Act Two, Scene One of "Twelfth Night" introduces Sebastian and his rescuer Antonio, highlighting parallels with Viola's situation and exploring themes of mistaken identity, devotion, and potentially romantic relationships, all within the context of Shakespeare's personal experiences with twins.
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hello and welcome to our next step in
our journey through 12th night as we move
in to act two very exciting here we are
so if we find the pointer here we go act
two scene one you could have guessed
that anyway don't forget like comment
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the other good things you'll know and
love sorry about the weird windy noise
in the
background that's not me I should add honestly
anyway it's a ghost anyway so into act
two scene one so interesting character
actually minor character introduced here
secondary character but
Antonio quite a significant character
quite interesting as well and Sebastian
of course remember this is the brother
that is supposedly dead he's not
dead Sebastian is not actually dead so
he is the twin of Viola and bit of
context you may or may not know
Shakespeare had well three children and
two of them were twins there was a boy
and a girl and the boy died and it seems
to be I think in this play a bit of wish
fulfillment a tragic bit of backstory in
Shakespeare's own life writing away in
the backg ground he's interested in
twins cuz he had twins himself but yeah
but one of his children died so I think
there's there's a bit of a yeah a bit of
a dark undercurrent to what is otherwise
quite a light-hearted play in many ways
I say that though but there's definitely
moments of Darkness here or darker
Darkly comic moments maybe anyway I am
wittering on too much and I really need
to get on with it don't I so here is
Antonio will you stay no longer nor will
you not that I go with you notice that
Antonio and Sebastian's situation here
is very similar to what
via's discussion was like with the sea
captain when she was rescued at the
start so Sebastian's been inyria for
longer than um well for same amount of
time that V has actually but we haven't
actually met up with him until this
point then there's a bit here I've just
put this in as a astrology reference my
stars shine dark over me he thinks his
uh his fortunes aren't going so well so
really says Antonio it's best you don't
hang around with me you know you've been
great great friend I'll say more about
that soon and but for your own safety
it's best for you to leave me now rad
recommends for your love to lay any of
them on you he doesn't want any kind of
Badness to rub off on on
Antonio let me know of you whether you
are bound or where you're going no suo
my did per void is mere extravagancy but
I perceive in you so ex a touch of
modesty that you will not extort from me
what I'm willing to keep in so basically
I find this bit a bit weird really
there's not a massive purpose to what
Sebastian's doing Sebastian's ended up
in ayria and decides to I'm just going
to a look
around personally I don't find this
amazingly convincing is in some ways you
think well would you be trying to get
back home secretly or something so
anyway let's not think too hard about it
let it is meant to be a comedy it's
meant to be lighter let's not think too
hard that's my
fault you must know of me then Antonio
my name is Sebastian which I called
Rodrigo so in another interesting
parallel to Viola Rodrigo has been
operating under a false name
himself and this is the only time it's
ever mentioned so
Rodrigo has been Sebastian's false P um
persona but you see there's another
parallel with Violet here so more about disguise
disguise
obviously the idea of twins it's all
kind of matching up isn't it
there then my father was that Sebastian
of mesoline so that means his dad was
also called Sebastian and he's a noble
of mesoline which is another country
country
and he would have drowned but you sir
aled that for somehow before you took me
from the breach of the sea my sister
drowned so Antonio
rescued Sebastian in a similar way to
the way that the SE rescued via
and there's dramatic irony here as well
because we know that Viola has survived
and obviously Sebastian doesn't and
obviously Viet doesn't know that
Sebastian survived and yeah lots of
dramatic irony basically so pardon me
sir your bad entertainment I've seen
that line delivered
whereas it's the idea of it being the
bad entertainment that he is providing
me so you're you're bad as in you are
bad entertain but anyway it's written
here is you're bad entertainment as in I
feel it basically means I feel sorry for
all the bad things that you've had to go
through which makes more
sense so I don't know whether that's in
different versions but
anyway oh good Antonio forgive me your
trouble if you were not murder me for my
love let me be your servant now there is
I'll get on to this in a later scene but
there are plenty of readings of 12 night
in terms of Antonio and Sebastian's
relationship and it's totally valid to
have a gay reading of the relationship
of Antonio and Sebastian they do seem
very close there's plenty of lines that
you can interpret as in the idea of them
of having uh a very close possibly even sexual
sexual
relationship and it's there's various
contextual reasons as well why that's
actually potentially plausible
I it's plausible anyway just the fact
that they just just could be the nature
of their relationship it's just
absolutely plausible anyway but there's
extra details that we can talk about
which come in later really but maybe
I'll say it now anyway but Antonio is
known as a
pirate in this Society of
Alyria and so with pirates actually same
seex relation ships were actually really
common more common than history books or
films would actually give you the
impression of and there is lots of
historical evidence of this and it seems totally
totally
feasible that Sebastian is in sorry
Antonio is in love with Sebastian
whether Sebastian's in love with Antonio
is also open to interpretation as well I
was getting mixed up myself there as
well but it's really interesting and
yeah we'll talk more about it later as
well but for now as it just introduces a
character but look out for it see what
you think if you ship if you ship
Sebastian and Antonio then you're
absolutely more than welcome to
alternatively you can just read it as
Antonio is devoted friend and because he
sees himself as lower class than
Sebastian he accepts his place in
society to serve him and he's devoted to
him in that way you can have a a kind of
villa reading of it if you want to go
down that route as well it Works
different versions will emphasize this
relationship in different ways so it all
works it's all down to you you can
interpret it in the way that you want to interpret
interpret
it I think the idea of shipping them is
more interesting I think it adds an
extra Dimension to the play and it fits
in with the ideas of crossing boundaries
and ideas about gender and identity and
love and it just seems to fit in and
make it more interesting but as I say
you can interpret it how you like
then if you will not murder me for my
love let me be your
servant if you not undo what you have
done that is kill him who you have
recover desire it not so it really hurt
if you you know please don't come with
me it really upsets me if you if you
come with me I want you to be
safe I am so near the manners of my
mother that upon the least occasion will
mine eyes will tell Tales of me so he
says I'm going to cry and I'm similar to
my mother in that way that's another
good one for crossing gender boundaries
as well and maybe subverting stereotypes
of ideas of masculinity from Sebastian
there so he's going off in his little
tourist thing he's going to go to count
oros court and have a look around
doesn't really make a lot of sense apart
from it works in terms of the narrative
where Shakespeare is going to bring
these characters together again it makes
total sense in that way but
logically I don't know I don't think it
makes a huge amount of sense but anyway
you don't need to write about that then
I have many enemies in oro's court I
didn't highlight that for some reason
else would I very shortly see there but
come up may I do adore the so that
danger shall seems Sport and I will go
so Antonio is prepared to risk his life
he's a wanted man because he's perceived
as a pirate we find that out later on
he's perceived as a pirate in ALA so
he's prepared to risk his life to follow
and protect Sebastian again that level
of devotion it's up to you how far you
see that relationship as I say I've
already said my view on it you're
totally entitled to your own of course
you are welcome to have your own anyway
thank you for listening and tune in to
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