Original: I left no ring with her: what means this lady?
Modern: I didn’t leave any ring with her, so what does this woman want?

Original: Fortune forbid my outside have not charm’d her!
Modern: I hope my appearance hasn’t accidentally charmed her!

Original: She made good view of me; indeed, so much,
Modern: She definitely looked at me carefully; in fact, so much

Original: That sure methought her eyes had lost her tongue,
Modern: That I thought her staring made her speechless,

Original: For she did speak in starts distractedly.
Modern: Because she spoke in nervous, scattered bursts.

Original: She loves me, sure; the cunning of her passion
Modern: She’s definitely in love with me; her clever passion

Original: Invites me in this churlish messenger.
Modern: Is using this rude messenger as an excuse to see me.

Original: None of my lord’s ring! why, he sent her none.
Modern: No ring from my master! Of course he didn’t send her one.

Original: I am the man: if it be so, as ‘tis,
Modern: I’m the one she wants: if this is true, and it is,

Original: Poor lady, she were better love a dream.
Modern: Poor woman, she’d be better off loving a fantasy.

Original: Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness,
Modern: I see now that disguise is a cruel thing,

Original: Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.
Modern: Where the devil can do so much damage.

Original: How easy is it for the proper-false
Modern: How easy it is for handsome deceivers

Original: In women’s waxen hearts to set their forms!
Modern: To make impressions on women’s soft hearts!

Original: Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we!
Modern: It’s our weakness that’s to blame, not us personally!

Original: For such as we are made of, such we be.
Modern: We can only be what we’re naturally made to be.

Original: How will this fadge? my master loves her dearly;
Modern: How will this work out? My master loves her deeply;

Original: And I, poor monster, fond as much on him;
Modern: And I, a confused creature, love him just as much;

Original: And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.
Modern: And she, completely wrong about who I am, seems crazy about me.

Original: What will become of this? As I am man,
Modern: What will happen? When I think of myself as a man,

Original: My state is desperate for my master’s love;
Modern: My situation is hopeless for winning my master’s love;

Original: As I am woman, now alas the day!
Modern: When I think of myself as a woman, oh what a mess!

Original: What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!
Modern: What pointless sighs poor Olivia will waste!

Original: O time! thou must untangle this, not I;
Modern: Oh time! You’ll have to solve this problem, not me;

Original: It is too hard a knot for me to untie!
Modern: This tangle is too complicated for me to fix!

In Act II, Scene 2 of “Twelfth Night,” Malvolio pursues Viola (disguised as Cesario) on the street, having been sent by Olivia to return the ring that Cesario supposedly left behind. Malvolio catches up with the young messenger and insists that Cesario take back the ring, explaining that his lady will have nothing more to do with it. Despite Viola’s protests that she left no ring with Olivia, Malvolio throws the ring down and departs, leaving Viola alone with the piece of jewelry.

Once Malvolio exits, Viola picks up the ring and realizes its true significance - that Olivia has fallen in love with her male disguise, Cesario. Viola reflects on the complicated situation that has developed: she loves Duke Orsino, who loves Olivia, who now loves Cesario (not knowing that Cesario is actually a woman). She recognizes the tangled nature of this love triangle and acknowledges that only time can resolve such a complex web of mistaken identities and misdirected affections. The scene concludes with Viola’s contemplation of how disguise can lead to such unforeseen complications.

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.