Joanna Lumley as Viola in Twelfth Night: 'I left no ring with her' | Shakespeare Solos

Joanna Lumley speaks Viola’s soliloquy from Twelfth Night, act II, scene 2.
Viola, disguised as a page boy, wonders why the countess Olivia has sent her a ring and whether Olivia has fallen in love with her.

To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, we asked leading actors to perform key speeches from his plays.

The Guardian on YouTube:

[beelzebubisrotting]

I’ve been doing this wrong the whole time and the monologue is due tomorrow.

[katarazula]

This is the best interpretation I have found and it makes me realise how difficult this monologue is 😅 I have to perform it for an audition and I’m clearly not ready 😃

[scullyyyyy]

I love the background music for this, so mischievous

[GabriellaTavini]

Joanna imbues this monologue with such playfulness! 👏🏼 I couldn't help but smile. 😆

[ShotsByLasagne]

I left no ring with her: what means this lady?
Fortune forbid my outside have not charm'd her!
She made good view of me; indeed, so much,
That sure methought her eyes had lost her tongue,
For she did speak in starts distractedly.
She loves me, sure; the cunning of her passion
Invites me in this churlish messenger.
None of my lord's ring! why, he sent her none.
I am the man: if it be so, as 'tis,
Poor lady, she were better love a dream.
Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness,
Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.
How easy is it for the proper-false
In women's waxen hearts to set their forms!
Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we!
For such as we are made of, such we be.
How will this fadge? my master loves her dearly;
And I, poor monster, fond as much on him;
And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.
What will become of this? As I am man,
My state is desperate for my master's love;
As I am woman, --now alas the day!--
What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!
O time! thou must untangle this, not I;
It is too hard a knot for me to untie!

[nadkarnisandeep]

Our frailty is the cause not we! - just loved the way she shifted her tempo. Talk about delivering a punchline...it's a perfect 10.
Take a bow.

[WorgenGrrl]

This is the best version of the soliloquy I've found so far! Could have been costumed better though.

[jamesthurbin]

Simply fantastic. Got to love Joanna Lumley, such a super actress and fine lady.

[flawless_undergoer]

Watching this I felt myself so wonderfully thrilled ! Thank you heartily Guardian Culture !

[crickety]

I used this as inspiration for my audition for twelfth night and I got Viola !!

[cannyexplorer]

Never seen this before. Superbly done Joanna.

[audrakathryn]

Darling that was absolutely fabulous 🤩

[mclli]

nice acting. in my opinion she's even better than the real perfomers

[francescasilva]

i have to perform this for my shakespeare class tomorrow thank you!

[vBuster]

“The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself”-William Faulkner

[davidryan]

I can't love this more than I do...

[lucindaarmour]

So spontaneous and connected. Razer sharp - just like her.

[addycranny]

I have to perform this in a week, and it just won’t stick into my brain

[tomashize]

She would have nailed Doctor Who back in the 80s

[anshika]

Was this suppose to be comic ? Viola didn’t seem humorous in the starting of the play!