English Literature

Twelfth Night Act 1 Scene 3

 Sir Toby Belch
Sir Toby is an ambiguous mix of high
spirits and low cunning. He first appears
in the play's third scene, when he storms
onto the stage the morning after a hard
night out, complaining about the sombre
melancholy that hangs over his niece's
household
Maria is a `fictional character in the
play Twelfth Night by William
Shakespeare. She is a servant in
Olivia's household. Maria is shown
to have a friendly relationship with
Sir Toby Belch, and exhibits a witty
attitude
Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Sir Andrew Aguecheek is a comic
character in William Shakespeare's play
Twelfth Night, or What You Will. One of
the minor characters, Sir Andrew is a
stereotypical fool, who is goaded into
unwisely duelling with Cesario and who
is slowly having his money pilfered by
Sir Toby Belch. He is dim-witted, vain
and clownish. His role in the play not
only provides comedy through his
pathetic situation and his long speech,
but also by his distinct, long-faced
appearance and garish dress sense
 ACT I Scene 3
Enter SIR TOBY BELCH and MARIA
SIR TOBY BELCH: What a plague means my niece, to take the death of her 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 great
exceptions to your ill hours.
SIR TOBY BELCH: Why, let her except, before excepted.
MARIA: Ay, but you must confine yourself within the modest limits 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 be these boots too. And they be not, let them hang themselves in their own straps.
MARIA: That quaffing and drinking will undo you: I heard my lady talk of it yesterday, and of a
foolish knight 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.
 Vocabulary
troth (v.) promise
confine (v.) limit
quaffing (v.) drinking (too much) alcohol
woo(v.) to court a woman
wooer (n.) a man courting a woman
prodigal (n.)someone who spends money extravagantky
and irresponsibly
Viol-de- gamboys (n.) violin
Substractors (n.) slanderers
Parish top(n.) a spinning exercise device
coistrel (n.) a mean fellow
castillianovulgo(v.) speak discreetly
 Literary device

“.....he’s a great quarreler, and but that he hath the gift of a

coward to allay the gust he hath in quarreling, ’tis thought
among the prudent he would quickly have the gift of a grave.”

Maria uses verbal irony when she says that Sir Andrew's "gift"
of cowardice saves him from "gift" of the grave. In verbal
irony, a word means the opposite of what its literal meaning is:
in this case, neither being a coward nor dying are actually gifts.

What tone is used?

 Home Task #

● Write down three devices and explain their meanings.

• Explore three instances of bawdy humor.

• Analyse the characters introduced in the scene. Give

textual evidence.

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