Twelfth Night: Act 5

by William Shakespeare
After a shipwreck separates her from her twin brother, Viola disguises herself as a man so she can pass safely through the land of Illyria. There she befriends Duke Orsino and tries to help him win the affections of Countess Olivia. Read the full text here.

Here are links to our lists for the play: Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, Act 4, Act 5
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. trappings
    ornaments; embellishments to or characteristic signs of
    ORSINO: Belong you to the Lady Olivia, friends?
    FOOL: Ay, sir, we are some of her trappings.
  2. covetous
    immoderately desirous of acquiring something
    I go, sir, but I would not have you to think that my desire of having is the sin of covetousness.
  3. bauble
    cheap showy jewelry or ornament
    A baubling vessel was he captain of,
    For shallow draught and bulk unprizable,
    With which such scatheful grapple did he make
    With the most noble bottom of our fleet
    That very envy and the tongue of loss
    Cried fame and honor on him.
  4. apprehend
    take into police custody
    Here in the streets, desperate of shame and state,
    In private brabble did we apprehend him.
  5. hither
    to this place
    A witchcraft drew me hither.
  6. wrack
    the destruction or collapse of something
    That most ingrateful boy there by your side
    From the rude sea’s enraged and foamy mouth
    Did I redeem; a wrack past hope he was.
  7. adverse
    contrary to your interests or welfare
    For his sake
    Did I expose myself, pure for his love,
    Into the danger of this adverse town;
    Drew to defend him when he was beset;
    Where, being apprehended, his false cunning
    (Not meaning to partake with me in danger)
    Taught him to face me out of his acquaintance
  8. beset
    assail or attack on all sides
    For his sake
    Did I expose myself, pure for his love,
    Into the danger of this adverse town;
    Drew to defend him when he was beset;
    Where, being apprehended, his false cunning
    (Not meaning to partake with me in danger)
    Taught him to face me out of his acquaintance
  9. partake
    have, give, or receive a share of
    For his sake
    Did I expose myself, pure for his love,
    Into the danger of this adverse town;
    Drew to defend him when he was beset;
    Where, being apprehended, his false cunning
    (Not meaning to partake with me in danger)
    Taught him to face me out of his acquaintance
  10. interim
    the time between one event, process, or period and another
    ORSINO: [to Antonio] When came he to this town?
    ANTONIO: Today, my lord; and for three months before,
    No int’rim, not a minute’s vacancy,
    Both day and night did we keep company.
  11. fulsome
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
    If it be aught to the old tune, my lord,
    It is as fat and fulsome to mine ear
    As howling after music.
  12. ingrate
    a person who shows no thankfulness or appreciation
    What, to perverseness? You, uncivil lady,
    To whose ingrate and unauspicious altars
    My soul the faithful’st off’rings have breathed out
    That e’er devotion tendered—what shall I do?
    The noun is used as an adjective to mean ungrateful ("not showing a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation") or disagreeable (this is supported by perverseness which means "deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline"). The images describe a relationship between a goddess and her worshiper, in which gratitude should come from the worshiper. However, feeling that he has not received anything in return for his worship, Orsino insults Olivia.
  13. inauspicious
    boding ill
    What, to perverseness? You, uncivil lady,
    To whose ingrate and unauspicious altars
    My soul the faithful’st off’rings have breathed out
    That e’er devotion tendered—what shall I do?
  14. spite
    hurt the feelings of
    Come, boy, with me; my thoughts are ripe in mischief.
    I'll sacrifice the lamb that I do love
    To spite a raven's heart within a dove.
  15. jocund
    full of or showing high-spirited merriment
    And I, most jocund, apt, and willingly,
    To do you rest, a thousand deaths would die.
  16. presently
    at this time or period; now
    For the love of God, a surgeon! Send one presently to Sir Toby.
  17. rogue
    a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
    Then he’s a rogue and a passy-measures pavin. I hate a drunken rogue.
  18. havoc
    violent and needless disturbance
    Who hath made this havoc with them?
  19. knave
    a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
    Will you help?—an ass-head, and a coxcomb, and a knave, a thin-faced knave, a gull?
  20. cleft
    split or divided
    How have you made division of yourself?
    An apple cleft in two is not more twin
    Than these two creatures. Which is Sebastian?
  21. deity
    a supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world
    I never had a brother,
    Nor can there be that deity in my nature
    Of here and everywhere.
  22. clad
    wearing or provided with clothing
    A spirit I am indeed,
    But am in that dimension grossly clad
    Which from the womb I did participate.
  23. cohere
    cause to form a united, orderly, and consistent whole
    If nothing lets to make us happy both
    But this my masculine usurped attire,
    Do not embrace me till each circumstance
    Of place, time, fortune, do cohere and jump
    That I am Viola
  24. sever
    set or keep apart
    And all those sayings will I overswear,
    And all those swearings keep as true in soul
    As doth that orbèd continent the fire
    That severs day from night.
  25. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    And yet, alas, now I remember me,
    They say, poor gentleman, he’s much distract.
    A most extracting frenzy of mine own
    From my remembrance clearly banished his.
    Olivia uses distract as an adjective to describe how Malvolio's mind, like hers, was filled with mental turmoil. But she confesses that her own frenzy made her selfishly forget about his distraction. She remembers now only because Viola mentioned that he knows where the captain is, and they need the captain to lead them to Viola's womanly clothes.
  26. edify
    make understand
    Look then to be well edified when the Fool delivers the madman.
    The participial adjective edified means "instructed and encouraged in moral, intellectual, and spiritual improvement." But the joke in this line is not so much in that word, but in the punning on deliver which means: 1) bring to a destination (the Fool has Malvolio's letter); 2) present, as a speech (the Fool starts off reading the letter in the voice of a madman); 3) free from harm or evil (by delivering the letter and its contents, the Fool delivers Malvolio from the dark room).
  27. induce
    cause to act in a specified manner
    I have your own letter that induced me to the semblance I put on, with the which I doubt not but to do myself much right or you much shame.
  28. semblance
    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something
    I have your own letter that induced me to the semblance I put on, with the which I doubt not but to do myself much right or you much shame.
  29. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    Pray you peruse that letter.
  30. shrewd
    good at tricking people to get something
    And now I do bethink me, it was she
    First told me thou wast mad; then cam’st in smiling,
    And in such forms which here were presupposed
    Upon thee in the letter. Prithee, be content.
    This practice hath most shrewdly passed upon thee.
  31. plaintiff
    a person who brings an action in a court of law
    But when we know the grounds and authors of it,
    Thou shalt be both the plaintiff and the judge
    Of thine own cause.
  32. conceive
    have the idea for
    Most freely I confess, myself and Toby
    Set this device against Malvolio here,
    Upon some stubborn and uncourteous parts
    We had conceived against him.
  33. recompense
    payment or reward, as for service rendered
    Maria writ
    The letter at Sir Toby’s great importance,
    In recompense whereof he hath married her.
    A Shakespearean comedy typically ends with everyone getting what they want and/or deserve; this can include rewards, punishments, and marriage. Marriage is usually a reward, as with Viola and Orsino. Maria is also rewarded with marriage by Toby, but because she was the mastermind behind Malvolio's suffering, Shakespeare turns the marriage into a punishment by focusing the couple's desire for mean tricks on each other. Despite this, Malvolio still wants his revenge.
  34. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    He hath not told us of the Captain yet.
    When that is known, and golden time convents,
    A solemn combination shall be made
    Of our dear souls.
  35. strive
    attempt by employing effort
    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.
Created on Fri Apr 08 16:45:48 EDT 2016 (updated Tue May 24 16:24:43 EDT 2022)

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