatchable Beauty I pray you tell me
this be the lady of the house for I
never saw her I would be loed to Cast
Away my speech besides it is excellently
well penned I've taken great pains to
con it and this actually links to the
idea again of performance which we've
talked about before there is a running
theme of the play about performing
obviously most notably performing a
gender role is a big part of it but even
just in terms of references
to ideas and Concepts from the
theater little more than I've studied
the questions out of my part so about
learning lines so sometimes this play
will hint at Crossing what we call the
fourth wall and then actually will go
through it later on in the play as well
but not radically but just
mildly are you a comedian no my profound
heart again that's often used like we
might today in like in a sarcastic way
as well but it also links to fest's
Comedy earlier on in the scene as well
we have a reference here to periods of
all things is not that time of moon with
me to make one in so skipping a dialogue
the time of moon is a euphemistic
reference to a period so she's she's
again you can say she's drawing on like
gender stereotypes here of Shakespeare's
time will you hoist s heiz away no good
swabber this actually is a more this is
more nautical Lexis it's all words to do
with it's just really extends the
metaphor or of like a heing
ship then we have this ironic like what
I am and what I would are as secret as
Maiden head maidenhead's virginity to
your ears Divinity to any others
profanation give us this place alone we
will hear this Divinity so Olivia is
intrigued by Vier is a very different
type of man that she's encountered
before at least she perceives as a [Music]
[Music]
man so Olivia ends up being effectively Charmed
by via's words as Cesario which I meant
to be delivered on behalf of orino so as
I said earlier on in earlier videos it's
not a love triangle it's going to get
more it's like a love love knot a love
splodge I can't remember what I said in the
the
end then his Beauty truly blend his red
and white Nature's Own sweet and cunning
hand laid on they really like red and
white because there's a link to that
they' they' managed to successfully
breed the damasque rose which was white
and red rose and fashionably for women
as well for Elizabeth and women to very
pale skin was the fashion and they would
have very like
bright what we would call lipstick they
would call it that in those days and
blusher it would be so red and white
they like that combination
culturally as a combination there of colors
colors
there's this again I this extends the
nautical metaphor from earlier on
because it's like an inventory for a
ship here so Olivia describes her beauty
as item two as item two lips in
different red item two gray eyes with
lids to them item one neck one chin and so
forth then oh such love could be
recompensed though you were crowned the
non paral of beauty that means beauty
without compare I right non peral that's
a great word
how does he love me with adorations
ferti with groans that Thunder love with
size of fire so this is again VI's words describing
describing
oro's supposed love for Olivia remember
orino thinks he's in love with Olivia
but he doesn't really understand what
love is
properly and this is actually
personification as well should have
added that in earlier
sorry Olivia says your lord is does know
my mind I cannot love him as oppose
virtuous know him Noble a great EST
state to fresh and stainless youth so
actually a lot of Productions as well
you normally see Olivia as being really
dismissive of osino and being quite
hostile to him but here in the play
you're looking at the words at face
value you can see that she seems to
recognize that he's perfectly suitable
on paper maybe but she just doesn't love
him that's just not her not her
choice yeah I cannot love him he might
not have took his answer long ago this
's no real explanation of why she can't
love him and you could read into that if
you want to take a perspective in terms
of gender and sexuality and you're
thinking of in this scene Olivia is
drawn to the male presenting Violet
Cesario is this actually thinking subtly
about lesbianism in a ways there a theme
H Shakespeare touching on themes that
maybe he couldn't touch on overtly in
everyday life it doesn't
necessarily mean that it's just an
interpretation of it but is that the
reason you can decide all of these
things if you think that's not a very
good idea you can ignore it you can have
your own idea on it also you know
someone could just decide I'm just not
really interested there's something
about that person I just don't like I
couldn't love that person just just
don't like just don't you just don't
click you know it could be as simple as
that but you can read into it more if
you so
wish so we have
next page let's go for the next page
what would you do and violer offers very
poet or Shakespeare writing for Violet
gives very
poetic language to describe
what if Violet was in love with Olivia
what would viol say or sorry I should
say Cesario say so make a willow cabinet
your gate so I be so determined i' build
a little house a little Willow cabin and
then I would write poems really long
poems and songs and sing them and H your
name to the reverberate Hills and and
really just s do the
classic romantic courtly lover that idea
of courtly courtly lover that traditional
traditional
romantic you know like you think of like
nights of old and or or someone singing
Under a window a man singing Under a
window for what this is the idea of that
Vier is going for here as say AR you you
might do much what is your
parentage so it looks here again
thinking about pragmatics lication is
Olivia must be interested in VI to be
asking about what's your what's your
parentage above my fortunes that my
state is well I am a gentleman you can
talk here about Shakespeare's Ed
circumlocution which is talking around
something circumlocution it's a lovely
word that one talking around something
we don't get the specific details
obviously because Cesario is a
constructed identity from the character of
of
Viola then get to your lord I cannot
love him let him said no more unless per
chance you come to me again to tell me
how he takes it so Olivia devises an
excuse here for Viet to come back so I
don't I don't want any more messages of
love but or actually though you you
could you could come back and tell me
how he's responded to my news that' be
good it's just an excuse to see
see violet or as I say Cesario again
spend this for me so offering a present
I don't want any
money farewell Fair cruelty that is a
deliberate little pun there farewell
Fair cruelty and remember I said about
listening audience as well so that joke
actually works better if you hear it
rather it's not it's not a real like
massive joke but mildly amusing at least
it works better when you hear it rather
than say farewell Fair cruelty much
better when you say it rather than when
you read
it what is your parentage above my
fortunes yet my state is well I am a
gentleman I'll be sworn thou art thy
tongue thy face thy limbs parad phrasing
there actions and spirit do give thee
fivefold blazing not too far soft soft
so Olivia has fallen in love finds
Cesario even so quickly May one catch
the plagues there's a metaphor for wow
can you actually fall in love quickly I
can't believe
it me thinks I feel this youth's
Perfections with an invisible and subtle
stealth the creeping at mine eyes well
let it be what home alolo and then in
terms of remember Olivia had an excuse
to try and get Viet to return well she
takes it a step further here because she
he left his ring behind him would I or
not tell him I'll none of it so she
pretends that there was a present given
and says gets Mal so he'll run after him
and give him back this this this ring I
I don't want it but it's actually one of
her own Rings anyway and in the next not
in the next but in is in the next scene
scene had a glimpse of the future there
in the next ACT anyway you will find out
yeah definitely that's the case anyway
I'm rambling at the end there thank you
for sticking with me to the end like
comment subscribe notification Bell
check out my other videos i' got some of
that terms as well some of the ones I've
talked about today as well thank you for
listening and I'll catch you on the next one
one
goodbye is in the next SE
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