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Drama: Twelfth Night → Terms → Life of Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Theatre → Journals → Notes → Newspaper Assignment - Major Project
Viola - A young woman of aristocratic birth, and the play’s protagonist. She disguises herself as a young man, calling herself "Cesario," and becomes a page to Duke Orsino. She ends up falling in love with Orsino—even as Olivia, the woman Orsino is courting, falls in love with Cesario. Viola finds that her clever disguise has trapped her, she cannot tell Orsino that she loves him, and she cannot tell Olivia why she, as Cesario, cannot love her. This is the central conflict in the play. Orsino - A powerful nobleman in the country of Illyria. Orsino is lovesick for the beautiful Lady Olivia. Orsino mopes around complaining how heartsick he is over Olivia, when it is clear that he is chiefly in love with the idea of being in love and enjoys making a spectacle of himself. Olivia - A wealthy, beautiful, and noble Illyrian lady, Olivia is courted by Orsino and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, but to each of them she insists that she is in mourning for her brother, who has recently died, and will not marry for seven years. She and Orsino are similar characters in that each seems to enjoy wallowing in his or her own misery. Viola’s arrival in the masculine guise of Cesario enables Olivia to break free of her self-indulgent melancholy. Olivia seems to have no difficulty transferring her affections from one love interest to the next, however, suggesting that her romantic feelings—like most emotions in the play—do not run deep.
Sebastian - Viola’s lost twin brother. When he arrives in Illyria, traveling with Antonio, his close friend and protector, Sebastian discovers that many people think that they know him. Furthermore, the beautiful Lady Olivia, whom he has never met, wants to marry him.
Malvolio - The steward—or head servant—in the household of Lady Olivia. Malvolio is very efficient but also very self-righteous, and he has a poor opinion of drinking, singing, and fun. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria, who play a cruel trick on him, making him believe that Olivia is in love with him. Feste - The clown, or fool, of Olivia’s household. Sir Toby - Olivia’s uncle. Olivia lets Sir Toby Belch live with her, but she does not approve of his rowdy behavior, practical jokes, heavy drinking, late-night carousing, or friends (specifically the idiotic Sir Andrew). Maria - Olivia’s clever, daring young waiting-gentlewoman. Maria is remarkably similar to her antagonist, Malvolio, who harbors aspirations of rising in the world through marriage. But Maria succeeds where Malvolio fails.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek - A friend of Sir Toby’s. Sir Andrew Aguecheek attempts to court Olivia, but he doesn’t stand a chance. He thinks that he is witty, brave, young, and good at languages and dancing, but he is actually a fool. Antonio - A man who rescues Sebastian after his shipwreck.
Act I / Act II / Act III / Act IV /Act V
In the land of Illyria, Duke Orsino enters, attended by his lords. Orsino is hopelessly in love with the beautiful Lady Olivia. He refuses to hunt and orders musicians to entertain him while he thinks about his desire for Olivia. His servant Valentine reminds him that Olivia does not return his love or even listen to the messages he sends her. We learn from Valentine that Olivia is in mourning for her brother, who has recently died. She wears a dark veil, and she has vowed that no one will see her face for another seven years — and she refuses to marry anyone until then. Orsino, obsessed with the woman who keeps refusing him, wants only to lie around on beds of flowers, listening to sweet music and dreaming of Olivia.
Meanwhile, on the Illyrian sea coast, a young noblewoman named Viola speaks with the captain whose crew has just rescued her from a shipwreck. Although Viola was found and rescued, her brother, Sebastian, seems to have vanished in the storm. The captain tells Viola that Sebastian may still be alive. He says that he saw Sebastian trying to keep afloat by tying himself to a broken mast. But Viola does not know whether or not it is worth holding onto hope. In the meantime, however, she needs to find a way to support herself in this strange land. The ship’s captain tells Viola all about Duke Orsino, who rules Illyria. Viola remarks that she has heard of this duke and mentions that he used to be a bachelor. The captain responds that it is unlikely that Viola will enter Olivia’s service because Olivia refuses to see any visitors, the duke included. Viola decides that, in that case, she will disguise herself as a young man and seek service with Duke Orsino instead. When she promises to pay him well, the captain agrees to help her, and they go off together in order to find a disguise for her.
In the house of Lady Olivia, we meet Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch, and Olivia’s waiting-gentlewoman, Maria. Sir Toby lives at Olivia’s house and is cheerful, amusing, and usually tipsy. Maria warns Sir Toby that Olivia is annoyed by his drinking. Maria also tells him that she has heard that he has brought a foolish friend to court Olivia: Sir Andrew Aguecheek, who shares Sir Toby’s habits. Sir Toby says that Sir Andrew is a perfect match for his niece, because he is very rich and is also accomplished in music and languages, but Maria doesn’t care: in her view, Sir Andrew is a fool, a brawler, and a drunk. Sir Andrew tells Sir Toby that he is discouraged and that he does not think that Olivia likes him. He plans to leave the next morning, and he remarks that Olivia will probably choose Orsino over him. Sir Toby persuades him to stay by flattering him. He says that Olivia will never marry so Sir Andrew has a good chance with her.
Meanwhile, at the house of Duke Orsino, Viola has adopted a new name—Cesario—to go with her new persona as a teenage boy. After only three days in Orsino’s service, Cesario has already become a favorite of Orsino. Indeed, so much does Orsino favor his new servant that he insists on picking Cesario to go on his most important errand: to carry his messages of love to Olivia. Cesario doesn’t agree that Olivia, who has ignored Orsino for a long time, is not likely to start listening to his love messages now. After some discussion, Cesario reluctantly agrees to carry the message—reluctantly because, as she tells the audience in a quick aside, Viola herself has fallen in love with Orsino and wishes that she could be his wife.
In Olivia’s house, Maria talks with Feste, Olivia’s clown. Feste has been away for some time, it seems, and nobody knew where he was. Maria tells Feste that he will be in trouble with Olivia and that Olivia is likely to fire him. But, despite her threats not to stick up for him, Feste refuses to tell Maria where he has been. Feste, summoning up all his wit and skill, manages to put Olivia into a better mood. He asks her why she is mourning, and she answers that she is mourning for her brother. He says that he thinks her brother’s soul is in hell, and she replies that he is in heaven. Maria arrives with the message that there is a young man at the gate to see Olivia. Viola, disguised as Cesario, is let in to see Olivia. Viola begins to deliver the love speech that Orsino gave her, but Olivia refuses to hear the memorized speech. Viola is eloquent enough to make Olivia pay attention to her, though, as she praises Olivia’s great beauty and virtues to the skies. Olivia, increasingly fascinated by the messenger, begins to turn the conversation to questions about Cesario himself. Olivia sends Cesario back to Orsino to tell him that Olivia still does not love him and never will. But she tells the young man to come back, if he wishes, and speak to her again. Olivia, to her own surprise, finds that she has fallen passionately in love with young Cesario.
Somewhere near the coast of Illyria, we meet Antonio and Sebastian. It seems that Antonio took Sebastian into his home when he washed up after the shipwreck and has been caring for him ever since. He is still devastated by the loss of his sister and is preparing to go wandering through the world, with little care as to what the future will hold. Antonio urges Sebastian to let him come with him on his journey. After Sebastian leaves to go to Orsino’s court, Antonio ponders the situation: he wants to follow his friend and help him, but he has many enemies in Orsino’s court and is afraid to go there. He decides to face the danger and follow him to Orsino’s court anyway.
Meanwhile, outside Olivia’s house, Malvolio has caught up with Viola (still disguised as Cesario). Malvolio gives Cesario the ring that Olivia has sent with him, criticizes him for having left it with Olivia. Viola realizes what is happening and plays along with it, pretending that she did indeed give the ring to Olivia. She tells Malvolio that Olivia took the ring and insists that Olivia must keep it. Malvolio throws the ring onto the ground and exits. Alone, the confused Viola picks up the ring and wonders why Olivia has given it to her. She wonders if it means that Olivia has fallen in love with Cesario.
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew stay up late drinking in Olivia’s house. Maria enters, warning them to keep their voices down or Olivia will call her steward, Malvolio and tell him to kick them out. But the tipsy Sir Toby and Sir Andrew cheerfully ignore her. Malvolio comes into the room. He criticizes the men for being drunk at all hours of the night and for singing so loudly. He warns Sir Toby that his behavior is intolerably rude and that, while Olivia is willing to let him be her guest (since he is her uncle), if Sir Toby does not change his behavior, he will be asked to leave. But Sir Toby, along with Sir Andrew, responds by making jokes and insulting Malvolio. After making a final threat, this one directed at Maria, Malvolio leaves, warning them all that he will let Olivia know about their behavior. Sir Andrew suggests challenging Malvolio to a duel, but Maria has a better idea: to play a practical joke on him. She explains that his biggest weakness is his enormous ego: he believes that everybody loves him. Maria will use that weakness to get her revenge on him for spoiling their fun. Since Maria’s handwriting is almost identical to Olivia’s, Maria plans to leave letters lying around that will appear to have come from Olivia and will make Malvolio think that Olivia is in love with him. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are amazed by Maria’s cleverness, and they admire the plan.
The next day, at Orsino’s house, Orsino tells Cesario that he can tell by looking at him that Cesario is in love. Since Viola is really in love with Orsino, Cesario admits that Orsino is right. When Orsino asks what the woman he loves is like, Cesario answers that she is very much like Orsino—similar to him in age and features. Orsino, not picking up on his page’s meaning, remarks that Cesario would be better off loving a younger woman, because men are naturally fickle, and only a younger woman can be romantic for a long time. Orsino then gives her a jewel to present to Olivia on his behalf, and she departs.
In the garden of Olivia’s house, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria—along with Fabian, one of Olivia’s servants—prepare to play their practical joke on Malvolio. Maria has written a letter carefully designed to trick him into thinking that Olivia is in love with him. She has been spying on him and knows that he is now approaching. She drops the letter in the garden path, where Malvolio will see it. She exits, while the three men hide among the trees and shrubbery. Malvolio approaches on the path, talking to himself. Malvolio spots the letter lying in the garden path. He mistakes Maria’s handwriting for Olivia’s, as Maria has predicted, and Malvolio thinks that the letter is from Olivia. It suggests that the writer is in love with somebody but must keep it a secret from the world, though she wants her beloved to know about it. Sir Toby and the rest laugh at him from behind the bush. Once he has convinced himself that Olivia is in love with him, Malvolio reads the second half of the letter. The mysterious message implies that the writer wishes to raise Malvolio up from his position of servitude to one of power. But the letter also asks him to show the writer that he returns her love through certain signs. The letter orders him to wear yellow stockings, “go cross-gartered” (that is, to wear the straps of his stockings crossed around his knees), be sharp-tempered with Sir Toby, be rude to the servants, behave strangely, and smile all the time. Malvolio vows to do all these things in order to show Olivia that he loves her in return. Maria then rejoins the men, and she, Sir Toby, and Fabian have a good laugh, anticipating what Malvolio is likely to do now. It turns out that Olivia actually hates the color yellow, can’t stand to see crossed garters, and doesn’t want anybody smiling around her right now, since she is still officially in mourning. In other words, Malvolio is destined to make a great fool of himself. They all head off together to watch the fun.
Viola, still in disguise as Cesario, has returned to Lady Olivia’s house to bring her another message of love from Orsino (the errand that Orsino sends Cesario on at the end of Act II, scene iv).
Back in Olivia’s house, Sir Andrew tells Sir Toby that he has decided to leave. He says that he has seen Olivia with Cesario in the orchard, and he seems to realize at last that Olivia is not likely to marry him. But Sir Toby—who wants to keep Andrew around because he has been spending Sir Andrew’s money—tells Sir Andrew that he ought to stay and show off his manliness for her. Fabian helps Sir Toby in his persuasion, assuring Sir Andrew that Olivia might only have been teasing him and trying to make him jealous. Sir Andrew agrees, and Sir Toby encourages him to challenge Cesario to a duel, in order to prove his love for Olivia. Maria comes in and reports that Malvolio is doing everything that the letter has asked him to do. He is wearing yellow stockings and crossed garters and will not stop smiling—all in all, he is more ridiculous than ever before. Sir Toby and Fabian eagerly follow Maria to see what is going on.
In the garden, Malvolio approaches Olivia wearing yellow stockings; crossed garters, and a large, foolish grin. Olivia is perplexed at his behavior and fears for his sanity. She tells Sir Toby to take special care of him and Sir Toby readily agrees. Malvolio believes this is all part of Olivia’s plan to catch him. Sir Toby proceeds to bind Malvolio and imprison him in a dark room. He vows to keep him there until he tires of the joke, or until Malvolio is humbled.
Sir Toby and Fabian then continue with their trick on Sir Andrew. Sir Toby finds Viola outside Olivia’s house and convinces her that an angry assailant waits to fight her in the orchard. Fearfully, Viola pretends to know who she has offended, but Sir Toby just assures her it is a furious knight who has killed three men already. He leaves Viola with Fabian, and then similarly convinces Sir Andrew that Cesario awaits him with drawn sword. When Sir Andrew finds out how skilled and deadly his opponent is, he quakes in fear. Sir Toby and Fabian then push Cesario and Sir Andrew together, both of whom are now frightened for their lives. As they feebly begin to duel. Antonio appears to defend Cesario, who he mistakes for her twin brother Sebastian. The fight attracts the attention of two officers who recognize Antonio as the duke’s enemy. The officers arrest Antonio, but before they can take him away, he asks for his purse. Confused, Cesario insists she does not have his purse and has never seen him before. Hurt and angry by betrayal, Antonio cries out “Thou hast, Sebastian, been shameful here!” The officers then take him away to jail. Viola stays behind and ponders Antonio’s words. He called her Sebastian! For the first time, Viola entertains the thought that her brother may still be alive.
While wondering the streets of Illyria, Sebastian passes by Olivia's house. Sir Andrew spies him and mistaking him for the timid Cesario slaps him. Sebastian is shocked at this stranger who assaults him with no cause, so he begins to beat on Sir Andrew. Sir Toby and Fabian run over and hold Sebastian back. Angry and confused, Sebastian draws his sword and challenges Sir Toby to fight. Just in time, Olivia runs out to stop them. She scolds Sir Toby and apologizes to Sebastian, also mistaking him for Cesario. Olivia invites Sebastian inside. By this time, Sebastian thinks he has either gone made or is dreaming - first he is attacked by strangers, and then a beautiful woman, acting loving and familiar, invites him into her home! Sebastian decides to go with his good fortune and accepts Olivia's invitation.
Later as Sebastian lounges in Olivia's garden, he ponders the day's events. He wonders hat has happened to his friend Antonio, for he couldn't find him at the Elephant Inn. And who is this beautiful woman who has taken him into her home? He thinks maybe she is mad, yet she carries herself so gracefully. Olivia interrupts his thoughts by introducing him to a priest and asking him to marry her. Not believing his good fortune, Sebastian agrees to the marriage.
The duke and Viola come together to Olivia's house. While they are talking in the street, the officers approach, still holding Antonio. Antonio accuses Viola of betraying him and tells the duke how he saved Viola from a shipwreck. The duke and Viola are confused by Antonio's story, but are further confused when Olivia enters the scene. Since she has married Sebastian (mistaking him for Cesario), she calls Viola "husband" and bids him to come inside. Suddenly the duke understands that Olivia has fallen in love with his page! Viola insists she has not married Olivia, but the duke is enraged and will not listen. Olivia calls for the priest who then confirms her story.
While Olivia pleads with Viola to come inside with her, Sir Andrew staggers in holding his wounded head. He claims Cesario has beaten him and Sir Toby and then sees Viola standing there. He accuses Viola of battery and she even more confused than before denies the charge. "I never hurt you" she claims. "You drew your sword upon me without cause but I hurt you not." The confusion has reached its peak - Viola has been accused of betraying Antonio, as Sebastian, the duke as Cesario and hurting Sir Andrew and Sir Toby when in fact Sebastian has done the damage.
During the confusion, Sebastian approaches Olivia to apologize for hurting Sir Toby. Now finally, an explanation begins to emerge. Everyone is amazed, as it seems there are two of the same person standing there. Viola and Sebastian stare at each other in amazement. Viola realizing her brother is indeed alive and well, finally reveals she is a woman in men's clothing. Overcome with happiness, Sebastian embraces his long lost twin sister. When the duke sees this, he realizes he has loved Viola all along and asks her to be his wife. Olivia then happily embraces Viola as her sister in law.
During these happy revelations, Fabian and the Clown enter with a letter from the imprisoned Malvolio. Olivia bids Fabian to read it to her. Malvolio writes that he is completely sane and has been wronged. He claims he can prove it with Olivia's own letter. As Fabian reads, Malvolio brings Olivia the letter written by Maria. Olivia looks at the letter and claims is is Maria's handwriting. She tells Malvolio that someone has played a trick on him. Fabian claims that he, Sir Toby and Maria are responsible for the trick. Though it was meant as harmless fun they also wanted to teach Malvolio a lesson. In return for Maria's part in the joke, Sir Toby has happily married Maria. Malvolio storms off saying he will have his revenge.
Now that the confusion has cleared, the duke encourages Olivia to make peace with Malvolio and revel in her new love and marriage, He then happily embraces Viola as his future wife.
ACT I A) Imagine you are shipwrecked on a foreign land like Viola and Sebastian. You are penniless and without you family and friends. What would you do to survive. On which talents and/or resources could you rely? Write a fictional account of this adventure. Be descriptive and use dialogue to make your travels come alive.
B) "Even so quickly may one fall in love?" Olivia asks herself after only one meeting with Viola. And Viola, almost as quick falls in love with the duke. Do you believe in love at first sight? Is the idea of instant love only for storybooks or can it happen in real life? Explain why you do or don't believe in such emotions, giving examples if you can.
ACT II C) Throughout the play, the duke calls for music because it suits his lovesick mood. On the other hand, the revelers sing songs because it suits their merry-making mood. What kinds of music do you like? Do you change the music you listen to according to your moods? Why? What kind of music do you like to listen to when you are happy? sad? tired? etc...
D) Perhaps the most famous line in Twelfth Nigh is "Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness trust upon them." Explain the quote in two ways. First explain what this quote means to the play. Why would this be an important message for Olivia to send to Malvolio? What was Maria's intention in writing it? Second, discuss how you could apply this line today. Name someone who was born into greatness and some who achieved greatness. How can greatness be trust upon someone? Name someone who fits this description.
ACT III E) Olivia is immediately intrigued by Cesario and believes she has fallen in love with him. First impressions can often be wrong. Write about a time you had the wrong impression about someone. Write about what you believed to be true at first and then after a while how you discovered your initial opinion was incorrect. Why are first impressions important?
ACT IV F) Imagine you are a character from the play and write a love letter to another character. You can write as: Sebastian to Olivia Olivia to Cesario Duke to Olivia Sir Toby to Maria (vice-versa) Malvolio to Olivia Viola to Duke
ACT V G) The townspeople are amazed at the similarities between the twins Sebastian and Viola. Imagine that you have an identical twin. How would your life change? What would be different? What tricks or pranks could you play if you looked exactly like your sibling?
Important QuotesAct I / Act II / Act III / Act IV / Act V Act I
Act III
NOTESTheme / Symbol / Conflict
ThemeParagraph 1 · Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy, and love is the play’s main focus · Theme is the general observation about life that an author makes in a literary work and Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain
Paragraph 2 · Messages are sent deliberately or accidentally from one character to another in the forms of letters and gifts to show their feelings of love · Maria’s letter to Malvolio, is believed to be a letter of love from Olivia, instead, it is an attempt to trick him · Orsino repeatedly sends Viola to deliver messages and a jewel to Olivia · Olivia sends Malvolio after Viola with a ring, to tell the page that she loves him. She also follows the ring up with further gifts, which symbolizes her love for him
Paragraph 3 · Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse and some of the characters claim to suffer from being in love · Orsino thinks of love as being sad, a thing that he wants to have and cannot · Olivia describes love as a “plague”, a curse, from which she suffers terribly · Viola is unhappy because she is disguised as a boy and is in love with Orsino and she can not tell him. In addition, Olivia has fallen in love with her thinking that she is a boy · These feelings come together to result in violence. In Act V, Orsino threatens to kill Viola because he thinks that Viola has abandoned him to become Olivia’s lover
Paragraph 4 · Love is also isolation, whereby Malvolio and Sir Andrew do not have romantic happiness · Malvolio, a servant, who has chased after Olivia, must face the fact that he is a fool, and is unworthy of his noble mistress · Sir Andrew, a noble, being used by Sir Toby also is denied his love of Olivia
Paragraph 5 · The play has a happy ending, in which lovers find one another and are married: Olivia and Duke Orsino, Sebastian and Olivia, and Sir Toby and Maria · But for Malvolio and Sir Andrew, they discover that love cannot conquer all obstacles, and have their desires go unfulfilled and feel the pain of the absence of love
SymbolsSymbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. Three symbols are used in the play, Olivia’s Gifts, Clothing and Names.
Gifts · When Olivia wants to let Cesario (Viola) know that she loves him, she sends him a ring. · The Duke gives a jewel to show his expression of love for Olivia · Later, when Olivia mistakes Sebastian for Cesario, she gives him a precious pearl. · In each case, the ring and jewel are a tokens of her love, a symbol of her romantic attachment. Clothes· Clothes are powerful in Twelfth Night and can symbolize changes in gender or social class. · Viola puts on male clothes to be taken for a male. · Malvolio fantasizes about becoming a nobleman, he imagines the new clothes that he will have. When the clown impersonates Sir Topas, he puts on a nobleman’s garb, even though Malvolio, whom he is fooling, cannot see him, symbolizing that clothes have power.
The names of several characters appear to be symbols. · Malvolio means bad desires. Mal means bad or evil, volio means I wish or I desire. · Sir Toby Belch is a mug of beer given to burping. A toby is a mug resembling a fat man, a belch is an expulsion of gas from the mouth. · Feste (clown) is jolly, festive, celebrating the joy of the moment. · Viola, who disguises herself as a man, is the name of a musical instrument with a deeper tone than a violin, in other words, a more masculine tone. · Sebastian is named after Saint Sebastian, who was ordered killed because he was Christian. In Twelfth Night, Sebastian is presumed dead after a shipwreck but, like Saint Sebastian, survives. · The name Aguecheek is a combination of ague, meaning fever, and cheek, meaning the fleshy side of the face. Therefore, Sir Andrew Aguecheek is a wine-drinking, red-cheeked fellow. · Olivia may represent the olive tree, famous for its exquisite beauty.
ConflictParagraph 1 · Internal Conflict is the long agonizing process a character must go through in order to overcome a fault or a fear. · The Internal Conflict is with Viola. She is in love with Orsino, who is in love with Olivia, who is in love with Viola’s male disguise, Cesario. · This love triangle is complicated by the fact that neither Orsino nor Olivia know that Viola is really a woman
Paragraph 2 · Viola disguises herself as a boy named Cesario and takes up a job as a messenger for Duke Orsino · This is complicated for Viola because she is in love with the Duke and he has sent her to give a love message to Olivia · At this meeting, Olivia falls in love with Cesario (Violas disguise) and gives her a ring · At the second meeting, Olivia openly declares her love for Viola/Cesario · From now on Viola has to deal with Olivia's love for Cesario, while holding back her own feelings for the Duke Paragraph 3· This identity problem comes to in end in the final scene · Viola finds herself surrounded by people who all have different idea of who she actually is · The conflict is resolved with Sebastian’s appearance · This saves Viola by allowing her to remove her disguise and become herself again · Sebastian who is not much of a character in the play, takes over Viola’s disguise that she no longer wishes to maintain · The problem of the mistaken identities is resolved and Olivia marries Sebastian whom she initially mistook for Cesario/Viola · Viola is now free to marry the Duke, whom she has loved right from the start.
Newspaper Assignment: Twelfth Night in the Media
Many agree that the media can get out of control when covering stories in the news. Just imagine if modern reporting took place at Illyria!
Create a Tabloid newspaper covering various rumors or stories about Twelfth Night. The newspaper must include these minimum requirements to receive a satisfactory grade: · Name of Paper · Date, Place, Cost of Paper · Captions for Articles · Articles 10 Main Stories Two of the Articles must have an Interview · Four Pictures
Examples of Articles1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. ANY OTHER IDEAS FROM PLAY
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