Here are two additional original plays by the blogger ibikunle Abraham laniyan in the Shakespearean tradition: one a comedy of mistaken identity and the other a history play focusing on political intrigue
Excerpt from The Usurper’s Throne
Act III, Scene IV: A rebel camp in the Ravenswood forest.
Enter SIR REGINALD, old and scarred, speaking with the disguised PRINCE ARTHUR (known as 'Aethel' among the rebels).
SIR REGINALD:
You speak of honour and the rightful crown,
Words that have lost their weight in Beaufort’s court.
I’ve seen too many 'rightful' princes fall,
And 'honour' is a shield that breaks in two.
Why should I risk my neck for this lost cause?
The people suffer, no matter who doth reign.
ARTHUR:
(Removing his hood, revealing a royal signet)
Then look upon the face of one who knows
The weight of suffering and exile's sting.
I am Arthur, son of the late King Edmund,
Returned to claim what is by Heaven's grace my own.
I offer not a shield, Sir Reginald,
But a just cause to bind our broken realm.
This is not merely power's shifting game,
But duty calling you to stand with me.
SIR REGINALD:
(Kneeling, overcome)
My Prince! We thought you dead, a memory!
My sword, though old, still has its loyal steel.
You speak the truth my weary heart had lost.
For Edmund’s son, I’d fight the very devil.
ARTHUR:
(Helping him up)
Then rise, good knight, and let our purpose fly!
We shall not rest till Beaufort is undone,
And Northumbria shall know true peace once more!
Act I, Scene I: The Palace Throne Room of Veridia
Scene Description: The throne room is richly decorated but dimly lit, suggesting a somber mood. The new DUKE LORENZO is seated on the throne, looking uneasy. His trusted advisor, COUNT VALERIUS, stands nearby. Courtiers, including the recently widowed DUCHESS ELARA, mournful in black, are present. The atmosphere is tense.
LORENZO:
(Rising from the throne, addressing the court)
Our royal brother’s death, though past its peak
Of fresh despair, still weighs upon the state.
Veridia mourns her Duke, so kind and meek,
Whose life was cut by some most cruel fate.
We have assumed the crown, as duty calls,
To steady the great ship that lists to port;
To mend the cracks within our palace walls,
And bring stability back to the court.
VALERIUS:
(Stepping forward, voice smooth and strong)
Long live the Duke, Lorenzo, wise and just!
The people cheer your name in every street.
In you, my lord, they place their honest trust,
To keep the realm from traitorous deceit.
ELARA:
(Her voice gentle, but carrying clear)
We thank you for the words of comfort, sir.
My husband’s memory is green in heart.
May your new reign bring calm where there is stir,
And play a virtuous, not a wicked, part.
LORENZO:
(Looking at Elara, slightly unnerved by her directness)
Your grief, fair sister, does become your state.
We pray the time shall ease your heavy load.
We know you loved him well, though it was late,
A widow walking on a lonely road.
A Messenger enters hastily, bowing low.
MESSENGER:
My lord the Duke! A missive from the port!
The harvest failed, the ships bring little grain.
The people starve and murmur at the court,
They say the tax collector caused this pain.
LORENZO:
(To Valerius, aside)
More trouble! Famine knocks upon our door.
This crown already feels a heavy thing.
VALERIUS:
(Aside to Lorenzo, firmly)
Fear not, my lord. We must demand no more
But strength and resolve from our new-made King.
We shall address the people’s base demands,
And show them that their sovereign is strong.
(To the court, loudly)
The Duke requires a moment to his hands,
He needs to plot a course to right this wrong.
The court is finished. Go and pray for rain.
Courtiers begin to disperse. Elara gives Lorenzo one last look of sorrow and exits. Only Lorenzo and Valerius remain.
LORENZO:
(Pacing, agitated)
The people starve! The whispers in the square
Speak of my brother's 'sudden' resting place.
They say his death was less a 'cruel fate'
And more the work of a too-eager heir.
VALERIUS:
(A subtle smile playing on his lips)
Rumors are wind, and quickly pass.
Your brother died of fever, swiftly caught.
As for the people's hunger, that shall pass,
When they see justice is discreetly wrought.
But watch the Duchess, she speaks too much.
Her public grief conceals a private fire.
Fear that she holds a cold, avenging touch,
And plots to see you in a funeral pyre.
LORENZO:
(Pausing, looking troubled)
Elara? Nay, that's impossible.
Her eyes are full of honest, simple grief.
VALERIUS:
(Leaning in close)
Honest as daggers concealed in the cloak,
Simple as poison in a wedding wreath.
Be wary, Duke, the hand you trust the most,
Might be the hand that sends you to your ghost.
End of act 1 scene 1
Scene Description: Later that evening. LORENZO is alone, sitting at a desk, a half-empty goblet of wine beside him. He is restless, staring at a signed document of state.
LORENZO:
(To himself)
"Be wary, Duke, the hand you trust the most,
Might be the hand that sends you to your ghost."
Valerius' words stick in my throat like bone.
Elara's grief seemed honest, truly felt.
Yet power demands a lack of sentiment.
My brother Edmund was too soft a king;
He trusted all, and so he met his end,
Though how, precisely, still remains unknown.
A fever, so the doctors did declare.
But why so swift? Why now? Why just as I,
The second son, returned from war's campaigns?
Suspicion is a worm that eats the mind.
Enter VALERIUS, quietly.
VALERIUS:
My lord, awake and troubled still? The hour
Grows late, and rest is needed for the dawn.
The state demands a Duke of steady hand.
LORENZO:
(Startled, then settling)
Valerius, you creep in like the night.
My mind is not at ease. This note from port,
The famine... and your words of the Duchess.
Do you have proof, or merely jealous thought?
VALERIUS:
Suspicion is built on careful observation.
The Duchess's correspondence with the Florentines—
Our rivals, Sire—is frequent and concealed.
She speaks in code of "trade of silks and wine,"
But silks are armies, and the wine is blood.
A servant serves her steward,
Who speaks of letters passed in secret shade.
LORENZO:
(Rising, walking to the window)
The Florentines! Our oldest, bitterest foe!
This turns a simple grief to treason's head.
If she conspires, then she must be undone.
VALERIUS:
Precisely so, my lord. One cannot wait
For daggers in the dark or foreign invasion.
Swift action, and show no mercy's hand.
The steward, old Anselm, knows the truth.
A gentle push, a threat to his old life,
And he will sing a most revealing tune.
LORENZO:
(Looking at the goblet, then at Valerius)
The Duke's the law. The law is in his mouth.
But is this justice, or a grasping fear?
VALERIUS:
It is survival, Sire. The state is all.
To hesitate is to invite your death.
A strong Duke acts. A weak one finds his end.
Lorenzo stares at the document on his desk, the weight of the crown heavy upon his shoulders.
LORENZO:
Go, speak with Anselm. Gently at first.
The truth is needed to steel his wavering will.
If she is traitor, then she’s damned by fate.
But if she's honest, then we must be still.
VALERIUS:
(Bowing low, a confident smile unseen by the Duke)
As you command. The truth shall serve the throne.
(Aside)
The fool is hooked. The bait of power draws him in.
His 'wavering will' shall soon be cold as stone.
End of Act I, Scene II.
Act II, Scene I: The Dungeon of the Palace
Scene Description: A cold, dark interrogation room in the palace dungeons. VALERIUS is present. ANSELM, an old, frail steward, is bound to a chair, visibly shaken.
VALERIUS:
(Voice like velvet, deceptively gentle)
Good Anselm, loyal servant of the court,
We seek no harm, but only simple truth.
The Duke, our master, needs your wise report,
To save the state and preserve Veridia’s youth.
These letters you deliver to the port,
For the Lady Elara... what do they contain?
A simple matter, easy to report.
ANSELM:
(Voice trembling)
They are but letters, sir, of silk and trade!
For cloth and spice to feed the hungry town.
No plots are in the words my lady made,
Only a wish to raise what famine struck down!
VALERIUS:
(His tone hardening like iron)
Lies! Base lies that serve a traitorous cause!
The Florentine alliance smells of war!
We know the truth, defying all the laws,
She seeks to place a stranger at the door!
(He draws his dagger, pressing the point to Anselm's throat)
Confess the plot, the code, the very hour,
Or feel the sharp embrace of this cold steel!
Confess, old fool, and quickly use your power,
To save yourself and make the truth revealed!
ANSELM:
(Gasping in fear)
No plots! No codes! I swear upon my soul!
The Duchess is as pure as morning snow!
Valerius, you seek to take the whole
Of power for yourself, as all men know!
VALERIUS:
(Roaring with rage)
You old, pathetic rat! You dare to speak!
(He signals to two guards standing in the shadows)
Break him upon the rack! Let his bones speak!
Let him confess the treason that we seek!
The guards seize Anselm and drag him towards the rack.
ANSELM:
(Screaming as he is pulled away)
Lorenzo! My Duke! Avenge this wrong!
Valerius is the traitor to the crown!
The Duchess is innocent! Inno—
His screams are cut off as he is forced onto the device. Valerius stands back, wiping his hands, a cruel smile on his face.
VALERIUS:
(To himself, watching)
The truth is what the rack doth make it seem.
The old fool’s pain shall serve a glorious dream.
End of Act II, Scene I.
Act II, Scene II: A Private Chamber
Scene Description: Later the same day. LORENZO is alone again. Enter VALERIUS, looking grim but composed.
LORENZO:
(Looking up eagerly)
Valerius! Speak! What did the steward say?
Does Elara plot against our ducal reign?
The weight of this suspense doth slow the day,
And fill my mind with worry and with pain.
VALERIUS:
My lord, the truth is bought with heavy cost.
The steward fought against the truth with pride.
He swore allegiance to the cause that's lost,
And kept the Duchess' secrets held inside.
But torture broke his spirit and his tongue;
He did confess the codes, the Florentine gold.
A full confession, clear and justly sung,
Of treason's plot, more heinous than was told.
LORENZO:
(Pale and sinking into a chair)
It cannot be! I saw her honest tears!
A woman's grief, a face of saintly grace!
VALERIUS:
My lord, ambition conquers all our fears.
She seeks the throne, she wants to take your place.
He died confessing, on the dungeon floor.
His final words were curses on your name.
We found this letter, hidden in the store,
(He hands a forged letter to Lorenzo)
Which seals her fate and justifies her shame.
LORENZO:
(Reading the forged letter, his hands shaking)
"The time is ripe... our forces wait... the Duke must fall..."
It bears her seal! Her very, very hand!
Oh, villainy! To mask this with a pall
Of sorrow, while she plunders this poor land!
VALERIUS:
What shall we do? The people must be shown
That justice rules where treason dares to tread.
The safety of your most auspicious throne
Requires swift action, as I have always said.
LORENZO:
(Standing up, voice hardening with cold resolve)
Then justice falls like thunder from the sky!
Arrest the Duchess! Take her to the cell!
Tomorrow morning, she is doomed to die!
Her treachery must be proclaimed to hell!
Let no one doubt the power of the throne!
VALERIUS:
(Aside, smiling)
The seed is sown, the harvest now begins.
My puppet king does as he's told, alone.
He murders her, and I shall count my sins...
Which are but stepping stones to my true reign.
End of Act II, Scene II.
Act III, Scene I: The Grand Hall of the Ducal Palace
Scene Description: The great hall is set for trial and sentencing. LORENZO is seated on the throne, stern and unapproachable. VALERIUS stands near him. DUCHESS ELARA is brought in by guards, still dignified but weary.
LORENZO:
Duchess Elara, you stand accused of treason,
Of plotting with the Florentine, our foe.
We have the proofs that show beyond all reason,
Your hand in treason’s dark and deadly show.
The steward Anselm, on his dying breath,
Confessed your plots and sealed your wicked fate.
This forged letter here confirms your death,
A viper hidden in our palace gate!
ELARA:
(Her voice clear and defiant, though exhausted)
My lord, these accusations are a lie,
A fabrication by that serpent there!
(Pointing at Valerius)
Anselm was tortured, forced with threats to die,
To speak the words that filled Valerius' air!
He seeks the throne, my lord, he seeks your end!
The letter is a forgery, a cheat!
A villain masquerading as a friend,
Who uses you to reach his own conceit!
LORENZO:
(Ignoring Elara's plea, his mind set)
The evidence is strong, her claims are weak.
She stands condemned by proof and steward's word.
For justice, and the state, we must now speak,
And execute the sentence of the sword.
The block awaits at dawn. Take her away!
ELARA:
(As she is dragged out, struggling)
Lorenzo! You are blind! You are a fool!
You murder innocence, believe his lies!
He plays you like a simple, fragile tool!
Avenge my death, when truth before you lies!
Elara is dragged off stage. Lorenzo sits still, visibly shaken by her words and defiance, even as Valerius stands triumphant.
VALERIUS:
A necessary action, my good liege.
The state is safe. Your power is secure.
LORENZO:
(Staring straight ahead, a deep unease in his voice)
Secure? The people love her. They see me
As a cruel tyrant, quick to spill the blood
Of a grieving wife. My hands are stained already.
I feel a coldness where my heart once beat.
VALERIUS:
Fear not the people, fear only weakness, lord.
Strength makes them silent, strength makes them obey.
Tomorrow's dawn brings quiet with the sword.
End of Act III, Scene I.
VALERIUS:
(Smoothly, a slight bow to Elara)
A desperate lie from one condemned to death.
Her treason makes her mad, my lord, you see.
She uses slander with her final breath,
To turn your grace’s justice away from me.
The proofs are clear, the evidence is strong.
The people wait for justice, swift and true.
continue
Act III, Scene II: A Small Cell in the Dungeon
Scene Description: Night has fallen. The small cell where ANSELM was interrogated. Anselm lies on a cot, severely injured and near death. A young, compassionate GUARD who aided in the previous scene is tending to him with a water cloth.
ANSELM:
(Weakly, barely a whisper)
The Duchess... she must know... the truth must out.
Valerius is the devil in the court.
He broke my bones to force the wicked lie.
GUARD:
Hush now, conserve your strength. The morning comes.
ANSELM:
The morning comes too soon for innocence!
I heard them say she’s doomed for dawn’s first light.
The Duke is blind! He sees not with his heart,
But with the eyes Valerius lends to him.
(He clutches the guard's arm, urgency in his voice)
Go! Tell the Duke! Tell him before the dawn!
Tell him I died with truth upon my tongue,
That all my words of plot were forged in pain!
GUARD:
A simple guard is all this one is. They’d hang me high.
Valerius has the ears of everyone.
ANSELM:
Then let your conscience hang you higher still!
Will you let murder wear the mask of law?
The Duchess is as pure as heaven's air!
Go, save a life, and damn Valerius’ soul!
(Anselm coughs violently, blood on his lips. He falls back, lifeless.)
GUARD:
(Staring at the dead body, then looking up in turmoil)
My conscience is a heavy master, sir.
To die for silence, or to die for truth?
The choice is made. The hangman's noose is risked.
The Duke must know, before the morning breaks!
(The Guard rushes out of the cell, leaving Anselm's body behind.)
End of Act III, Scene II.
Act IV, Scene I: The Public Square of Veridia, at Dawn
Scene Description: Torches still burn against the gray light of dawn. The black-draped scaffold stands grimly center stage. A large crowd has already gathered, murmuring. Guards line the area. On a balcony overlooking the square, LORENZO and other nobles watch. VALERIUS is beside the Duke. Enter the GUARD from the previous scene, trying to push through the crowd.
1ST CITIZEN:
Poor lady, a saintly woman, they all say.
2ND CITIZEN:
'Tis Valerius' work, the devil’s spawn.
LORENZO:
(On the balcony, pale, wringing his hands)
The crowd is angry, Valerius. Their mood
Is not forgiving.
VALERIUS:
(Smoothly)
A show of strength will quiet them, my lord.
They need to see that treason has its price.
Fear is a tool to govern, use it well.
ELARA is led onto the scaffold by the Executioner and Captain of the Guard. She is solemn, her head high.
ELARA:
(To the crowd, her voice clear)
Good people of Veridia, I stand here accused
Of treason most foul. I swear to you by God
And all the Saints, I am innocent!
This is the work of one within the court
Who seeks the throne through malice and through lies!
LORENZO:
(To Valerius, agonized)
Her strength! Her truth! It shakes my very soul!
What if we are misled? What if she’s true?
VALERIUS:
(Firmly, guiding Lorenzo to sign a final paper)
Sign the command, my lord. No time for doubt.
Justice must flow, unhindered by soft tears!
Lorenzo signs and hands the paper to the Captain below. The CAPTAIN hands it to the EXECUTIONER.
ELARA:
(Seeing the paper handed over)
Lorenzo! You have chosen fear o'er truth!
My blood shall be a stain upon your reign!
Suddenly, the GUARD from the dungeon, having forced his way through the crowd, shouts, pointing at Valerius.
GUARD:
Stop! The truth! The steward Anselm is dead!
He died confessing that Valerius forced the lies!
The Duchess is innocent! He forged the notes!
Chaos erupts in the square. The crowd shouts in anger. Lorenzo stares, frozen in disbelief.
LORENZO:
(A raw shout, staring at Valerius)
The guard! The steward lived! You said he died
Confessing to her plot! You lied to me!
VALERIUS:
(His mask finally slipping, drawing his sword)
The mad ravings of a traitorous guard!
(Shouting to his hidden men)
Now! Rise up, my friends! The Duke is weak!
The time is now! Seize the palace! Seize the throne!
Trumpets blare a call to arms. Valerius' loyal soldiers attack the ducal guards. The square descends into civil war. Lorenzo flees the balcony.
End of Act IV, Scene I.
Act V, Scene I: The Grand Hall of the Ducal Palace
Scene Description: The great hall is now a battleground. Chandeliers are broken, tapestries torn, furniture overturned. The sounds of fighting are deafening offstage. LORENZO enters, exhausted, his face grim, his sword drawn. He is alone.
LORENZO:
The echoes of her final words resound,
"You are a fool! He plays you like a tool!"
The fool was I, by my own fears unbound,
A subject made of Valerius' ruthless school.
My kingdom is a graveyard, built on lies,
My hands are steeped in innocent Elara’s blood.
For this cursed crown, I paid a bitter price,
And unleashed upon Veridia this bloody flood.
Enter VALERIUS, wounded, but still fighting.
VALERIUS:
(Laughing, a cruel sound in the chaos)
The virtuous Duke, alone amidst the fray!
Your conscience makes a poor defender, Sire!
Your weakness cost you more than just the day,
It cost a city purged in civil fire!
Had you the strength to rule, to silence all,
We might have stood united, strong and great.
Instead, you dithered, and prepared your fall!
LORENZO:
(Raging, his weakness gone, replaced by pure fury)
My fault was trusting you, you blackest fiend!
You are the cause of all this wicked war!
Your lust for power, cunningly demeaned,
Has stained my soul and soaked the very floor!
Prepare to meet the judgment you deserve!
VALERIUS:
I fear no judgment from a fool like you!
They fight fiercely. Lorenzo, driven by guilt and newfound rage, fights with a desperate strength. Valerius, overconfident and wounded, is quickly forced back. Lorenzo disarms him and holds his sword at Valerius's throat.
LORENZO:
Confess your treachery, that all may know
The evil that you wrought within our walls!
Speak truth at last, before you meet the blow,
And answer for the doom that on us falls!
VALERIUS:
(Gasping, defiant to the end, spitting at Lorenzo)
The only truth is power! I regret
Only that I did not take the crown sooner!
You were too soft, a fool of conscience, yet
A useful fool, to serve me as a donor
Of the power I shall never taste!
I would do it all again!
LORENZO:
Then die a villain, and your life laid waste!
Die for the blood you spilled, the pain you made!
(Lorenzo stabs Valerius. Valerius collapses and dies.)
Enter GENERAL MARCELLUS and Ducal GUARDS.
MARCELLUS:
My lord! The fighting ends! His men retreat!
The day is yours! We hold the palace gate!
LORENZO:
(Staring at the dead body of Valerius, then at the blood on his hands)
We win? Is this a victory, Marcellus?
The Duchess is dead. The city torn by war.
I sit upon a throne built on a grave,
A grave dug by my own mistaken hand.
(He drops his sword, walking slowly to the throne but not sitting)
The crown is naught but sorrow and regret.
The trust lost is blood that cannot be washed away.
My reign is over before it has begun.
A ghost haunting a bloody stage.
(Lorenzo stands alone in the ruined hall.)
End of Act V, Scene I.
End of The Sovereign's Shadow.
Play Concept 2: The Jest of Avonwick
Genre: Comedy (in the style of Twelfth Night or A Comedy of Errors)
Setting: The quaint, seaside English town of Avonwick during the Elizabethan era.
Synopsis: Two sets of twins, separated as infants during a storm at sea, find themselves reunited in the same town years later. The confusion begins when Viola, disguised as a man named Cesario to work for the Duke, is mistaken for her long-lost twin brother, Sebastian. A series of hilarious misunderstandings involving love triangles, a pompous steward named Malvolio who falls for the wrong person, and a group of drunken pranksters leads to chaos. The play resolves happily, with the twins reunited, all lovers correctly paired off, and the town returning to order.
The Jest Of Avonwick
Act I, Scene I: A street in Avonwick
Scene Description: A bustling street by the seaside. Sounds of market activity and gulls. Enter VIOLA, dressed in men's clothing (as 'Cesario'), accompanied by ANTONIO (a sea captain who saved her from a shipwreck).
VIOLA:
What country, friend, is this?
ANTONIO:
This is the shore, lady. The town is called Avonwick.
VIOLA:
And what of my brother, good Antonio?
My twin, Sebastian? Was he saved as well?
ANTONIO:
He was indeed, though we were forced to part
When our brave ship did shatter on the rocks.
He walked the sands toward that rising sun,
Believing you were taken by the wave.
VIOLA:
My soul doth weep to hear he is alive,
But lives in sorrow, thinking me as dead.
If I could find him, all these tears would cease.
I must a service seek within this town.
What lord does govern here?
ANTONIO:
A noble Duke, Sebastian is his name,
Though some do call him Orsino of the coast.
He rules with a soft hand and heavy heart,
For love has made a prison of his court.
He pines for the Lady Olivia, rich and fair,
Who lives secluded since her brother died.
VIOLA:
A Lady in seclusion? That serves me well.
I’ll be her handmaid, hidden from the gaze
Of men who might discern my woman's frame.
ANTONIO:
Nay, lady, that you cannot do. She sees
No company, not even noble Duke Orsino.
Her gates are barred to all of humankind,
Save for her servants and her riotous kin.
VIOLA:
Then I must change my suit. Conceal me, friend,
And call me Cesario. A man I'll be.
I’ll serve this Duke. I have a skill in music,
And a most ready wit to earn his trust.
Perhaps, within his court, my fortunes rise,
And I find clues to where my brother lies.
ANTONIO:
As you command. I know the Duke's High Steward;
I'll speak a word and see you safely housed.
But be most wary, for the court is filled
With fools and drunks and vanity’s own children.
VIOLA:
I shall be watchful. My disguise, my shield.
They exit, as two men stagger onto the street.
End of Act I, Scene I.
Genre: Comedy (in the style of Twelfth Night or A Comedy of Errors)
Setting: The quaint, seaside English town of Avonwick during the Elizabethan era.
Synopsis: Two sets of twins, separated as infants during a storm at sea, find themselves reunited in the same town years later. The confusion begins when Viola, disguised as a man named Cesario to work for the Duke, is mistaken for her long-lost twin brother, Sebastian. A series of hilarious misunderstandings involving love triangles, a pompous steward named Malvolio who falls for the wrong person, and a group of drunken pranksters leads to chaos. The play resolves happily, with the twins reunited, all lovers correctly paired off, and the town returning to order.
Excerpt from The Jest of Avonwick
Act II, Scene II: A street in Avonwick.
Enter OLIVIA's steward, MALVOLIO, holding a letter. He is wearing ridiculous yellow cross-gartered stockings and smiling broadly.
MALVOLIO:
'Tis certain, I am loved! This letter, writ
In my lady’s own most excellent hand,
Doth bid me smile, and wear these yellow stockings—
A fashion she abhors, which proves the jest
Is but a test of my sincerity!
And cross-gartered too! A glorious sight!
Oh, I shall be a count, a Duke perhaps,
And then my lady Olivia shall see
The greatness that doth lie within my calf.
Enter SIR TOBY BELCH and SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK, hidden, observing him and stifling laughter.
SIR TOBY:
The rogue is mad! He smiles like a purgéd cat!
His legs are bound like some strange, salted ham.
SIR ANDREW:
'Tis marvelous! He thinks she loves him true!
MALVOLIO:
(Spotting them, with a condescending smile)
Good sirs, I hope your evening has been well.
I must away; affairs of high import
Await my counsel. (He attempts a graceful bow)
SIR TOBY:
(Stepping out)
Affairs of import, sir? Methinks your garters
Are tied with greater import than your wit!
You look a fool, a popinjay, a jester!
MALVOLIO:
(Indignant)
Sir Toby! You are drunk as always!
My lady doth approve of this attire.
You shall see! I shall be mistress of the house!
(He exits with a strut)
SIR ANDREW:
Mistress? The man is surely possessed by devils!
SIR TOBY:
Nay, by his own vanity, Andrew, which is
A far more potent spirit than our wine.
The prank proceeds most excellently well!
