"O, had I but followed the ___!": "Twelfth Night"

ARTS

This lament comes from Viola in Act V, reflecting on her disguise—think of the skills she might have pursued instead of her ruse. Shakespeare often contrasts nature with cultivated talents.

This clue quotes Viola’s lament from Twelfth Night (Act 5, Scene 1), where she says, "O, had I but followed the arts!"—meaning if only she’d stuck to her original plan (or "artful" disguise) instead of getting tangled in the play’s chaos. The word "arts" here plays on its double meaning: both creative skills and cunning strategies, which fits Viola’s clever but complicated deception. Shakespeare often used "arts" this way, so the answer is a direct lift from the line.