As You Like It--Act 1, Scene 3

Celia is teasing Rosalind about Orlando when the Duke comes in and orders Rosalind to leave on pain of death. She was astonished, but there was no choice but to obey. Celia decided to go with her, though her father forbid her to follow Rosalind. They decided that Rosalind, the taller one, would dress as a man and take the name of Ganymede, while Celia would dress as a poor girl under the name of Aliena.

Here the scene ends.
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As You Like It---Act 1, Scene 2

Rosalind is sad because her father has been deposed of his dukedom and sent away. She is still at court with Cecilia, the daughter of the present duke. They are watching the wrestling, and they are very surprised when they see Orlando come to wrestle Charles. Everyone tries to persuade Orlando against wrestling, but he insists and wins. Rosalind has fallen in love with him, and Orlando with her.

The scene ends here.
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As You Like It---Act 1, Scene 1

Orlando is not happy. His oldest brother, Oliver, is supposed to be taking care of him and Jaques but is only sending Jaques to school and is keeping all but food and clothing from Orlando. Orlando is rightly angry at this treatment and faces his brother. Oliver won't agree, and is very rude to him.
Oliver is visited by the Duke's champion wrestler, with the news that Orlando is going to try to beat him in the next contest with a disguise. Oliver is pleased, because he wants to kill Orlando, the youngest of the three brothers, but he hides this from Charles and pretends that he has Orlando's good at heart but that Orlando won't listen to his pleas to not go and try his strength.

Here the scene ends.
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A Midsummer Night's Dream--Act 1, sn. 1

Theseus, duke of Athens, was preparing for his wedding with Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. It is to be celebrated 4 days from now, at the New Moon.
Egeus, father of Hermia, comes to Theseus with a complaint against his daughter. She is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. If Hermia does not marry who her father wants her to, she will either have to die or become a nun. She has until the New Moon only to decide.
Helena, Hermia's best friend, loves Demetrius, but he does not love her.
Lysander and Hermia decide to flee Athens that night, and meet in a wood outside that city. From there they will travel to his aunt's house and be married, outside of Athenian law.
They take Helena into their confidence, and she decides to tell Demetrius to win his favor.

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Twelfth Night, last half of Act 5, Sn. 1

Just then, Sir Andrew comes in and says that Cesario came to them and beat them up. He has a bloody head himself, and says that Sir Toby is also suffering from the same complaint. Sir Toby comes staggering in drunk, and says that he was beaten, and that Sir Andrew is a coward and that he hates drunken fools.  Sir Andrew helps him off to bed, and Olivia says that they must be looked to. Then Sebastian comes in and clears things up. He greets Olivia with love and knows Antonio. He sees Viola, and asks her some questions that clear up the fact of their looking alike. She discloses the fact that she is a woman, and tells them about the captain who has her woman's clothes. Olivia and Sebastian are married, and Viola and Orsino will be later.

THE END
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Twelfth Night: Act 5, 1/2 sn. 1

Orsino meets with Olivia's Fool outside her house and sends him to go get her. She comes, and says that she has already been betrothed to Cesario. Cesario/Viola says no, they are not betrothed. But Olivia has the contract fetched, and Orsino is mad at Viola/Cesario for forsaking him. She declares that he is wrong, but he will not listen. Then the officers come in with Antonio, who declares that Cesario has wronged him. Cesario/Viola says no, she does not know who he is. Everyone is very confused by now. Then Sir Andrew comes in to say that Cesario came and beat himself and Sir Toby up. Cesario/Viola has not done that either, and she says so. Sir Andrew is very angry, and so is Sir Toby. They go off the have their heads mended.

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Twelfth Night, Act 4

Note: Act 4 was so short that I just did the entire act.

     Sir Andrew, Sir Toby, and Fabian come upon Sebastian and, thinking he is Cesario/Viola, Sir Andrew fights with him. Sebastian responds to the blow he receives, and fights him off. Sir Toby draws his sword and prepares to fight, but Olivia comes upon them and tells Sebastian to come with her. He does so, and she asks him if he will marry her. He says yes, so they are betrothed.  Meanwhile, Sir Toby has the Fool dress up as a priest and talk to Mavolio. He asks that he be let out, and says that he is in the dark and that it is as dark as hell. The Fool won't let him out, and pretends to think that he really is a madman. Then he talks to Mavolio in his normal voice, and pretends to hold a conversation with Sir Topas. He then goes for paper and ink and a light for Mavolio.

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Twelfth Night, Act 2 sns. 4-5

Scene 4

Viola/Cesario is called into the Duke's presence to listen to a song with him. She expresses her love for him in a story about her fake sister. He gets lost, however, in wanting Olivia.

Scene 5

Maria, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew forged a letter to look like Olivia wrote it. They laid it in the path where Mavolio was very likely to see it, and hid to watch and wait. Not long after, Mavolio comes along and picks up the letter. It tells him that Lady Olivia loves him, and that to show he loves her, he needs to go around with yellow stockings, cross-gartered, and smiling. In a speech, he praises his stars and Jove for this, and thinks the letter is real. 

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Twelfth Night, Act 2, sns. 1-3

Sn. 1:
Sebastian, Viola's brother, is rescued by Antonio the sailor. He is very grateful, and hopes that his sister is saved. He and Antonio go to the Duke, though Antonio risks his life to do so.
Sn. 2:
Mavolio "returns" a ring that was supposed to have been given to Olivia by the Duke to Viola. Viola realizes that Olivia loves her, thinking she is a man, and she can't do anything about it.
Sn. 3:
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are having a party at Olivia's house, and Maria comes in to quiet them. Mavolio comes and tells them to be quiet, or be thrown out of the house. Maria plans revenge on Mavolio.

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Twelfth Night, Act 1, sns. 4-5

Viola disguised herself as a man, and took service with the Duke, Orsino. He commissioned her to take his message to Olivia. She did so, and was able to make contact with Olivia. Viola praised her beauty, and Olivia was not displeased with the supposed man, Cesario. That was Viola's assumed name, because she was disguised as a man. Viola delivers her message, and then departs. She informs the audience that she loves the Duke.

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Twelfth Night - Act 1 sn. 3

Sir Toby Belch has brought a friend of his, Andrew Aguecheek, to woo Olivia. She will see no one, and this man is a coward and a fool. He is a heavy drinker, they both are, and is thought by the more prudent in the town to be destined for an early grave. He wants to back out of wooing Olivia, but Sir Toby gets him to stay. She will not marry the duke, because he is above her station, so Sir Toby counters Andrew's argument that the duke loves her with fact that she will not marry him.
Hear more about this odd story in a bit!
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A note on Shakespeare

When I read Shakespeare's works, I like to get the Folger Library books. They have notes on the text on the left-hand page, and the text on the right. They are useful for understanding the text, and you don't have to go looking through the whole book for the notes. I really recommend these for studying Shakespeare. Bell

Twelfth Night by Shakespeare, Act 1 sns. 1-2

Twelfth Night is a play about a girl who has a twin brother that looks just like her. They are shipwrecked, and the girl does not know where her brother is. She has been saved, and the captain of the ship helps her to get boy's clothes so she can take service under the duke of that country. The duke, Orsino, is madly in love with the widow Olivia, and she is in mourning for her brother, and vows she will stay veiled for seven years. So this is the first part, and the rest has to wait! Bell

M.A.A.N.- Act 4, Sn. 2

Note: When the watch heard Borachio and Conrad talking, they became suspicious. (Act 3, one of the last scenes.) So they arrested Borachio and Conrad, and then here in this scene are questioned.

End of Note
The master constable, Dogberry, is not that bright. He doesn't understand how to question a person. The Sexton, after some denial as to guilt by the 2 men, asks the watch what they heard to make them arrest these two men, and one of the watch says that they heard the men talk about the money they got for deceiving Claudio and Don Pedro. The men are bound, after some struggle, and they take the men to Leonato.

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M.A.A.N. Act 4 sn.1

Claudio unwisely tells everyone that Hero has wronged him, instead of asking her about it privately and finding out all. Hero fainted, and Claudio, Don Pedro and Don John leave. The Friar saw some things in Hero's manner that showed him that there was and error somewhere. He ells the grief-stricken father to say that Hero died. Benedick and Beatrice tell each other of their love. Benedick goes to challenge Claudio to a duel.

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Sneak Peak: What happens next?

Claudio denounces Hero in front of everyone, shaming her and her father. She did not talk with a man out of her chamber window, that was Margret. This is a plot to rid them of happiness.

The whole story later!
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M.A.A.N. Act 3 Sns. 4-5

Sn. 4
Hero gets ready for the wedding, and disputes with Margret over what dress to wear. Beatrice enters, suffering from a bad cold. Margret makes several witty speeches, (probably the longest in the book) about being in love with Benedick.

Sn. 5

Trouble is coming fast. The Master watchman and his assistant try to tell Leonato about the arrest of Borachio, but he can't understand what they are saying. He sends them away.

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New endings

Would you like to make a new ending for a Shakespeare play? Just make a new ending from some point in the story, and then post it in a comment. Thanks!

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M.A.A.N. Act 3, Sn. 3

The mast constable of the city, that night told the night watchmen to watch Leonato's house. By the way, the master constable was not of the smartest, and was not exactly clear what he wanted the watch to do. The watchmen set off. Soon after, Borachio and his companion came and were overheard talking about how they have deceived Claudio and Don Pedro into thinking that Hero is unfaithful, by Borachio talking with Margret, dressed in Hero's clothes, out of her window.

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M.A.A.N.- Act 3, Sns. 1-2

Sn. 1
Hero sends Margret, one of her waiting-maids, to get Beatrice to go to the same bower where Benedick was tricked. Hero and her other maid talk behind it, all bout how Benedick loves Beatrice, but that Beatrice would turn this most excellent man aside in scorn if she knew. They then go inside to look at Hero's wedding things.

Sn. 2
Don John ('John the Bastard') tells Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero is unfaithful, and that they will see so tonight if they watch with him. Benedick appears, with his beard cut, and his face washed. He is much cleaner, a sign of being in love, for he took more car with his appearance. 

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