Home > Twelfth Night Text > Act V, Scene I - Page 4
Twelfth Night | Act V, Scene I - Page 4
- DUKE ORSINO:
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Pursue him, and entreat him to a peace:
He hath not told us of the captain yet:
When that is known and golden time convents,(395)
A solemn combination shall be made
Of our dear souls. Meantime, sweet sister,
We will not part from hence. Cesario, come:
For so you shall be, while you are a man;
But when in other habits you are seen,(400)
Orsino's mistress, and his fancy's queen.
[Exeunt.]
- CLOWN:
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[Sings]
When that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came to man's estate,(405)
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
'Gainst knave and thief men shut their gate,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came, alas, to wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,(410)
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came unto my beds,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.(415)
A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
But that's all one, our play is done,
And we'll strive to please you every day.
[Exit.]
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beg him to calm down
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The captain is the sea captain who rescued Viola and who is in possession of her female clothing. He is still in prison due to a lawsuit which Malvolio brought against him. This fact and Feste's sad song at the close of the play, add a disquieting note to the otherwise lightheartedness of the story. This is because the couples have agreed to wait for the sea captain's proof before they allow the weddings to take place.
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comes together
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It is interesting that Orsino still calls Viola by the name of Cesario. This seems to support an underlying theme regarding clothing and identity. Throughout the play, characters use clothing to disguise their identity. Feste wears a priest's clothing to impersonate Sir Topas; Malvolio changes his attire to impress Olivia; Viola dresses like a young man in order to hide her own identity. It seems that identity is an almost fluid concept for the characters, as it is constantly shifting. Even though Orsino now knows Viola's true identity, he is still able to see her as the boy he thought she was.
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The song is a sad and serious one about the harshness of life. After all the merriness and confusion of Twelfth Night, Feste's song makes for a bittersweet ending to the play, perhaps reminding us that not all endings are entirely happy ones.
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drunkards that were still drunk.
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that doesn't matter
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