The SpongeBlog

Antonio’s speech = more confusion

1. Look carefully at Antonio’s speech in 3.4.316-321.

2. Paraphrase it (put into your own words).

3. Comment on it.

4. Give some of your own examples of what he is talking about. Use experiences you’ve had, seen, or heard about. 

What a poser this god turned out to be!

Wow, Sebastian, you’ve completely ruined your good image

I guess it really is true how they say ‘in natre there’s no fault but the mind’

Since no-one can be called deformed except if they’re

You looked kind which is a kind of beauty but then again the beautiful evil

Are like empty boxes, over-decorated.

When Antonio’s saying this he thinks that he’s speaking to Sebastian, but he’s really talking to Viola who obviously gets really surprised that a stranger is talking to her as a friend. I think what he’s saying is how he thinks that Sebastian turned out to be a man of a fake image, and untrue words since he doesn’t notice that he’s really talking to Viola who is Sebastians twin sister.

Some examples I can give of them are:

‘Are empty trunks, o’er-flourished by the devil’ (3.4.321) I have read and heard about the comparison between beautiful people and empty things. Also the phrase ‘But O how vile an idol proves this god!’ (3.4.316); although this was not true in this context since Antonio was really speaking to Viola (as Cesario), in books and etc it often happens where someone who everyone thought was the good guy, or that was going to be the hero, actually wasn’t and turned out to be the villain. And etc.