Twelfth Night E-Book

William Shakespeare

• Herausgeber: Sovereign
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Serie: Timeless Classic
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Seitenzahl: 107

Beschreibung

Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and she comes ashore with the help of a captain. She loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes to be dead. Disguising herself as a young man under the name Cesario, she enters the service of Duke Orsino through the help of the sea captain who rescues her. Duke Orsino has convinced himself that he is in love with Olivia, whose father and brother have recently died, and who refuses to see charming things, be in the company of man and entertain love or marriage proposals from any one until seven years have passed, the Duke included.

Leseprobe

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night

LONDON ∙ NEW YORK ∙ TORONTO ∙ SAO PAULO ∙ MOSCOW

PARIS ∙ MADRID ∙ BERLIN ∙ ROME ∙ MEXICO CITY ∙ MUMBAI ∙ SEOUL ∙ DOHA

TOKYO ∙ SYDNEY ∙ CAPE TOWN ∙ AUCKLAND ∙ BEIJING

New Edition

Published by Sovereign Classic

www.sovereignclassic.net

This Edition

First published in 2015

Copyright © 2015 Sovereign Classic

Contents

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

ACT IV

ACT V

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

ORSINO, Duke of IllyriaSEBASTIAN, brother to ViolaANTONIO, a sea captain, friend to SebastianA SEA CAPTAIN, friend to ViolaVALENTINE, gentleman attending on the DukeCURIO, gentleman attending on the DukeSIR TOBY BELCH, uncle to OliviaSIR ANDREW AGUECHEEKMALVOLIO, steward to OliviaFABIAN, servant to OliviaFESTE, a clown, servant to Olivia

OLIVIA, a rich countessVIOLAMARIA, Olivia’s waiting woman

Lords, Priests, Sailors, Officers, Musicians, and otherAttendants

SCENE: A city in Illyria, and the sea-coast near it

ACT I

SCENE I. DUKE ORSINO’S PALACE.

Enter DUKE ORSINO, CURIO, and other Lords; Musicians attending

DUKE ORSINO

If music be the food of love, play on;Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,The appetite may sicken, and so die.That strain again! it had a dying fall:O, it came o’er my ear like the sweet sound,That breathes upon a bank of violets,Stealing and giving odour! Enough; no more:‘Tis not so sweet now as it was before.O spirit of love! how quick and fresh art thou,That, notwithstanding thy capacityReceiveth as the sea, nought enters there,Of what validity and pitch soe’er,But falls into abatement and low price,Even in a minute: so full of shapes is fancyThat it alone is high fantastical.

CURIO

Will you go hunt, my lord?

DUKE ORSINO

What, Curio?

CURIO

The hart.

DUKE ORSINO

Why, so I do, the noblest that I have:O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first,Methought she purged the air of pestilence!That instant was I turn’d into a hart;And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,E’er since pursue me.

Enter VALENTINE

How now! what news from her?

VALENTINE

So please my lord, I might not be admitted;But from her handmaid do return this answer:The element itself, till seven years’ heat,Shall not behold her face at ample view;But, like a cloistress, she will veiled walkAnd water once a day her chamber roundWith eye-offending brine: all this to seasonA brother’s dead love, which she would keep freshAnd lasting in her sad remembrance.

DUKE ORSINO

O, she that hath a heart of that fine frameTo pay this debt of love but to a brother,How will she love, when the rich golden shaftHath kill’d the flock of all affections elseThat live in her; when liver, brain and heart,These sovereign thrones, are all supplied, and fill’dHer sweet perfections with one self king!Away before me to sweet beds of flowers:Love-thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers.

Exeunt

SCENE II. THE SEA-COAST.

Enter VIOLA, a Captain, and Sailors

VIOLA

What country, friends, is this?

Captain

This is Illyria, lady.

VIOLA

And what should I do in Illyria?My brother he is in Elysium.Perchance he is not drown’d: what think you, sailors?

Captain

It is perchance that you yourself were saved.

VIOLA

O my poor brother! and so perchance may he be.

Captain

True, madam: and, to comfort you with chance,Assure yourself, after our ship did split,When you and those poor number saved with youHung on our driving boat, I saw your brother,Most provident in peril, bind himself,Courage and hope both teaching him the practise,To a strong mast that lived upon the sea;Where, like Arion on the dolphin’s back,I saw him hold acquaintance with the wavesSo long as I could see.

VIOLA

For saying so, there’s gold:Mine own escape unfoldeth to my hope,Whereto thy speech serves for authority,The like of him. Know’st thou this country?

Captain

Ay, madam, well; for I was bred and bornNot three hours’ travel from this very place.

VIOLA

Who governs here?

Captain

A noble duke, in nature as in name.

VIOLA

What is the name?

Captain

Orsino.

VIOLA

Orsino! I have heard my father name him:He was a bachelor then.

Captain

And so is now, or was so very late;For but a month ago I went from hence,And then ‘twas fresh in murmur,--as, you know,What great ones do the less will prattle of,--That he did seek the love of fair Olivia.

VIOLA

What’s she?

Captain

A virtuous maid, the daughter of a countThat died some twelvemonth since, then leaving herIn the protection of his son, her brother,Who shortly also died: for whose dear love,They say, she hath abjured the companyAnd sight of men.

VIOLA

O that I served that ladyAnd might not be delivered to the world,Till I had made mine own occasion mellow,What my estate is!

Captain

That were hard to compass;Because she will admit no kind of suit,No, not the duke’s.

VIOLA

There is a fair behavior in thee, captain;And though that nature with a beauteous wallDoth oft close in pollution, yet of theeI will believe thou hast a mind that suitsWith this thy fair and outward character.I prithee, and I’ll pay thee bounteously,Conceal me what I am, and be my aidFor such disguise as haply shall becomeThe form of my intent. I’ll serve this duke:Thou shall present me as an eunuch to him:It may be worth thy pains; for I can singAnd speak to him in many sorts of musicThat will allow me very worth his service.What else may hap to time I will commit;Only shape thou thy silence to my wit.

Captain

Be you his eunuch, and your mute I’ll be:When my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not see.

VIOLA

I thank thee: lead me on.

Exeunt

SCENE III. OLIVIA’S house.

Enter SIR TOBY BELCH and MARIA

SIR TOBY BELCH

What a plague means my niece, to take the death ofher brother thus? I am sure care’s an enemy to life.

MARIA

By my troth, Sir Toby, you must come in earlier o’nights: your cousin, my lady, takes greatexceptions to your ill hours.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Why, let her except, before excepted.

MARIA

Ay, but you must confine yourself within the modestlimits of order.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Confine! I’ll confine myself no finer than I am:these clothes are good enough to drink in; and so bethese boots too: an they be not, let them hangthemselves in their own straps.

MARIA

That quaffing and drinking will undo you: I heardmy lady talk of it yesterday; and of a foolishknight that you brought in one night here to be her wooer.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Who, Sir Andrew Aguecheek?

MARIA

Ay, he.

SIR TOBY BELCH

He’s as tall a man as any’s in Illyria.

MARIA

What’s that to the purpose?

SIR TOBY BELCH

Why, he has three thousand ducats a year.

MARIA

Ay, but he’ll have but a year in all these ducats:he’s a very fool and a prodigal.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Fie, that you’ll say so! he plays o’ theviol-de-gamboys, and speaks three or four languagesword for word without book, and hath all the goodgifts of nature.

MARIA

He hath indeed, almost natural: for besides thathe’s a fool, he’s a great quarreller: and but thathe hath the gift of a coward to allay the gust hehath in quarrelling, ‘tis thought among the prudenthe would quickly have the gift of a grave.

SIR TOBY BELCH

By this hand, they are scoundrels and subtractorsthat say so of him. Who are they?

MARIA

They that add, moreover, he’s drunk nightly in your company.

SIR TOBY BELCH

With drinking healths to my niece: I’ll drink toher as long as there is a passage in my throat anddrink in Illyria: he’s a coward and a coystrillthat will not drink to my niece till his brains turno’ the toe like a parish-top. What, wench!Castiliano vulgo! for here comes Sir Andrew Agueface.

Enter SIR ANDREW

SIR ANDREW

Sir Toby Belch! how now, Sir Toby Belch!

SIR TOBY BELCH

Sweet Sir Andrew!

SIR ANDREW

Bless you, fair shrew.

MARIA

And you too, sir.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Accost, Sir Andrew, accost.

SIR ANDREW

What’s that?

SIR TOBY BELCH

My niece’s chambermaid.

SIR ANDREW

Good Mistress Accost, I desire better acquaintance.

MARIA

My name is Mary, sir.

SIR ANDREW

Good Mistress Mary Accost,--

SIR TOBY BELCH

You mistake, knight; ‘accost’ is front her, boardher, woo her, assail her.

SIR ANDREW

By my troth, I would not undertake her in thiscompany. Is that the meaning of ‘accost’?

MARIA

Fare you well, gentlemen.

SIR TOBY BELCH

An thou let part so, Sir Andrew, would thou mightstnever draw sword again.

SIR ANDREW

An you part so, mistress, I would I might neverdraw sword again. Fair lady, do you think you havefools in hand?

MARIA

Sir, I have not you by the hand.

SIR ANDREW

Marry, but you shall have; and here’s my hand.

MARIA

Now, sir, ‘thought is free:’ I pray you, bringyour hand to the buttery-bar and let it drink.

SIR ANDREW

Wherefore, sweet-heart? what’s your metaphor?

MARIA

It’s dry, sir.

SIR ANDREW

Why, I think so: I am not such an ass but I cankeep my hand dry. But what’s your jest?

MARIA

A dry jest, sir.

SIR ANDREW

Are you full of them?

MARIA

Ay, sir, I have them at my fingers’ ends: marry,now I let go your hand, I am barren.

Exit

SIR TOBY BELCH

O knight thou lackest a cup of canary: when did Isee thee so put down?

SIR ANDREW

Never in your life, I think; unless you see canaryput me down. Methinks sometimes I have no more witthan a Christian or an ordinary man has: but I am agreat eater of beef and I believe that does harm to my wit.

SIR TOBY BELCH

No question.

SIR ANDREW

An I thought that, I’ld forswear it. I’ll ride hometo-morrow, Sir Toby.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Pourquoi, my dear knight?

SIR ANDREW

What is ‘Pourquoi’? do or not do? I would I hadbestowed that time in the tongues that I have infencing, dancing and bear-baiting: O, had I butfollowed the arts!

SIR TOBY BELCH

Then hadst thou had an excellent head of hair.

SIR ANDREW

Why, would that have mended my hair?

SIR TOBY BELCH

Past question; for thou seest it will not curl by nature.

SIR ANDREW

But it becomes me well enough, does’t not?

SIR TOBY BELCH

Excellent; it hangs like flax on a distaff; and Ihope to see a housewife take thee between her legsand spin it off.

SIR ANDREW

Faith, I’ll home to-morrow, Sir Toby: your niecewill not be seen; or if she be, it’s four to oneshe’ll none of me: the count himself here hard by woos her.

SIR TOBY BELCH

She’ll none o’ the count: she’ll not match aboveher degree, neither in estate, years, nor wit; Ihave heard her swear’t. Tut, there’s life in’t,man.

SIR ANDREW

I’ll stay a month longer. I am a fellow o’ thestrangest mind i’ the world; I delight in masquesand revels sometimes altogether.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Art thou good at these kickshawses, knight?

SIR ANDREW

As any man in Illyria, whatsoever he be, under thedegree of my betters; and yet I will not comparewith an old man.

SIR TOBY BELCH

What is thy excellence in a galliard, knight?

SIR ANDREW

Faith, I can cut a caper.

SIR TOBY BELCH

And I can cut the mutton to’t.

SIR ANDREW

And I think I have the back-trick simply as strongas any man in Illyria.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Wherefore are these things hid? wherefore havethese gifts a curtain before ‘em? are they like totake dust, like Mistress Mall’s picture? why dostthou not go to church in a galliard and come home ina coranto? My very walk should be a jig; I would notso much as make water but in a sink-a-pace. Whatdost thou mean? Is it a world to hide virtues in?I did think, by the excellent constitution of thyleg, it was formed under the star of a galliard.

SIR ANDREW

Ay, ‘tis strong, and it does indifferent well in aflame-coloured stock. Shall we set about some revels?

SIR TOBY BELCH

What shall we do else? were we not born under Taurus?

SIR ANDREW

Taurus! That’s sides and heart.

SIR TOBY BELCH

No, sir; it is legs and thighs. Let me see thecaper; ha! higher: ha, ha! excellent!

Exeunt

SCENE IV. DUKE ORSINO’S PALACE.

Enter VALENTINE and VIOLA in man’s attire

VALENTINE

If the duke continue these favours towards you,Cesario, you are like to be much advanced: he hathknown you but three days, and already you are no stranger.

VIOLA

You either fear his humour or my negligence, thatyou call in question the continuance of his love:is he inconstant, sir, in his favours?

VALENTINE

No, believe me.

VIOLA