From: Act 2, iv 80-85
Said by: Feste the Fool
"Now the melancholy god protect thee, and the tailor make the doubtlet of changeable tuffeta, for thy mind is very opal. I would have men of such constancy put to sea, that their business might be everything and their intent everywhere..."
The fool is comparing a man's changing mind to an opal and changing taffeta. He says he will put them to sea. He begins by wishing him luck, because a changing mind is a dangerous one. By stating the mind is like "tuffeta" and "opal" he identifies it as changing. I think he puts them to sea, because that is where they can go with their thoughts and sort them through. Those kind of men with changing minds should be put to sea. They can do anything and go anywhere with their wandering minds and make "a good voyage of nothing."
I agree with the analysis written about this quote. The Fool is talking about how a man's mind is often fickle and it can easily be a cause of danger coming into their life. The analogy of having "men of such constancy put to sea" basically means that the Fool is saying that a man's mind is everywhere and he thinks that them being in the sea would let their mind wander like it never has before.
ReplyDeleteThese are both great interpretations of the quote. I also think that the Fool is hinting that Orsino should not trust his own mind because it is so liable to change. Bouncing off of the last comment, the Fool does think that the sea would be the best place for a mind like Orsino's because the tide of the ocean would take the mind wherever it wants to wander to. The Fool continues by saying"...for that's it that always makes a good voyage of nothing." He is saying that the best voyages are those where one's mind is allowed to wander as Orsino's does.
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