Tweflth Night: Act 1, Scene 5 (part 1)

While Cesario (a.k.a. Viola) in changing into her travelling trousers, let's nip over to Olivia's household and meet the much-discussed countess herself! Oh, and her fool too. Because every Shakespeare comedy needs a fool, apparently.

 To be honest, I find Feste one of the most tolerable fools in Shakespeare. Most of his jokes are at least recognizably funny (that is, you recognize that they're supposed to be funny), plus he's got a core of morose cynicism that makes him a rather interesting character in his own right. 

Tune in again next week to see what happens when Cesario met Olivia! 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1