Twelfth Night Essay On Love

The Theme of Love in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare focuses strongly on the theme of love; romantic love, friendship,
brotherly and sisterly love, unrealistic love and self–love. In this essay I am going to explore these
aspects and write about the different sides of love in the play, such as humour and suffering. We find
that in Twelfth Night love is a very complicated thing and confusion often occurs.
At the beginning of the play we find Orsino talking dramatically of his love for Olivia but actually
seems to be in love with the idea of love itself. This shows that his feelings are not actually true and
that he is very self–indulgent. He uses exaggerated...show more content...
The captain agrees to help her with this. Although Viola and the captain's friendship is not
mentioned often in the play, we realise it is strong as they survived the shipwreck together and the
captain promised to keep Viola's idea to dress up as a man a secret and she trusts him with this.
After only three days serving Orsino, Cesario has already become a favourite with Orsino. They
become very close and Viola (Cesario) begins to fall in love with him. Unlike many of the other
characters, Viola stays true to Orsino throughout the whole play, showing that her love for him is
true and extremely deep. As Orsino thinks Viola is a man, she cannot tell him that she is in love with
him.
Orsino asks Cesario to deliver his love messages to Olivia. She does so, but very reluctantly as she is
in love with him and doesn't wish for him to marry Olivia.
At this point Olivia is in morning for her brother who has recently died and intends to do so for
seven years. She is a very confident character and thinks highly of herself. As soon as Cesario comes
into her life she immediately breaks the vow of not coming out for seven years as she has fallen in
love with him. This is an example of dramatic irony and is funny, as the audience know that Cesario
is really a woman. Viola as Cesario and Olivia build up a close friendship and they relate well as
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Love in twelfth night Essay
Love in twelfth night
In the play twelfth night, Shakespeare covered three types of love : Lust, true love and brotherly
love. Love is one of the most confusing and most misunderstood emotions that we as humans posses.
Love is an extremely diverse emotion which is why it was used as the main topic in twelfth night.
Lust, which is probably one of the most confusing types of love was an apparent subject in twelfth
night.There are many reasons why one would lust, one could be because you are attracted to a
specific quality of a person or could maybe only like there looks or even just thing like there
charisma. Shakespeare showed lust between Orsino and Olivia. Even though Orsino had not met or
even seen Olivia, he was still madly in love...show more content...
Malvolio?s conceitedness was broken and then he sees that he did not truly love Olivia, but was
only flattered that he had been loved by someone so beautiful and young.
True love is extremely different then lust, and was also present through out the play. True love is
obviously one of the strongest forms of love and is an extremely powerful emotion that one
would perhaps do many things for. Shakespeare showed various forms of true love in twelfth
night especially through Viola (Cesario) and Orsino. Even though Orsino did not know it, Olivia
was falling in love with him. She saw qualities in him that she appreciated and liked. Unlike lust,
true love is usually developed, and grows stronger as you get to know and understand the person
better. In this case, Viola only began to like Orsino after she had gotten to know him. It grew
more and more and finally in the end when her true identity was revealed she married him.
Another example of true love was with Sir. Toby and Maria. When you are in love you would
always try to do things for the best interest?s for that person, and would try to protect them from
harm. Throughout the play there are numerous times where Maria tries to warn and protect Sir
Toby from Malvolio and Olivia, so that he would not get in trouble. If you care for someone that
much to keep them out of harms way, then that is a strong sing of true love. True love was also
present when you will forgive or

Theme Of Love In Twelfth Night
Love in Twelfth Night.
Twelfth Night explores the various representations of love that are universal to the human experience.
In the play Twelfth Night, written by William Shakespeare, covers three types of love, Lust, true
love and superficial. Love is one of the most confusing and most misunderstood emotions that we as
humans possess. Love is an extremely diverse emotion and allows for multiple opinions on what it
truly is which is why it was used as the main topic in twelfth night.
True love is extremely different than the other types of love, and was certainly present throughout
the play. True love is obviously one of the strongest forms of love and is an extremely powerful
emotion that one would perhaps do many things for....show more content...
A quote from Orsino proves that this is the case, "O when mine eyes did see Olivia first, me
thought she purged the air of pestilence." This quote in simple terms means that when Orsino first
saw Olivia he felt that she made the world perfect and this was someone he wanted to marry, but
Orsino did not know Olivia's personality and only liked her because of her looks and wealth which
means that what Orsino was feeling is lust. Lust is when a person is attracted to somebody purely
off attraction rather than true feelings and does not even consider the person's morals and
mannerisms. Shakespeare was attempting to show that this type of love is not real love and purely
for one to use someone else for wealth and or pleasure.
Brotherly love can be defined as feelings of friendship and compassion, with no sexual
interactions an example in twelfth night of this is between Antonio and Sebastian the two are
really good friends who will do anything for each other and do care for each other and this is
shown when Antonio agrees to accompany him on his journey to Illyria even though he is
already a target in Illyria because of a past arrest is risking danger by going with him, but still
goes. A quote that proves this is "I have many enemies in Orsino's court, else would I very shortly
see thee there, but come what may, I do adore thee so, that danger shall seem sport, and I will go,"
This shows that even though there is danger for Antonio on going, he risks it in

Twelfth Night Love Essay
There are multiple types of love in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, but which really express true love?
True love is requited sentiment and affection despite circumstance. This essay will discuss three
types of love expressed in the play: recompense, unrequited, and family. The only one of these that
also expresses true love is familial love.
Recompense love is payment for someone's actions or good character, not feeling of intimacy or
romantic affection for someone. Slights describes this type of love as "beneficent fortune and human
intrigue" in The Principle of Recompense in 'Twelfth Night'. The payment for actions relates to
"beneficent fortune" and payment for someone's character relates to "human intrigue" (Slights). An
example of recompense...show more content...
Two distinct example of this type of love from the play are the brother/sister relationships
between Viola and Sebastian and Olivia and her deceased brother. Familial love cannot be broken
or changed in a moment like the feelings and relationships at the end of the play when true
identities were revealed (Crowther). These relationships express unconditional, reciprocated love.
Because of family, these relationships are not hinged are circumstance, and they are not created
from desire or by payment for gratitude or intrigue. These relationships bring the most sadness.
Although Orsino is continually denied by Olivia, his hurt is incomparable to Olivia's grief for her
brother's death or Viola and Sebastian's grief in thinking each other had died. One other
relationship that could be seen as familial is Olivia's relation to Toby. Although Toby is a drunkard,
is rowdy, irresponsible, and careless, Olivia still allows him to stay with her. Her patience is tested,
but ultimately her affection for him in unconditional because of their familial relationship
(Crowther). Familial love can be the only expression of true love discussed in this essay because it
is the only type that fits the bill of requited, unconditional

Nature Of Love In Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night, Or What You Will, written by Shakespeare during the Elizabethan era, centers around
the convoluted and shifting nature of love. The play makes a point that the ways in which love and
affection are expressed and interpreted differ amongst the different social classes. Count Orsino and
Lady Olivia, representing the upper class of the nobility, demonstrate their love in grand, impersonal
gestures, whereas Viola, whose status is slightly lower, does so in a selfless, more authentic
manner. This stark difference in how these two classes perceive love is also seen in how quickly
the feelings of Orsino and Olivia change for their love interests once someone new comes along.
The nobility has little to no sense of what genuine love is, which is seen in both their frivolous
displays of affection and how quickly they are able to fall for someone new.
Orsino, in regards to Olivia, treats love and marriage as if they are only games to entertain
himself with. In act one Orsino plays into the notion that women, in his case Olivia, are up for the
taking. A common belief that is found in traditional marriage, especially in the upper class, is that
women are essentially prizes for men to win. Orsino plays into this by explaining how much
Olivia will love him once he wins her because of the strong affection she has for her deceased
brother. He learns that Olivia has decided to make a vow to remove herself from society for seven
years to mourn her brother's death, yet Orsino

Essay on Love and Gender in Twelfth Night
Love and Gender in Twelfth Night
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night examines patterns of love and courtship through a twisting of gender
roles. In Act 3, scene 1, Olivia displays the confusion created for both characters and audience as
she takes on the traditionally male role of wooer in an attempt to win the disguised Viola, or Cesario.
Olivia praises Cesario's beauty and then addresses him with the belief that his "scorn" (3.1.134)
only reveals his hidden love. However, Olivia's mistaken interpretation of Cesario's manner is only
the surface problem presented by her speech. The reality of Cesario's gender, the active role Olivia
takes in pursuing him/her, and the duality of word meanings in this passage threaten to turn the
...show more content...
When Olivia declares that not even "wit nor reason"(143) can hide her passion, she suggests that
she would love Cesario even if it were against logic, as a same sex couple would be. Despite the
unacceptability of a same sex romance in Shakespeare's time, the hints toward this reading seem
visible enough to have been thought of then as well as today. Although probably not intended to the
extent of a lesbian courtship, the situation of a woman wooing another woman presents a comical
picture for the audience, perhaps even more so in the Elizabethan era with two male actors wooing
each other as women. Shakespeare is able to pose the question of homosexual love by using
"Cesario" as a shield to protect both the characters within the play and the audience from having to
deal with the question directly.
Although he avoids denying the Elizabethan romantic conventions with an openly homosexual
plot, Shakespeare does upset the norm by having Olivia act as suitor and having the "man" act as
the object of desire. This role reversal is not hidden since Olivia plainly says "I woo"(145) as she
addresses Cesario. The way in which she speaks to Cesario mimics the contemporary traditions
perfectly. Cesario's refusal sets up the classic situation of the beloved as an object of unattainable
perfection for the lover to praise. Olivia's speech is in rhymed couplets separating it, along with
Viola's response, from the typical blank verse of the rest of the play

Twelfth Night Love Essay
William Shakespeare has written a number of romantic comedies. Twelfth Night is one of the
finest comedies of the author. Shakespeare is driven by Viola's decision to voluntarily conceal her
identity and go to work as a servant for the lovesick Orsino.This disguise and gender confusion are
there in the beginning of the play and finishes with happy ending. This paper tries to ascertain how
Viola in Twelfth Night perform her disguise and become an ideal woman of Shakespeare's own
concept. There may be many reasons why, he keeps his female characters in disguise position.
Shakespeare's subjectivity can easily be seen at many places in the play. Viola disguises her identity,
self–involved behaviour, beauty, nobility, sincerity, and loyalty
...show more content...
Through it alters the identity of an individual (frequently female character, though not always)
and uses this disguise to heighten irony, develop theme, and enhance the character of the play.
This is not the only way in which disguise is used in Twelfth Night. It is also used to create
comedy. In Twelfth Night, disguise takes many different shapes from physical disguise to mental
disguise. Disguise is one of the main topics of the play and helps to create the plot. It brings in
confusion and comedy as well as the darker and sadder side of the play which is disguised as fun
and happiness. Disguise is evident from the very beginning of the play.
A supposedly noble Duke Orsino is suffering due to his unrequited love for the Lady Olivia. Viola is
shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and she comes ashore with the help of a captain. She lost
contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believed to be drowned. Disguising herself as
a young man under the name Cesario, she enters the service of Duke Orsino through the help of
the sea captain who rescues her. Duke Orsino has convinced himself that he is in love with Olivia,
whose father and brother have recently died, and who refuses to see charming things, be in the
company of men, and entertain love or marriage proposals from anyone, the Duke included, until
seven years have passed. Duke Orsino then uses 'Cesario ' as an intermediary to profess his
passionate love before Olivia. Olivia, however,

Love and Desire in "Twelfth Night" Essay
According to Merriam–Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, love is defined as "strong affection for
another arising out of kinship or personal ties; attraction based on sexual desire; affection and
tenderness felt by lovers; affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interest; or an
assurance of love." In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, three different types of love are
experienced: friendship love, true love, and self love. Each character experiences a different type of
love, and in some cases it is not what they originally expected. The twisted, yet intriguing love story
allows the reader to get lost in each characters emotions and development throughout the play. Many
instances of love in the play are overwhelmed with a...show more content...
Despite knowing that Orsino "loves" Olivia, Viola almost immediately falls in love with Orsino.
And because Viola is disguised as a man, she cannot show her true feelings for Orsino. After
Orsino asks Viola to speak with Olivia and professes his love to her, Viola lets the reader know what
she is truly feeling by saying "Yet a barful strife! Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife" (Act
1, Scene 4, Line 40). This shows that even though she is willing to help Orsino pursue Olivia,
Viola ultimately wants to marry Orsino. Viola's love for Orsino is revealed again at the end of
Act 2, Scene 4. Orsino is asking Viola to try harder in the quest for Olivia and he basically says
that there is no love more noble or great as his, so she must love him. Viola then proceeds to say
that maybe Olivia doesn't love him; however, there is "someone" out there that does. She says:
Sooth, but you must.
Say that some lady, as perhaps there is,
Hath for your love as great a pang of heart
As you have for Olivia. You cannot love her;
You tell her so; Must she not then be answered? (Act 2, scene 4, Lines 86–90)
This is Viola confessing her true feelings for Orsino. She is telling him that she is the one who
loves him the way he loves Olivia. Viola's love for Orsino is so deep and she has so much desire
that it literally hurts her heart. She then continues to say that her father had a daughter who loved a
man, yet she is her father's

Views on Love in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night was written in the ...... century, by the renowned author, William Shakespeare as one
of his comedic plays. It is now one of his most famous works and has been made into several films.
The story explores the ups and downs of love and relationships, covering everything from intimate
ones, to sexual ones, to friendly ones.
In Act 1, Scene 1, the Duke Orsino, who is infatuated with Lady Olivia, and will later become
involved in a love triangle with her and Viola (Cesario) is in a his palace mourning his love for
Olivia. Shakespeare makes sure to use plenty of metaphors and similes and word–play with
complicated sentences and words, to...show more content...
"Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there,". Orsino compares his love to the sea, and says that
it's much bigger than a anything else could possibly be and like the sea, when u drop something
into it, it just disappears, just as he sees his love for Olivia is, nothing will make a difference to it.
The hyperbole he uses in his speech could be Shakespeare's way of showing us how sure and full
of himself Orsino is, exuding arrogance in something like love, which is supposed to be very
modest. Orsino uses clever word play with Curio around the word "hart", once again showing his
status, but also showing us that he turns every hypothetical solution to his situation into
something about him and his misery. Orsino idealizes Olivia. "O, when mine eyes did see Olivia
first, Methought she purged the air of pestilence". He describes her as if she is perfect, so perfect
in fact that she can purify the air just by being there, and that makes us wonder if he is really
interested in her or just this idea he has of her that he has perfected to his satisfaction. He's simply
in love with the idea of being in love, and probably since he's never been in love and he isn't really in
love now, he's making up a whole lot of crap that isn't true but he sees as true, like what is described
in books and movies, because he doesn't

There are many common themes in William Shakespeare's writings such as power, nature, conflict,
and more commonly, love. Whether it be an irrational type of love such as Romeo and Juliet, a
dutiful and tactical love like in King Lear, or love triangles (more like a square) like the one that
takes place in Twelfth Night. William Shakespeare surely went all out with the theme oflove in
Twelfth Night by having every character have a love interest (even ones that coincided with
someone else's). As the play starts off, Duke of Illyria, Orsino, is mourning and moping around
about the nature of love which already sets the theme for the entirety of the play. Such lamenting is
evident within just the first four lines: "If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it;
that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die." (Shakespeare 1)
However, as Orsino is going over his love for a noble Illyrian lady, Olivia, the twin siblings, Viola
and Sebastian, have gotten into a shipwreck and Viola is worried that her brother did not make it.
Having nothing to her name and in need of some work Viola disguises herself as a man, named
Cesario, and sets off to work for Orsino, and so the theme of love begins. However, the theme of
love is not always one of romance but also love for friends, family, oneself, and just the idea of love
itself. Love between friends is manifested and displayed through Sebastian and Antonio's
relationship. The love they share is invaluable and is

Twelfth Night Essays: Three Types of Love
Three Types of Love in Twelfth Night
In the play "Twelfth Night," Shakespeare explores and illustrates the emotion of love with precise
detail. According to "Webster's New World Dictionary," love is defined as "a strong affection or
liking for someone." Throughout the play Shakespeare examines three different types of love: true
love, self love and friendship.
"Twelfth Night" consists of a large number of love triangles, however many of the characters who
are tangled up in the web of love are blind to see that their emotions and feelings toward other
characters are untrue and based merely on falsification. They are being deceived by themselves and
/or the others around them. There are certain instances in the play where the...show more content...
Viola was now caught in a terrible situation and there was only one way out, but that would
jeopardize her chances with Orsino. It's amazing that Olivia could fall for a woman dressed as a man,
but because Viola knew what women like to hear, her words won Olivia's heart.
The next case of true love is on a less intimate and romantic scale, and more family oriented. Viola
and Sebastian's love for one another is a bond felt by the majority of siblings. Through their times
of sorrow and mourning for each of their apparent deaths they still loved each other. They believed
deep down that maybe someway or by some miracle that each of them was still alive and well.
Many people, even in today's society, love themselves more then anything else or in other words
lead a rather egocentric existence. "Twelfth Night" addresses the issue of self love and how it
affects people's lives. Malvolio is the easiest to identify with the problem of self love. He sees
himself as a handsome and noble man, even if others do not share this opinion. Malvolio believes
many women would love to be with him. He likes to see things one way only, and he deceives
himself just to suit his outlook on the situation. One particular example in the play is when he
manipulates Olivia's words to make it seem as if she admires his yellow cross–gartered stockings,
when she really despises them.
Both Sir Toby and Olivia show signs of self

True Love in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Essay
True Love in Twelfth Night
Unlike the other characters in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", Viola's feelings of love are genuine.
She is not mistaken about Orsino's true nature and loves him for who he really is, while the other
characters in the play seem to be in love with an illusion. Viola's love for Orsino does not alter
during the play, nor is it transferred to another person.
Viola, alone in a strange land, disguises herself as a man in order to gain access to Duke Orsino's
palace. She plays the role of Orsino's servant, Cesario, to be near him for she knows that he is the
man who can help her in Illyria. On first hearing Orsino's name, Viola says: "Orsino! I have heard
my father name him: He was a bachelor...show more content...
And so adieu, good madam."
Orsino's love, however, is a courtly love. He claims to be in love with Olivia but seems rather to be
in love with the idea of love and the behavior of a lover. Orsino is a Petrachan lover who chooses
an object that will not return his love. Because he is not ready for commitment, he courts Olivia
in a formal way. By sending his messengers to her house instead of going himself, he does not
have to speak to her directly. Early in the play, Viola realises that Orsino's love for Olivia is
denied and that she would also reject all men for a period of seven years. Viola believes that
Orsino might not be rejected if he visited Olivia himself and says to him: "I think not so, my lord,"
but Orsino, not wanting to see Olivia himself and wanting to keep up the role of the disappointed
lover, insists that Cesario woo her.
Orsino's reaction to Cesario's true identity and the fact that Olivia has married another man is
surprising. When he discovers the truth, it is evident that Orsino's love is for love itself and not
for Olivia, as he is willing to replace her with Viola. He does not react with shock or even
disappointment. He says instead, "... And since you have called me master for so long, here is my
hand. You shall from this time be your master's mistress." This sudden

The Aspects of Love in Twelfth Night Essay
The Aspects of Love in Twelfth Night The main theme in Twelfth Night is love. It is announced at
the beginning of the play 'If music be the food of love play on' and from this you know that love
will be a main aspect in Twelfth Night.
In Elizabethan time 'love' as we know it today was very different. You could notlove anyone outside
of your social status, marriages were almost always arranged on how the social status could improve
the current standing of one partner i.e. one partner had lots of money, land or influence.
In Twelfth Night there are many different kinds of love to list a few, filial love, unrequited love,
Lust, Courtly Love, True Love, Ambitious/Selfish love. There are...show more content...
This is the set up of many situations, such as the meeting of Olivia and Viola in which Olivia falls
very quickly in love with Cesario 'even so quickly may one catch the plague' this is an example of
unrequited love, or the 'melancholy lover' a melancholy lover is a lover which suffers from his
/her love. The other example of unrequited love is again because of mixed Identities, Viola the
other 'melancholy lover' in the play, loves Orsino but Orsino cannot return that love because he
thinks she is a man so never would think that she loves him, but she also cannot reveal her love to
him because she would then have to reveal her true identity, which cannot be revealed until the
right time. Cesario/Viola talks about how she knows how Orsino feels because "My father had a
daughter loved a man," Viola talks to Orisno about how her 'sister' loved a man that
The very formal love is shown in the way that Orsino attempt to woo Olivia with the suitors sent
from him with messages which says how perfect she is and how his love is in a very flowery
way, "my love, more noble than the world" but such a lack of lust and such a idealised view of
love, it seems that Orsino is more in love with the idea of love rather than an actual living being.
This is Similar to the way Claudio worships Hero and puts her on a pedestal at the start of Much
Ado About Nothing, she is perfect

Theme Of Love In Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night :Love Love is intoxicating which makes individuals behave in mysterious ways .In
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare love influences many characters to act in many different
ways .Love causes Orsion to become obsessive ,it also causes Viola to be insecure and jealous and
finally love cause viola to become seductive .
Orsinos desire to be loved by Olivia causes him to act in a obsessive manner. This is evident when
orsion concludes ,"If music be the food of love ,play o .Given me the excuses of it surfeiting ,the
appetite may sicken and die"(1.1.1–3).when orsion speaks of feeding his love to for Olivia with
music .He shows his erotic desires with kind of gourmandizing for food .Desire isn't something to
be fulfilled or satisfied in a healthy longing way. Rather then orsion says kill his appetite for his
obsessive love by bingnig and sickening .This shows Orsions obsession on Olivia and how love
influence his speech .
The influence of wanting to be in love causes Orsino to become obsessive when her
communicates with Curio. This is shown when orsion concludes ," O, mine eyes did see Olivia
for the very first time first.Methought she purged the air of pestilence .That instant was I turned
into a hart ,and my desires, like fell and cruel hounds "() .Love at first sight is what occurred when
Orsino saw Olivia for the very first time .He uses sections for Curios invites to

The Language of Love in Twelfth Night Essay
Language of Love
Throughout the history of literature and writing, love has been one of few constant human
experiences and themes. Love can be expressed, viewed, and taken in many different ways.
According to Webster's Dictionary, the term love is defined as, "a feeling of strong or constant
affection for a person; attraction that can include sexual desire or the strong affection felt by people
who have a romantic relationship; and/or a warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion" (Webster). It
is difficult to decipher an exact meaning of love or situation where love is shown since this word has
such a broad definition. In Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night, love is expressed frequently and in
quite a specific way. Particularly, throughout...show more content...
Shakespeare uses a specific language through his writing technique that builds this vision of love
and provokes power and dominance over his characters. Carolin Biewer, in "The Semantics of
Passion in Shakespeare's Comedies: An Interdisciplinary Study," explains Elizabethan
psychology and how the terminology and concepts of this psychology are used within
Shakespeare's plays to reveal not only true, but artificial feelings. Elizabethan psychology was
devised by, "...philosophers Plato and Aristotle and the physicians Hippocrates and Galen,"
(Biewer 507) and viewed the passions as an inner body feeling and any verbal expression of
feelings will allude to the physical complement of that passion. Biewer explores Elizabethan
psychology and found that, "Central among these psychological doctrines of the Elizabethan era
was the doctrine of the three degrees of love" (508). These degrees of love parallel the ideas that
one may experience love driven by senses, love driven by thoughts, and love driven by the brain,
each possessing a deeper meaning. These degrees help to show how certain levels of love can be
more genuine and real in comparison to another. For example, humans can experience love driven
by thoughts or in other words, lust: a desire for something one does not have. Biewer better
describes this by stating, "A love that was dominated by senses was seen as false and risky. Love
dominated by imagination was seen as more valuable..." (508). These

William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is a comedy, first published in 1623. Love is a key aspect of
Shakespeare's comedies in which self–identity is found through the development of love from
infatuation to acknowledgement of character. Orsino is the epitome of Shakespeare's transformation
of self. In the beginning of the play, Orsino is self–absorbed and head–over–heels for Olivia. In this
stage of love we see Orsino's infatuation and selfishness in his feelings of love. As the play moves
on, Viola comes into Orsino's life and we see glimpses of Orsino's understanding of what love is and
how a person should feel with love. By the end of the play, Orsino realizes his self worth through his
love for Olivia and how love really feels to care...show more content...
Tell her my love, more noble than the world,... 'tis that miracle and queen of gems That nature pranks
her in attracts my soul (2.4, 81–87).
In this quote, Orsino clearly states that Olivia is cruel to him, yet his love for her is because of
her beauty. When Viola comes into Orsino's life, we can begin to see a small shift in Orsino's
thoughts of love as Viola tells him her views. Orsino fully trusts Viola/Cesario as he tells her to go
to Olivia and pursue her for him. Orsino states, "I have unclasped/To thee the book even of my
secret soul" (1.4, 13–14), showing the reader that they have a close bond and trust between the two
of them. When Orsino says, "Make no compare/Between that love a woman can bear me/And that I
owe Olivia" (2.4, 102–104), Viola contradicts him and states, "In faith, they are as true of heart as
we" (2.4, 107). Though Orsino doesn't reply, it seems that Orsino believes Viola. There's also a
glimpse, almost a foreshadowing, of Orsino's realization that Cesario is Viola when he states, "Is
not more smooth and rubious; thy small pipe/Is as the maiden's organ, shrill and sound,/And all is
semblative a woman's part" (1.4, 32–34). In Act five, Orsino finds himself, his realization of true
love comes out as he realizes Cesario is Viola, a woman, and they are a perfect match together. In the
beginning of act five, it seems that the conversation between Feste and Orsino foreshadows Orsino's
realization. When Feste states that friends aren't

Love Triangle in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
"O, what a deal of scorn looks beautiful in the contempt and anger of his lip! A murd'rous guilt
shows not itself more soon than love that would seem hid: love's night is noon. – Cesario, by the
roses of the spring, by maidhood, honor, truth, and every thing, I love thee so, that maugre all thy
pride, nor wit nor reason can my passion hide. Do not extort thy reasons from this clause, for that I
woo, thou therefore hast no cause; but rather reason thus with reason fetter: love sought is good, but
given unsought is better." (Shakespeare. Twelfth Night. 3.2.144–156).
In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare was able to embody the perfect love triangle between Olivia, Orsino,
and...show more content...
It is here that I imagine Shakespeare was trying to fore–shadow future events. The audience may
being to predict that Olivia would make rash decisions based on her blind love.
In the next line, however, Olivia showed signs of her emotional dilemma. Guilt began to plague her
thoughts for a fleeting moment. The reason for this shame was not entirely explained, but I believe
it had everything to do with the death of her brother which was mentioned at the very beginning of
the play. She was ashamed of falling into this lustful state of mind while she was supposed to still be
in mourning. She noticed immediately after she hinted at her feelings for Cesario, the guilt surfaced.
Olivia finished her thoughts of guilt with the line, "love's night is noon" (3.2.148). There are
various ways this could have been perceived. Shakespeare has a tendency to include
immeasurable amounts of "images and metaphors", and it's important to keep in mind that with
Shakespeare "greater sensitivity is always possible" (McDonald 37). I believe this was Olivia's
way of giving into the fact that her mourning gown was being cast off and it was out of her control,
just as the day changes whether it is welcomed or not. Her love for Cesario was going to shine. I
think this reiterates the fact that Olivia was blinded by this passion, and it continued to push this
thought into the audience's heads

Theme Of Love In The Twelfth Night
According to Webster's Dictionary, love is defined as "affection based on admiration, benevolence,
or common interests" ("Love") This feeling can be exhibited in a variety of states and outlets;
meaning it can also come in a variety of forms. The Twelfth Night is a morality play that displays
multiple facets of love (Bruckner). Shakespeare exhibits love within The Twelfth Night in four
forms; that of friendship, obsessive, selfish love and true love. In Shakespeare's The Twelfth
Night we are presented with an extreme love triangle that consists of the three main characters in
the play, Viola disguised as Cesario, Duke Orsino, and Countess Olivia. Viola ends up falling in
love with Duke Orsino who is madly in love with Olivia. Shakespeare presents various situations
that allow the reader to determine the relationship before it is truly presented. Viola was put into
a very tough situation when she had to put her feelings aside the help the Duke try and be with
Olivia. She had to remember that her objective was to help the Duke regardless of what her
feelings for him may have been. This is a difficult position to be in because having to watch the
person you care about turn around and want to be with someone else is devastating. So in terms
of love she had to put her romantic feelings aside and be a friend when it was needed most. The
reader may feel as if Viola had put herself in this position due to her being masked as Cesario,
DukeOrsino's right hand man and closest

Twelfth Night Love
Cinderella found Prince Charming on her first try. Ariel found her prince easily as well. The same
is true for Belle, Princess Aurora, and Snow White. Duke Orsino thought it would be the same for
him. He thought that he wouldn't have to look for love nor figure out if he really loved who he
thought he loved. Duke Orsino was wrong. In Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare proves that love
is not always where a seeker first looks through Duke Orsino's statements about love in the beginning
of the play, the end of the play and how his statements change throughout the play. Duke Orsino,
being one of the most dynamic characters in Twelfth Night, has varying positions on the topic of
love throughout the play. In the first act of the play, he views...show more content...
However in the fifth act, Orsino is a changed man. He is a person of depth and feeling. While, not
completely changed into a man that would be respectable in our society, Duke Orsino has become
a reputable person. In this act, Orsino realizes that he will never marry Olivia because she does not
want that. "Boy, thou hast said to me a thousand times thou never shouldst love woman like to me."
Orsino says to Olivia (5.1.279–280) Upon the realization that his framework idea of love has been
squashed, Orsino looks within his heart to find that Viola, the person who has stuck by him in his
lowest days, is the woman who holds his heart. He says to her "'Your master quits you; and for
your service done to him, so much against the mettle of you sex so far beneath you soft and tender
breeding, and since you called me "master" for so long, here is my hand. You shall from this time
be your master's mistress. '"(5.1.237–242) With this statement, he creates Viola his

Twelfth Night Essay
In Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night or What you Will, the characters are involved in a plot
complete with trickery, disguise, and love. Each character is defined not by his or her gender or true
identity, but by the role they are forced to take because of the complicated situation that arises.
Unlike their gender, the speech the characters give an insight to their true personalities. In the
Twelfth Night, the character Duke Orsino uses flowery and over–dramatic language, long poetic
sentence structure, and melodramatic metaphors to display his overemotional romantic nature
despite the different emotions in his various speeches. Duke Orsino's repeated usage of poetical
verse and poetic devices to describe his woes from love set him...show more content...
Enough no more!" (1.1.6–7). He accentuates his original metaphor by personifying music and
comparing it to a breeze that carries the flowers odor with it. Until line 8, Orsino does not mention
his love explicitly. Instead, he establishes the feeling of yearning by referring to symbols of love
such as music and flowers. Orsino ends his long speech with, "Even in a minute, So full of shapes is
fancy./ That it alone is high fantastical." (1.1.14–15). By stating that love is a wonderful figment of
imagination, Orsino reinforces the previous metaphorical and vague language he uses in the
beginning of the speech. "That it [love] alone is high fantastical" (1.1.15) also shows that he is a
true romantic because he is in love with the concept of love rather than the person themselves.
Furthermore, he line, "...Enough no more!" (1.1.7) contradicts with the previous line, "Give me
excess of it, that, surfeiting," (1.1.4) which proves that Orsino is very dramatic in character because
he constantly vacillates in his actions and desires. He is emotionally unstable at times in the play and
thus acquires a dramatic behavior.
In Act 5, Orsino delivers a speech to Olivia in order to express his broken heart and pine over his
unreciprocated feelings. However, by drawing out the speech with allusions, excessive language, and
metaphors, Shakespeare portrays Orsino as an overemotional and romance–driven character.
Compared to Orsino's first

Twelfth Night Essay On Love

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