ORSINO: Boy, thou hast said to me a thousand times
Thou never shouldst love woman like to me.
VIOLA: And all those sayings will I overswear,
And all those swearings keep as true in soul
As doth that orbèd continent the fire
That severs day from night.
ORSINO: Give me thy hand,
And let me see thee in thy woman’s weeds.
– William Shakespeare
Twelfth Night, Act 5, Scene 1. This exchange takes places following the climax of the play, when Sebastian and Viola are reunited, and all misunderstandings and deceits are resolved. Viola identifies herself as woman of noble blood and finally gets her man. Orsino asks for her hand and to see her in women’s clothing. But he also addresses her as “boy,” apparently liking her in her male disguise too.