Mitarai Digital Folio

Twelfth Night, Act 2 Scene 2

40Lines 2Speakers

Twelfth Night, Act 2 Scene 2 runs 40 lines of dialogue, spoken by 2 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 138 lines. This scene is part of Act 2 of Twelfth Night.


Full Dialogue
Malvolio
Were not you even now with the Countess Olivia?
Viola
Even now, sir; on a moderate pace I have since
arrived but hither.
Malvolio
She returns this ring to you, sir: you might have
saved me my pains, to have taken it away yourself.
She adds, moreover, that you should put your lord
into a desperate assurance she will none of him:
and one thing more, that you be never so hardy to
come again in his affairs, unless it be to report
your lord's taking of this. Receive it so.
Viola
She took the ring of me: I'll none of it.
Malvolio
Come, sir, you peevishly threw it to her; and her
will is, it should be so returned: if it be worth
stooping for, there it lies in your eye; if not, be
it his that finds it.
Viola
I left no ring with her: what means this lady?
Fortune forbid my outside have not charm'd her!
She made good view of me; indeed, so much,
That sure methought her eyes had lost her tongue,
For she did speak in starts distractedly.
She loves me, sure; the cunning of her passion
Invites me in this churlish messenger.
None of my lord's ring! why, he sent her none.
I am the man: if it be so, as 'tis,
Poor lady, she were better love a dream.
Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness,
Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.
How easy is it for the proper-false
In women's waxen hearts to set their forms!
Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we!
For such as we are made of, such we be.
How will this fadge? my master loves her dearly;
And I, poor monster, fond as much on him;
And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.
What will become of this? As I am man,
My state is desperate for my master's love;
As I am woman,–now alas the day!–
What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!
O time! thou must untangle this, not I;
It is too hard a knot for me to untie!
40 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.

Who’s On Stage

Speaking characters in this scene

Character Lines Share
Viola 28 70.0%
Malvolio 12 30.0%

Line distribution

The top speaker in this scene delivers 28 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 20 lines.

Total speakers on stage

2 named characters speak in this scene.

Scene in Context

Position within Act 2

This is Scene 2 of 5 in Act 2 of Twelfth Night.

Scene length vs. play average

At 40 lines, this scene is shorter than the Twelfth Night average scene in Twelfth Night (~138 lines).

Adjacent scenes

Previous: Act 2 Scene 1 · Next: Act 2 Scene 3