“Twelfth night”
Act 1 Scene 5
In act 1 scene 5 we first learn about Viola’s behaviour from Sir.Toby. He enters the room “half drunk” after delaying Viola. He then proceeds to tell Olivia that he thinks Viola is a lecher, “I defy lechery. There’s one at the gate”. Viola doesn’t pay much attention to this description as she thinks that her cousin is too drunk to know what he saying.
Malvolio enters the room next after Olivia had sent him to the gate to try and get rid of Viola. He returns saying that Viola will “stand at your door likes a sheriff’s post... but he’ll speak with you . Malvolio gives a damning report saying that viola is “as a squash ‘tis before a peascod, or a codling when ‘tis almost an apple... One would think his mother’s milk were scarce out of him.” When Olivia decides to meet Viola Malvolio doesn’t question her decision although he disagrees with it.
