Summary and Analysis Act V: Scene 1

Summary

This last act, which consists of only a single scene, takes place on a street in front of Olivia's
house. Feste is reluctantly carrying Malvolio's letter to Olivia (pleading Malvolio's sanity), but
Fabian is trying to discourage him from reading it. Feste, needless to say, is in no great hurry to
deliver it.

Duke Orsino, Cesario (Viola), Curio, and others enter, and Orsino has a few words with Feste;
he is pleased with Feste's quick wit and gives him a gold coin and tells him to announce to
Olivia that he is here to speak with her and, furthermore, to "bring her along"; if he does, there
may be more gold coins for Feste.

Cesario (Viola) sees Antonio approaching with several officers and tells Orsino that this is the
man who rescued him from Sir Andrew earlier. (Antonio, of course, is still under arrest). Orsino
remembers Antonio well; when he last saw Antonio, the sea captain's face was "besmeared / As
black as Vulcan in the smoke of war." Antonio was the captain of a pirate ship then and did
great damage to Orsino's fleet. Yet despite their past differences, Orsino remembers Antonio as
being a brave and honorable opponent.

When he is asked to explain how he happened to be in Illyria, Antonio explains to Orsino that he
is the victim of "witchcraft" — that is, he saved Cesario's life, and then this "most ingrateful boy"
would not return the purse of money which he lent him earlier.

At this instant, Olivia makes a grand entrance with her attendants. When Orsino sees Olivia
entering, he says that "heaven walks on earth." He tells himself that "this youth" (Cesario) "hash
tended" him for three months; Antonio's words, of course, are impossible.

Olivia's ire is rankled. She asks Orsino what he wants — other than what he can't have — and
she accuses Cesario of breaking an appointment with her. Frustrated to the point of madness
himself, Orsino turns on Cesario: it is all his fault that Olivia has rejected him, and he will have
his revenge. He knows that Olivia loves Cesario, and he is ready to "tear out [Cesario from
Olivia's] cruel eye" for bestowing all her loving glances at Cesario. He orders Cesario to come
with him for his "thoughts are ripe in mischief." Even though he values Cesario very much, yet
he will "sacrifice the lamb . . . to spite a raven's heart." Olivia is appalled: where is the haughty
Orsino taking her new husband? Cesario replies that he goes with Orsino willingly; he would, for
Orsino, "a thousand deaths die." He says that he loves Orsino "more than I love these eyes,
more than my life . . . [and] all the more, than e'er I shall love wife."

Olivia is thunderstruck: "Me, detested! how am I beguiled!" She calls for the priest who married
her to Cesario (in fact, to Sebastian), and the priest enters and attests to the fact that a marriage
did indeed take place between these two young people.
Now it is Orsino who is furious. This "proxy," this young messenger whom he hired to carry
letters of love to Olivia, hoodwinked him and married Olivia himself. He turns to this
"dissembling cub" and tells him to "take her; but direct thy feet / Where thou and I henceforth
may never meet." Cesario (Viola) attempts to protest, but Olivia hushes him: "Oh, do not
fear . . . thou hast too much fear."

Suddenly, Sir Andrew enters, crying loudly for a surgeon; Sir Toby also needs one. They say
that they have been wounded by Cesario (Sebastian), and Sir Andrew's head is broken and Sir
Toby has a "bloody coxcomb." They point their finger to Cesario (Viola): "Here he is!" Cesario
(Viola) protests once more. He has hurt no one; yet it is true that Sir Andrew drew his sword and
challenged him once to a duel, but certainly Cesario (Viola) never harmed Sir Andrew.

It seems that the surgeon is drunk and cannot come, and although Olivia tries to find out who is
responsible for this bloody business, she cannot, for confusion reigns as Sir Toby and Sir
Andrew help one another off to bed.

The key to the solution of all of this confusion now enters: it is Sebastian. He apologizes to
Olivia for having injured Sir Toby. Orsino is the first to express astonishment at the identical
appearance of Sebastian and Cesario. It is almost impossible to distinguish between them,
except by the colors of their clothes. Sebastian then reminds Olivia of the words which they
exchanged only a short time ago, and he calls her his "sweet one." He joyfully recognizes
Antonio and confesses how "the hours [have] racked and tortured" him since he lost him. Like
Orsino, Antonio is amazed. He compares Cesario and Sebastian to "an apple, cleft in two."
Viola (Cesario) begins to speak then; she tells Sebastian that he is very much like a twin brother
who she fears perished in a "watery tomb." Her father was Sebastian; he had a mole on one
brow — and at this point, Sebastian interrupts her: so did his father. Moreover, both agree that
this man died when they were thirteen years old.

Viola then reveals that her real identity is hidden by "masculine usurp'd attire"; she is
Sebastian's lost twin sister, and she can prove it by taking them to the home of a sea captain
who knows of her disguise and is keeping her women's clothes for her; however, they must
produce Malvolio because he has been holding the sea captain imprisoned.

Sebastian turns to Olivia and tells her that she has been "mistook." Had she married Cesario
(Viola), she would "have been contracted to a maid." But he gives her good news also. As her
husband, he is a bit of a "maid" himself — that is, he is a virgin ("both maid and man"). Olivia
calls immediately for Malvolio; she wants to hear why he has had this sea captain imprisoned,
and she asks that he be specifically brought before her, even though "they say, poor gentleman,
he's much distract."

At this point, Feste enters with Malvolio's letter, written as proof of his sanity. Olivia tells him to
read it aloud, and he does, in an affected voice that makes everyone laugh. Olivia then gives
the letter to Fabian to read. She is not truly convinced that Malvolio is all that mad. When he
enters, he brings Maria's "love note" with him. Olivia instantly recognizes the handwriting as
being Maria's. Thus she begins to reconstruct the intricacies of the practical joke that her
servants have played on Malvolio. She declares that Malvolio shall be both plaintiff and judge of
his own case against the pranksters.

Recounting all of the secret plottings which have taken place, Fabian confesses his and Sir
Toby's roles in their attempt to take revenge on Malvolio. He also confesses that it was Sir Toby
who persuaded Maria to write the forged love note, and that, "in recompense," he has married
her. Olivia expresses pity for Malvolio; he has been "most notoriously abused," and then in lines
of stately blank verse, Count Orsino ends the play by turning to Viola and telling her that while
she seemed very dear to him once as a man, she is now his "mistress and fancy queen."
Everyone exits, and Feste is left onstage.

He sings one last song, one of the most philosophical jester's songs in all of Shakespeare's
plays. It tells of the development of men, focusing on the various stages of their lives, and
putting all of the serious matters of the life of men into the dramatic context of this comedy —
whose purpose is, after all, only to "please."

Analysis

Unlike the earlier acts, which were divided into several individual scenes, this final act has only
one scene, which gives a heightened sense of unity because most of the diverse plots, themes,
complications, and mistaken identities must be unraveled and resolved. However, there are a
few minor details that are left unresolved. For example, Antonio had earlier feared that he would
be arrested, and we are never to know why. In this scene, Antonio is also accused of being a
pirate and a sea thief and also as someone who attacked Duke Orsino's fleet, causing great
damage; yet Antonio denies he was ever a thief or a pirate, and even those accusing him
(Orsino, for example) admit that he has always conducted himself in honorable and heroic
fashion. Whatever the cause of the conflict between Antonio and Orsino, it is left unclear.
Likewise, why Malvolio has Viola's sea captain imprisoned and awaiting trial is a total mystery;
this is a matter which is also left unresolved.

The first interchange of wit in the first part of the act between Duke Orsino and Feste the Clown
introduces the first resolution of the various complications in the play; Feste is on his way to
Olivia with a letter from Malvolio which will clear up the plot concerning the gulling and
"imprisoning" of Malvolio. With the entrance of the arrested Antonio, however, confusion mounts
to a higher crescendo as Cesario (Viola) is first accused of bewitching and then betraying
Antonio; then there is an accusation made of his alienating Olivia's affections from Orsino; and
third, Cesario (Viola) is accused of betraying the bond of marriage entered into with Olivia and
attested to by the priest.

Cesario (Viola) is left speechless, of course, when these accusations are made. Antonio's
charge is denied by Orsino; he knows for a fact that Cesario has been in his service for three
months (events have transpired so fast that Shakespeare realized that his audience might not
be aware that three months have really elapsed; thus he has Orsino point out the fact here).
The priest's testimony discredits Cesario's relationship with Orsino; thus Orsino threatens to
play the role of the tyrant; that is, he will punish Olivia by putting her love, Cesario, to death — in
spite of his own strong attraction to the youth. The sudden appearance of Sir Andrew, followed
by Sir Toby, creates another diversion. They enter wounded, calling loudly for a "surgeon," and
accuse Cesario of having beaten them violently; clearly, we can see that they have indeed been
beaten by someone. But the description of their assailant as a very fierce devil scarcely fits our
knowledge of the character of the gentle young Cesario (Viola), even though their bleeding
heads confirm a beating.

When Sebastian enters, the final solution of the puzzle is now at hand. The most striking thing
about him is his close physical resemblance to Cesario; remember that he and his sister are
both dressed as men; it is almost impossible to distinguish between them, except by the colors
of their clothes. But because Viola recognizes her brother, the attention of this final scene is on
Sebastian, who gradually comes to recognize that the youth dressed as Cesario is really Viola.
In this recognition scene, then, all parties are happily joined to each other, even though we do
not see Sir Toby and Maria, who have just been married, according to Feste.

Malvolio is the only person left disgruntled. There is no humor, no charity, and no forgiveness in
him, and after his departure, the play ends on a happy note, with the promise of happiness for
almost everyone.