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 did see Olivia first me thought she purged the air of pestilence!"(I,I, 20). Even as he exclaims his love, it is obviously only based on attraction, for he never says anything of her character or personality. In fact, one isn"t even sure the two have ever met. So, instead of speaking about Olivia, Orsino pompously elaborates on the power of his love. "Tell her, my love, more noble than the world, Prizes not the quantity of dirty lands."(II,IV, 92-93). Orsino is more enamored with his own "noble" love than he is with Olivia. He goes on to boast of his passion, "There is no woman"s sides can bide the beating of so strong a passion As love doth give my heart." (II,IV, 106-107).