This is the air; that is the glorious sun,
This pearl she gave me, I do feel’t and see’t,
And though ’tis wonder that enwraps me thus,
Yet ’tis not madness. Where’s Antonio, then?
I could not find him at the Elephant,
Yet there he was, and there I found this credit,
That he did range the town to seek me out.
His counsel now might do me golden service.
For though my soul disputes well with my sense
That this may be some error, but no madness,
Yet doth this accident and flood of fortune
So far exceed all instance, all discourse,
That I am ready to distrust mine eyes
And wrangle with my reason that persuades me
To any other trust but that I am mad,
Or else the lady’s mad; yet if ’twere so,
She could not sway her house, command her followers,
Take and give back affairs and their dispatch,
With such a smooth, discreet, and stable bearing
As I perceive she does. There’s something in’t
That is deceivable. But here the lady comes.
Will you go with me?
Will you come with me?
come with me
Sebastian's defining move in this scene is radical acceptance. He arrives in a city, people treat him as if they know him, a woman falls in love with him, and instead of demanding answers, he simply agrees to marry her. His opening monologue ('this is the air, that is the glorious sun') reads almost like he's testing reality to confirm he's awake — he's not sure if he's dreaming or enchanted. But rather than resist the enchantment, he accommodates it. His vow ('having sworn truth, ever will be true') is made in complete ignorance of who he's marrying or why, yet it's sincere. This is Shakespeare saying something important about the nature of commitment: sometimes you marry not because you understand everything about the situation, but because you decide to be faithful within the confusion.
Blame not this haste of mine. If you mean well,
Now go with me and with this holy man
Into the chantry by: there, before him
And underneath that consecrated roof,
Plight me the full assurance of your faith,
That my most jealous and too doubtful soul
May live at peace. He shall conceal it
Whiles you are willing it shall come to note,
What time we will our celebration keep
According to my birth. What do you say?
Blame not this haste of mine. If you mean well, Now go with me and with this holy man Into the chantry by: there, before him And underneath that consecrated roof, Plight me the full assurance of your faith, That my most jealous and too doubtful soul May live at peace. He shall conceal it Whiles you are willing it shall come to note, What time we will our celebration keep According to my birth. What do you say?
blame not this haste of mine. if you mean well, now go with me and with this holy man into the chantry by: there, before him and underneath that consecrated roof, plight me the full assurance of your faith, that my most jealous and too doubtful soul may live at peace. he shall conceal it whiles you are willing it shall come to note, what time we will our celebration keep according to my birth. what do you say?
Blame not this haste of mine. If you mean well, Now go with me and with this holy man Into the chantry by: there, before him
This scene is extraordinary because both parties are consenting to something built on a lie, but neither party is lying. Olivia genuinely believes she's marrying Cesario (Viola). Sebastian genuinely is Sebastian. No deception is happening — the universe is simply confusing them. By the end of the scene, what was meant to be a love story between Olivia and Cesario has become a marriage between Olivia and Sebastian. The final act will have to untangle this somehow, but for now, the marriage stands as real, valid, and genuine, even though it's built on a completely false premise. It's the most Shakespearean ending imaginable: everyone gets what they wanted, but not in the way they imagined, and not with the person they thought they were getting.
I’ll follow this good man, and go with you,
And having sworn truth, ever will be true.
I’ll follow this good man, and go with you, And having sworn truth, ever will be true.
i’ll follow this good man, and go with you, and having sworn truth, ever will be true.
I’ll follow this good man, and go with you, And having sworn truth, ever will be true.
Then lead the way, good father, and heavens so shine,
That they may fairly note this act of mine!
Then lead the way, good father, and heavens so shine, That they may fairly note this act of mine!
then lead the way, good father, and heavens so shine, that they may fairly note this act of mine!
Then lead the way, good father, and heavens so shine, That they may fairly note this act of mine!
The Reckoning
This is the fastest marriage in the play. Sebastian comes in confused, leaves engaged. He has no idea that he's being mistaken for his sister. Olivia has no idea that she's marrying the wrong twin. Yet they both proceed with genuine consent — they're not deceiving each other, they're just completely misinformed. By the end of the scene, Olivia has gotten her wish, but not in the way she imagined: she's getting married to Cesario, but not the Cesario she fell in love with. She's getting Sebastian instead.
If this happened today…
A woman tells you she loves you and wants to marry you. You have no memory of knowing her, but she's beautiful, kind, and doesn't seem to be joking. There's no good reason to say no. So you say yes. You get married within an hour. Only later do you realize she thought you were someone else the whole time — and you were actually that someone else's twin sibling.