Beautiful Stories from ShakespeareShakespeare, William
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Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
Shakespeare, William
Children's literature; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stories, plots, etc. -- Juvenile literature
Then Orsino's anger growing to cruelty, he vowed that, to be revenged on
her, he would kill Cesario, whom he knew she loved. “Come, boy,” he said
to the page.
And Viola, following him as he moved away, said, “I, to do you rest, a
thousand deaths would die.”
A great fear took hold on Olivia, and she cried aloud, “Cesario,
husband, stay!”
“Her husband?” asked the Duke angrily.
“No, my lord, not I,” said Viola.
“Call forth the holy father,” cried Olivia.
And the priest who had married Sebastian and Olivia, coming in, declared
Cesario to be the bridegroom.
“O thou dissembling cub!” the Duke exclaimed. “Farewell, and take her,
but go where thou and I henceforth may never meet.”
At this moment Sir Andrew came up with bleeding crown, complaining that
Cesario had broken his head, and Sir Toby's as well.
“I never hurt you,” said Viola, very positively; “you drew your sword on
me, but I bespoke you fair, and hurt you not.”
Yet, for all her protesting, no one there believed her; but all their
thoughts were on a sudden changed to wonder, when Sebastian came in.
“I am sorry, madam,” he said to his wife, “I have hurt your kinsman.
Pardon me, sweet, even for the vows we made each other so late ago.”
“One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons!” cried the Duke,
looking first at Viola, and then at Sebastian.
“An apple cleft in two,” said one who knew Sebastian, “is not more twin
than these two creatures. Which is Sebastian?”
“I never had a brother,” said Sebastian. “I had a sister, whom the blind
waves and surges have devoured.” “Were you a woman,” he said to Viola,
“I should let my tears fall upon your cheek, and say, 'Thrice welcome,
drowned Viola!'”
Then Viola, rejoicing to see her dear brother alive, confessed that she
was indeed his sister, Viola. As she spoke, Orsino felt the pity that is
akin to love.
“Boy,” he said, “thou hast said to me a thousand times thou never
shouldst love woman like to me.”
“And all those sayings will I overswear,” Viola replied, “and all those
swearings keep true.”
“Give me thy hand,” Orsino cried in gladness. “Thou shalt be my wife,
and my fancy's queen.”
Thus was the gentle Viola made happy, while Olivia found in Sebastian
a constant lover, and a good husband, and he in her a true and loving
wife.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
In Sicily is a town called Messina, which is the scene of a curious
storm in a teacup that raged several hundred years ago.
It began with sunshine. Don Pedro, Prince of Arragon, in Spain, had
gained so complete a victory over his foes that the very land whence
they came is forgotten. Feeling happy and playful after the fatigues of
war, Don Pedro came for a holiday to Messina, and in his suite were his
stepbrother Don John and two young Italian lords, Benedick and Claudio.
Benedick was a merry chatterbox, who had determined to live a bachelor.
Claudio, on the other hand, no sooner arrived at Messina than he fell in
love with Hero, the daughter of Leonato, Governor of Messina.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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