Twelfth Night- Distorted Love

A detailed Summary of Twelfth Night- Distorted Love

In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, a number of characters have distorted visions of what love, and especially romantic love are. Duke Orsino begins the plat as a self-loving, egotistical man deluded by his own amorous fancies. Olivia, the woman he believes he is in love with, is a proud mistress who has voluntarily cloistered herself for seven years to mourn her brother's death as a mode for hiding her own insecurities. Viola is Orsino's faithful disguised servant, who sacrifices her own happiness and love to help him court Olivia. The situation becomes further complicated when Olivia believes she has fallen for Cesario, the man Viola is impersonating. As the play proceeds, Orsino and Olivia show few signs of changing, and remain self-centered and delusional about the meaning of love. Viola, on the other hand, proves her love genuine and worthy through her steadfast faith to Orsino's cause and the sacrifices she makes for him.

As the play opens, Duke Orsino is a self-centered, love obsessed fool who pines over Olivia in his castle all day. As the play closes, the only thing changed is the object of his affection. From the start, Orsino's motives are questionable. "O, when mine eyes

In the beginning of the play, Olivia's character is similar to Orsino's in that she is proud and thinks her own love to be a very great thing- indeed, too great for Orsino. When Cesario/Viola first comes to court her for Orsino, she blatantly rejects his compliments and pleadings, throwing his words back at him:

Olivia: O, I have read it! It is heresy. Have you no more to say?

Olivia's blind stubborness, in comparison to her later blind love for Cesario, appears both hypocritical and ironic.

The charade of courtship continues until the play's chaotic ending, in which Olivia claims to be married to Cesario/Viola. It is in this scene that Orsino's complete fraudulence is illuminated. Bitter and vengeful towards Olivia, whom he thinks has married his servant, Orsino vows to kill Viola to get back at Olivia. "I'll sacrifice the lamb I do love To spite a raven's heart within a dove." (V,I, 136-38). Orsino, despite claiming to care very much for Viola, his little lamb, would prefer to take revenge on Olivia's raven heart than allow the two of them to be happy.

Viola: To answer by method, in the first of [Orsino's] heart.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Olivia Orsino, Viola Sebastian, Duke Orsino, Orsino Cesario/Viola, Olivia I'll, Orsino Olivia, Viola Orsino's, Twelfth Night, Cesario Viola, own love, duke orsino,

Approximate Word count = 800
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Twelfth Night- Distorted Love

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