Original: ‘What is your parentage?’
Modern: “What’s your family background?”

Original: ‘Above my fortunes, yet my state is well:
Modern: “Better than my wealth suggests, but I’m doing fine:

Original: I am a gentleman.’ I’ll be sworn thou art;
Modern: I am a gentleman.” I’d swear that you are;

Original: Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions and spirit,
Modern: Your speech, your face, your body, behavior and personality,

Original: Do give thee five-fold blazon: not too fast:
Modern: All declare you noble in five ways: wait, not so fast:

Original: soft, soft!
Modern: slow down, slow down!

Original: Unless the master were the man. How now!
Modern: Unless the servant is actually the master. What’s happening to me!

Original: Even so quickly may one catch the plague?
Modern: Can someone fall in love this quickly, like catching a disease?

Original: Methinks I feel this youth’s perfections
Modern: I think I can feel this young man’s perfect qualities

Original: With an invisible and subtle stealth
Modern: With a hidden and sneaky power

Original: To creep in at mine eyes. Well, let it be.
Modern: Creeping into my heart through my eyes. Well, so be it.

In Act I, Scene v of “Twelfth Night,” Viola (disguised as the young man Cesario) arrives at Olivia’s house to deliver Duke Orsino’s message of love. Olivia initially refuses to see the messenger, but her curiosity is piqued by reports of the persistent young man at her gate. When Cesario is finally admitted to her presence, Viola delivers Orsino’s passionate declarations with eloquence and sincerity, speaking of love’s urgency and the Duke’s devotion. Olivia listens, initially resistant to hearing yet another plea from her persistent suitor.

However, as the scene progresses, Olivia finds herself increasingly attracted to the messenger rather than the message. She becomes captivated by Cesario’s youth, wit, and unusual manner of speaking about love. After Cesario departs, Olivia realizes she has fallen in love with the disguised Viola, mistaking her for a young man. She sends her steward Malvolio after Cesario with a ring, claiming that the messenger left it behind, though this is merely a pretext to establish contact and express her newfound interest. The scene establishes the central love triangle that drives much of the play’s romantic confusion.

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will opens with Viola and her twin brother Sebastian being separated in a shipwreck off the coast of Illyria. Believing Sebastian to be dead, Viola disguises herself as a young man named Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino, who is desperately in love with the Countess Olivia. Olivia, however, is in mourning for her dead brother and refuses to receive Orsino’s advances. When Orsino sends Cesario (Viola) to woo Olivia on his behalf, Olivia instead falls in love with the disguised messenger.

Meanwhile, in Olivia’s household, her uncle Sir Toby Belch lives as a disruptive houseguest alongside his drinking companion Sir Andrew Aguecheek, who foolishly hopes to win Olivia’s hand. Olivia’s clever waiting-woman Maria, the witty Fool Feste, and these two knights conspire against Malvolio, Olivia’s pompous steward. They forge a letter supposedly from Olivia declaring her love for Malvolio and instructing him to wear yellow stockings, cross-gartered, and to smile constantly. Malvolio follows these instructions, leading Olivia to believe he has gone mad.

The confusion deepens when Sebastian, who has survived the shipwreck and arrived in Illyria with the sea captain Antonio, is mistaken for Cesario by various characters. Sir Andrew challenges Cesario to a duel, but when Antonio intervenes believing Sebastian to be Viola, he is arrested by officers who recognize him as a wanted man. The climax occurs when Sebastian encounters Olivia, who mistakes him for Cesario and persuades him to marry her immediately.

All confusions are resolved when Viola and Sebastian are finally reunited, revealing their true identities. Orsino, realizing that Viola loves him, proposes marriage to her. Sebastian and Olivia remain married despite the mistaken identity that led to their union. Malvolio is released from imprisonment but storms off angrily when the trick played on him is revealed, while the other characters celebrate the multiple unions and the restoration of order.