Question

which sentence best explains the meaning of the bolded line in the excerpt from act v, scene 1, of twelfth night?
clown why, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrown upon them i was one, sir, in this interlude, - one sir topias, sir, but thats all one - by the lord, fool, i am not mad, - but do you remember? madam, why laugh you at such a barren rascal? an you smile not, hes gagged? and thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges
a. the clown suggests that the complications in the play have been amicably resolved
b. the clown is commenting on the cyclic nature of time and saying that malvolio has received the treatment he deserved
c. the clown believes that malvolio will not be rewarded for his good deeds before the time is right
d. the clown emphasizes that time always teaches people to patiently perform good deeds and not expect rewards

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the bolded line "And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges" and the options:

• Option A: The line is about revenge, not resolution, so A is wrong.
• Option B: The "whirligig of time" implies a cycle, and "revenges" connects to Malvolio’s deserved treatment (he was mistreated, now time brings retribution). This matches the cyclic nature of time and deserved consequences.
• Option C: The line is about revenge (retribution) for Malvolio’s actions, not "not being rewarded" for good deeds. So C is incorrect.
• Option D: The line focuses on revenge, not patience or good deeds without reward. So D is wrong.

Answer:

B. The clown is commenting on the cyclic nature of time and saying that Malvolio has received the treatment he deserved.