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How does Viola make Olivia pay attention to her?
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What does Olivia tell Viola about Cesario?
Why does viola rebuke Olivia for rejecting Orsino?
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Viola, disguised as Cesario, is let in to see Olivia. Viola begins to deliver the love speech that Orsino gave her, but Olivia refuses to hear the memorized speech. Viola is eloquent enough to make Olivia pay attention to her, though, as she praises Olivia’s great beauty and virtues to the skies.
- Act Ii, Scenes I–Ii
Apparently loved by Olivia and in love with Orsino, who...
- Viola Quotes
Viola rebukes Olivia for rejecting Orsino, and for insisting...
- Olivia
Olivia tells Viola/Cesario that she does not want to hear...
- Act Ii, Scenes I–Ii
Viola rebukes Olivia for rejecting Orsino, and for insisting on remaining single. Viola says that since Olivia is so beautiful, it would be a shame for her to remain single (and thus, presumably childless).
Olivia tells Viola/Cesario that she does not want to hear anything else from the Duke, and then drops a sly hint about her interest in Cesario. She would like to see Cesario again. This line alerts Viola to the dangerous situation she finds herself in, where Olivia is now in love with Cesario.
VIOLA. Honestly, I'm telling you, I'm dying for one, [To herself] though I don't want it on my own chin—I'm dying for a certain man with a beard. [To the FOOL] Is Lady Olivia inside?
Viola tries to be truthful with Olivia without revealing her true identity, telling her ‘I am not what I am’ and that she can never love a woman. Take a look at an extract from this scene and watch it in rehearsal here.
Viola does well at turning Olivia's questions back to the subject of Orsino; Viola fully adopts the words, manner, and tone of a servant addressing someone of higher rank, though Viola's impersonal replies only make Olivia more determined.
[To VIOLA] Cesario, you know everything about me. I have opened the book of my most secret soul to you. Therefore, good youth, direct your steps to Olivia's house. Don't let them deny you access—stand outside her door and tell them that you'll plant roots there until they let you see her.