To quote or not to quote, that is the question (not Hamlet, but it fits)

Here are a few quotes that stood out to me as I read Acts II and III of Twelfth Night:

1. In Act II, Viola exclaims, "O time! thou must untangle this, not I; It is too hard a knot for me to untie!" This idea of time clearing up all confusions or injustices shows up again and again in Shakespeare's works. Ultimately, some characters just decide to go with the flow and let fate figure everything out because Fate was considered to dictate how events played out. (This attitude definitely shows up in Winter's Tale and Midsummer Night's Dream!)
2. Sir Toby greets Feste who comes in to perform by saying, "Welcome, ass." Such a succinct way to showcase Toby's incompetence-- by calling a person such a name, Sir Toby only makes himself sound like one. His nobility is the only reason no one's calling it out, though! Anyway, that's the one sentence that gives the rest of you an understanding of his character without reading the play.
3. Viola makes an excellent analysis of Feste in particular, but of the fool trope that shows up in many of Shakespeare's plays (Rosemary, you may want to look at this quote for your research!): "This fellow is wise enough to play the fool,And to do that well craves a kind of wit. He must observe their mood on whom he jests, The quality of persons, and the time, And, like the haggard, check at every feather That comes before his eye. This is a practise As full of labor as a wise man’s art, For folly that he wisely shows is fit. But wise men, folly-fall'n, quite taint their wit."

A Motley Fool

I remember that in class we had talked about the role of fools in Shakespeare's plays. We had said that they are usually the characters that say what needs to be said but can get away with it because they are the fools and are not taken seriously. In As You Like It, the fool, Touchstone, is the "wise fool" that we had talked about. In Act 1, scene 2, he is talking to Celia and Rosalind, telling them about a knight who swore on his honor. When Touchstone makes the comment that the story is related to Celia's father, Duke Frederick, Celia becomes angry and tells to stop or he will be punished. Touchstone's response is an amazing one. "The more pity, that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly." This line is the ultimate statement of what we had talked about in class. What makes this even more interesting is that Celia agrees with him when she says "By my troth, thou sayest true."


The next quote is from Act 2, scene 7. Jaques, who earlier was brooding, comes back to Duke Senior at camp much more happy than before. When asked why, Jaques gives his monologue about meeting a fool (Touchstone) and reiterates what the fool said. Part of what he said was, "Tis but an hour ago since it was nine,/ and after one hour more 'twill be eleven;/ and so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe/ and then, from hour to hour, we rot  and rot;/ and thereby hangs a tale." Jaques sings the fool's praises, even going as far as wanting to be a fool. Little did he know that Touchstone was really mocking/ commentating on Jaques brooding.

A closer look at the Primary text: Coriolanus

After returning to my play, and getting lost in it all over again, I reassured myself of my ideas and even found some new quotes to analyze here are a few of them.

At the beginning of the play there is a great piece of dialog that takes place between a few of the citizens about the intentions of Coriolanus.  Breaking down and analyzing this discourse would be a great way to introduce and ground my thesis regarding nature vs. nurture in the text:
-First Citizen

"I say unto you, what he hath done famously, he did it to that end: though soft-conscienced men can be content to say it was for his country he did it to please his mother and to be partly proud; which he is, even till the altitude of his virtue."

Second Citizen 
 "What he cannot help in his nature, you account a vice in him. You must in no way say he is covetous."

As my paper continues and I argue that Coriolanus is a victim of the dangerous nurturing practices of his mother and the Roman society here are a few passages that could help support this idea.

This discourse between his wife and mother reveals the way in which he was raised and, in part how his extreme pride was cultivated.
-Volumnia
To a cruel war I sent him; from whence he returned, his brows bound with oak. I tell thee, daughter, I sprang not more in joy at first hearing he was a man-child than now in first seeing he had proved himself a man.
VIRGILIABut had he died in the business, madam; how then?
 
VOLUMNIA

Then his good report should have been my son; I therein would have found issue. Hear me profess sincerely: had I a dozen sons, each in my love alike and none less dear than thine and my good Marcius, I had rather had eleven die nobly for their country than one voluptuously surfeit out of action.

As my paper progresses I will show how the tragedy lies not in the pride of Coriolanus but in the blind naivete of a society that cultivates its military leaders in such way that they expect hardness from them on the battlefield and prize their victories but off the battlefield they condemn the attitude that is necessary for such victories to be won.
This praise from Coriolanus's commanding officer shows this dynamic.

-COMINIUS If I should tell thee o'er this thy day's work, Thou'ldst not believe thy deeds: but I'll report it Where senators shall mingle tears with smiles, Where great patricians shall attend and shrug, I' the end admire, where ladies shall be frighted, And, gladly quaked, hear more; where the dull tribunes, That, with the fusty plebeians, hate thine honours, Shall say against their hearts 'We thank the gods Our Rome hath such a soldier.' Yet camest thou to a morsel of this feast, Having fully dined before.

Here, this dialog between a friend of Coriolanus and  two tribunes of the people displays this conflict.

MENENIUS The augurer tells me we shall have news to-night.
BRUTUS Good or bad? 
 MENENIUS Not according to the prayer of the people, for they 
love not Marcius.  
SICINIUS Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.
MENENIUS Pray you, who does the wolf love? 
 SICINIUS The lamb.  
MENENIUS Ay, to devour him; as the hungry plebeians would the noble Marcius.  
BRUTUS He's a lamb indeed, that baes like a bear. 
 MENENIUS He's a bear indeed, that lives like a lamb. You two are old men: tell me one thing that I shall ask you. 
 Both Well, sir. 
 MENENIUS In what enormity is Marcius poor in, that you two have not in abundance?  
BRUTUS He's poor in no one fault, but stored with all. 
 SICINIUS   Especially in pride.
MENENIUS Because you talk of pride now,--will you not be angry?
Both Well, well, sir, well.  
MENENIUS Why, 'tis no great matter; for a very little thief of occasion will rob you of a great deal of patience: give your dispositions the reins, and be angry at your pleasures; at the least if you take it as a pleasure to you in being so. You blame Marcius for being proud?

I realize that all these passages are way to long (Sorry for the lengthy post) I would of course cut them down to size and paraphrase when I incorporate them into my paper (I just haven't got that far yet).  There are a few more passages that I could go into detail about but I think these give a decent foundation to my argument and show something of the substance that my paper will consist of.