Olivia: Youth is bought more oft than begged or borrowed
Olivia has rapidly changed her opinion of the Count Orsino's suits, from being annoying and unwelcome to becoming intelligent, witty and someone that she has become infatuated with. Shakespeare seems by all this to be undermining the two most aristocratic, influential characters at the start of the play. They cannot control their emotions and are too easily swayed.
In relation to this, is the fact that both Orsino and Olivia have determination. Although Orsino's determination is to try and win Olivia's love and is driven by his own self pity, Olivia is determined that she will mourn her brother for seven years. Feste asks Olivia why she is mourning for her bother if she believes that he is in heaven,
Feste: The more fool, Madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven.
Orsino and Olivia are both similar, as they do not take love seriously. Although Orsino has never met Olivia, he claims that he is in love with her and will do anything to be with her. This is extremely hypocritical as insists on sending Viola to Olivia's court, to try and persuade her to fall in "love" with him. However, it can be argued, that Orsino takes love too seriously as is he being self-indulgent and posing for effect. The passage,
Viola: Make me a willow cabin at your gate...But you should pity me
in Act I, Scene V said to Olivia by Viola is extremely significant to the theme of love within the play and helps signify that Orsino does not take love seriously. This is because he has sent Viola, to Olivia, to try and help win her love for him, when in actual fact her passionate and affectionate words make Olivia fall in love with Viola. However, this is understandable as Viola insists that she would wait outside of Olivia's gate, day and night, proclaiming her love for her, until Olivia took pity on her. With these words, Olivia becomes infatuated with Viola as this kind of dedication contrasts greatly with the way Orsino tries to pursue her love. Instead of doing as Viola insists he remains at home, wallowing in self-pity and complaining of his broken heart. Olivia also does not take love seriously. The first time she meets Viola, she almost immediately becomes intrigued by his intelligence and quick-witted words, such as
Viola: Above my fortunes, yet my state is well; I am a gentleman.
Olivia begins to fall in "love" with Viola after a few pretty speeches. Shakespeare shows the reader, that Olivia has fallen in love with Viola when she sends Malvolio after Viola with a ring that she "left behind". Olivia does this, so that Viola has to return, and she can see her again. Shakespeare suggests that love should not be taken too seriously as it appears to come and go quickly. However, love in both circumstances indicates violence as Olivia describes her love as a “plague” that she suffers from. Orsino describes it as an “appetite” he wishes to satisfy but cannot and he also calls his desires as “cruel hounds”. This desperation briefly results in violence in Act V, Scene I, when Orsino threatens to kill Viola, as he believes that she has used him, to become Olivia’s lover. Shakespeare seems to be mocking the whole concept of romantic love which the audience can see as shallow and pretentious.
At the end of the play only Malvolio, Antonio and Feste do not achieve romantic happiness. Malvolio realizes that he is in fact a fool, and unworthy of Olivia and Feste is the fool; therefore it is unusual for the fools to find love in plays. Also, Shakespeare gives us the impression that Antonio is sexually attracted to Sebastian, which would have been socially unacceptable when Twelfth Night was written, and therefore leaves him loveless. The fact that Orsino threatens to kill Viola, and then marries her in the same scene, and that Olivia marries Sebastian although she believed it was Viola, again indicates the fact that Shakespeare is telling the audience love should not be taken seriously within the play.
A difference between Olivia and Orsino that Shakespeare introduces into the play is the fact that Orsino perceives love as inevitable; it is going to happen. From the moment we are introduced to Orsino, he is unhappy and lovesick. With the words,
Orsino: Give me excess of it that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken and so die.
Shakespeare is trying to indicate to the reader that he perceives love as unwanted and unavoidable. Olivia on the other hand, believes that love is due to fate, "What must be decreed, must be". Although she is not looking for love in the beginning of the play, she falls in love and believes that it is due to fate, and "what will be will be".
Another difference that is significant within the play is the fact that Olivia genuinely believes that she is in love with Viola because of her looks, and her charms. Whereas Orsino only, "loves" Olivia because he feels that he has to show affection and love towards someone. Again it feels as if Shakespeare has created characters who are believing according to expectations but whose motives can be questioned. Many times, Olivia compliments Viola and mentions how much she is attracted to her,
Olivia: Mine eye too great a flatterer for my mind
and
Olivia: O what a deal of scorn looks beautiful in the contempt and anger of his lip!
help show this. Orsino believes that men love more strongly than women. Cesario disagrees and begins to tell Orsino about her imaginary sister, who died for the love of a man. Orsino becomes intrigued and for the only time within the play, is interested in some body else’s life. Viola has a positive effect upon Orsino and makes him a more compassionate character; he does not think about himself for a change. Viola also has this similar effect upon Olivia. Shakespeare uses Viola, the only character from outside Illyria, to help these trapped characters to develop.
Shakespeare presents the ‘aristocratic’ characters, Olivia and Orsino, in the play as self-indulgent people who are too emotionally immature to cope with the qualities that love entails. They both fall “in love” with people, because of their appearances and are both self-indulgent in the fact that Orsino sits at home all day, wallowing in self pity because Olivia does not love him, and Olivia because she decides to withdraw from the world for seven years to mourn her brother. They both deliberately restrict themselves. Both Olivia and Orsino have a choice and remove themselves from society. Olivia criticizes Orsino for love for being in love with her without knowing her, but she does the same with Viola. Orsino and Olivia are supposed to be influential but the comical characters have more effect. Through the middle of the play there is no plot development with Olivia and Orsino – Olivia tries to make Viola love her, and Orsino tries to make Olivia love him, but neither of their attempts are successful. However, Olivia has an effect upon Malvolio in Act III, Scene IV when he wears yellow stockings and cross-gartered. This can be argued that this was due to the comical characters, as Maria wrote Malvolio a letter, designed to trick him into thinking that Olivia was in love with him. Orsino and Olivia are similar in the fact that they are both remote from reality, and this makes them figures of fun. This is ironic, because Feste is called the “Fool” in ‘Twelfth Night’, but Shakespeare presents him as one of the wisest characters in the play. Although Orsino and Olivia are wealthy and powerful in Illyria, they have very little control over their households.
Feste is used by Shakespeare at the end of the play, to bring the audience back to reality and away from the ‘happy ever after’, too perfect ending. Feste sings a song which is very unexpected by the audience. There is a “full circle” in the play, as it opens and ends with music. The fact that the play ends in a song, which is not how people expect it to end, indicates to us that it has no meaning, like the whole of the play. Feste’s song sums up the play. He is saying, that this society of pleasure-seekers, have forgotten the wind and the rain. Feste is recounting a story of growing up to discover the harshness and unkindness of life. The lines
Feste: With hey, ho, the wind and the rain
Feste: For the rain it raineth everyday
is repeated in each verse, and portrays a very pessimistic outlook as humans do not like the wind and the rain. Feste also says that it is all right to play with toys, when we are children and later in life, we may thrive for a little time by swaggering or crime. However, knaves and thieves are soon barred out. The last line is,
Feste: And we’ll strive to please you everyday
This is unexpected, as it does not follow the general pattern from the previous four verses in the song. Feste is coming out of character here, and is telling the audience that the play will always be good, because nothing changes.
