Twelfth Night

15 Pages 3734 Words

God, and the ship is wrecked with all hands lost but Silla, who floats to shore with a chest of the captain's clothes. Silla dresses herself in male clothing, assumes the name of her brother Silvio (shades of Menaechmi again), and enters Apolonius' service. For him she woos the wealthy widow Julina who, as we would expect with this plot, falls in love with him/her. Silla suffers and does not requite Julina's affections.


At this point the real Silvio, travelling in search of his sister, arrives at Constantinople, where he encounters Julina in a park. She hails him by his proper name (mistaking him for the count's page) and invites him to supper. He and Julina dine, and subsequently go to bed together, where Julina conceives a child. Silvio, afraid he has been mistaken for someone else, leaves town in haste the next morning. Julina, realizing her growing condition, goes to plead before Duke Apolonius, who has thrown his "Silvio" in prison after hearing from the gossip of servants his page's greater success in love. A series of angry recrimi...