“conceal me what I am and be my aid”
Por qué es buena
She asks for a disguise and for help in the same breath, staking everything on trust.
Registro
literary
Úsala tú
Conceal what I am and be my aid until the hearing is over.
00:00 / 03:34
00:00 / 03:34
Viola Disguises Herself as a Man, Explained
Twelfth Night · 2012
Capítulo 2 de 25 · 3'34"
Viola has survived a shipwreck and now needs a new identity. She begs the captain, "conceal me what I am," and asks him to present her to the Duke as a eunuch. Meanwhile, at Olivia's house, Sir Toby drinks, insults Sir Andrew, and the word 'accost' becomes a running joke.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:13–1:27
❝ Monólogo · 5 frases Toby on confining
He turns the word confine into a rebellion, shedding every rule in a rising, comic rhythm.
14s - 2:30–3:32
Sir Toby's Drinking and the Accost Joke
62s
Viola Disguises Herself as a Man, explained
What happens
Two plots share the scene. On the shore, Viola asks the ship captain to hide her identity and pass her off as a eunuch so she can serve the Duke. At Olivia's house, Sir Toby Belch defends his drinking and mocks Sir Andrew Aguecheek, while the word 'accost' gets mistaken for a woman's name.
What's really going on
The scene sets up the play's engine: disguise. Viola's plan is not a whim but a survival strategy — shipwrecked and alone, she needs to disappear into a servant's identity. Her request is blunt: "conceal me what I am and be my aid." The captain's answer turns secrecy into a little ceremony of loyalty: "Be you his eunuch, and your mute I'll be." Against that quiet vow, the Toby material is pure comedy. Sir Toby drinks, ignores Maria's warnings, and calls Sir Andrew a fool and a prodigal to his face, all in the name of good cheer. The 'accost' mix-up lands because it shows how easily these characters misread the world: a word of instruction becomes a person, and courtship becomes slapstick. Two kinds of performance — one necessary, one careless — open the play.
Key lines & what they mean
- “conceal me what I am and be my aid”
- Viola asks the captain to hide her true identity and help her. It's the vow that launches her male disguise.
- “I'll confine myself no finer than I am.”
- Sir Toby refuses to dress up or behave better: he will not pretend to be finer than he is. It's his whole philosophy of comfort.
- “Oh, I'll drink to her as long as there's a passage in my throat and drink in Illyria.”
- Sir Toby jokes that he will keep toasting his niece as long as he can swallow and there is wine in the country.
- “I am sure care is an enemy to life.”
- His cheerful maxim: worrying kills you. He uses it to justify drinking and ignoring Maria's scolding.
- “These clothes are good enough to drink in.”
- He defends his rough outfit by its only test that matters to him: it works for drinking.
Theme
- Identity — Viola hides who she is by becoming a servant in disguise, trading her real self for a role.
- Deception — The whole plot turns on a disguise kept with a servant's vow of silence, while others misread everything.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel1/6
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“I'll confine myself no finer than I am.”
Por qué es buena
He turns the word confine back on his critic and refuses to pretend to be finer than he is.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I'll confine myself no finer than I am, whatever the invitation says.
“Oh, I'll drink to her as long as there's a passage in my throat and drink in Illyria.”
Por qué es buena
He swears to toast her while he can still swallow and while there is wine in the land.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I'll back this team as long as there's a passage in my throat and a game to watch.
“I am sure care is an enemy to life.”
Por qué es buena
A proverb in one line: worry named as life's enemy, blunt and absolute.
Registro
literary
Úsala tú
Take a break; stress is an enemy to health.
“These clothes are good enough to drink in.”
Por qué es buena
A drunkard's defense of sloppiness: good enough to drink in, and that is the standard.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
These old jeans are good enough to paint in.
Monólogo
Un personaje sostiene la escena: practícalo entero❝ Toby on confining
Confine? I'll confine myself no finer than I am. These clothes are good enough to drink in. And so be these boots, too. And they be not let them hang themselves in their own straps.
He turns the word confine into a rebellion, shedding every rule in a rising, comic rhythm.
Siguiente · 03cut a caperLa escena: Sir Andrew Boasts About DancingIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- Viola trades her name for a disguise to reach the Duke.
- Andrew hears 'accost' as a person and greets Maria by mistake.
- Toby's word for word boast makes Andrew sound learned on credit.
- Fair shrew praises and needles in one breath.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy does Viola disguise herself as a man?
She is shipwrecked in Illyria and needs safety and work. Serving the Duke disguised as a eunuch lets her survive without revealing who she really is.
Who is Sir Andrew Aguecheek?
A wealthy, foolish knight Sir Toby keeps around as a suitor for Olivia. Toby calls him a fool and a prodigal, and Andrew misunderstands the word 'accost.'
What does "conceal me what I am" mean?
It means 'hide what I am' — keep my true identity secret. Viola asks the captain not to reveal that she is a woman.
Why does Sir Toby drink so much?
He treats drinking as the point of life, toasting his niece endlessly. He dismisses Maria's warnings and refuses to change his habits or clothes.
What is the joke about 'accost'?
Toby tells Sir Andrew to 'accost' Maria, meaning to approach and speak to her. Andrew mistakes the instruction for a name and greets her as 'Mistress Accost.'