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.
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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.
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Joanna Lumley stars in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, which is released on 1 ► July AbFabMovie
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[@katarazula3729]

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 😃

[@scullyyyyy6788]

I love the background music for this, so mischievous

[@lhommemaudit6228]

I,too.

[@beelzebubisrotting]

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

[@oliviawestfall2002]

YES 😭 SAME

[@SuperRONDALE]

always be you

[@angelmichelle3766]

no deadass 😭

[@98yvnho]

MOOD

[@PlagueDocling]

hey im from a year later to say help me mines due at midnight

[@irukandji___]

This is an excellent interpretation.

[@Rahimkhan-ks8lr]

Ben Jones dq1@!! ' @

[@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!

[@thesinghshow4321]

Thank u 😘💕

[@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.

[@jamesthurbin2185]

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

[@WorgenGrrl]

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

[@maddycain382]

Alex S watch Judi dench. She does a great one

[@asterliketheflower6060]

This is actually a monologue, a soliloquy is said to oneself, but a monologue is spoken to someone, oftentimes the audience

[@WorgenGrrl]

@@asterliketheflower6060 Ahh thank you! It's been decades since Literature class.

[@sorchamccarrey]

​@@asterliketheflower6060 theatrically that's not true, soliloquies are just when a character is speaking alone. they often are spoken to an audience

[@sorchamccarrey]

this is both a soliloquy and a monologue, it's a square/rectangle type thing

[@flawless_undergoer]

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

[@SoopSoopa]

best one. so fresh!

[@crickety6092]

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

[@emmagreen3010]

Wonderful! Simply beautiful

[@cannyexplorer5357]

Never seen this before. Superbly done Joanna.

[@brandonburrell8517]

So clear. As a bell. Thank you.

[@bobwerber2984]

Totally excellent!

[@francescasilva1042]

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

[@davidryan4158]

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

[@audrakathryn2254]

Darling that was absolutely fabulous 🤩

[@johnmarx3919]

Very nice! Brava, Joanna!

[@lucindaarmour4685]

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

[@michaelnixon525]

Excellent .

[@mclli562]

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

[@v8Buster87]

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

[@mirandas2013]

Nice Video

[@shakespearaamina9117]

How lovely! ❤️❤️❤️❤️🌷🌷🥀🥀🥀

[@tomashize]

She would have nailed Doctor Who back in the 80s

[@aishwaryasingh8614]

Ikr!!!!

[@bosheihab6463]

my fave

[@stephenpalacios]

Wow❤❤❤❤❤

[@juliannoel5715]

Brilliant.

[@addycranny1540]

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

[@unclefugnutz3356]

Well done brVa

[@jouwu]

the song makes this so funny

[@barbarafrohn7307]

[@tommyzDad]

No AbFab references in the Comments?

[@dedbingus2326]

Is this comedic?

[@gwynn2165]

Yep!

[@tonisessentials9297]

😂

[@anshika5751]

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

[@rosemaryallen2128]

This situation is comically daft, with potentially serious consequences. The problem for the actress is to combine both tropes! I don't think Joanna's breathy tones and accent did much for it, but it is not an easy speech to make, especially to a modern audience for whom the concept of female 'frailty' is anathema!

[@amougouclarke8557]

She's lesbian or something else?

[@Roheryn100]

Read the play.

[@b00i00d]

most of this series is quite poor. The actors, quite decent in modern roles, try to be too natural with the bard but the voices, the rhythms are not there. so they try to show with gestures what the verse is saying - not trusting the verse to do that on its own strength. i've watched the first six so far and they ranged from ok to outright bad. hopefully by the end of the playlist there'll be at least one or two that do the Bard justice

[@MandyJMaddison]

x iLeon, I disagree with you. When the actors let the Iambics take over, as they do in Laura Carmichael's performance, you lose the sense.