Viola comes to Illyria with a captain and a crew of sailors. She wonders why she should be here, when her brother, who drowned, is in heaven. She wonders if he might possibly still be alive, and the captain tells her that the last he saw of her brother during the storm where he was lost, the man was clinging to a piece of wood. It is possible, therefore, that her brother might have floated that way to shore. Viola talks about Illyria with the captain, who grew up near there.
The captain reports that the Orsino is in love with Olivia, who has refused to see any men since her brother and father both died. Viola wishes she could be Olivia's servant, so she could be in hiding for a while, until she was ready to be herself again. The captain protests that that would be difficult, since Olivia won't even see the Duke, let alone an average person. Viola asks the captain to disguise her as man, so that she can serve Orsino. She says she will be a great servant, and tells him to keep her identity a secret. "What else may hap, to time I will commit; only shape thou thy silence to my wit." Act 1, Scene 2, line 64
