‘My love can give no place, bide no denay.’
It shows that there is no one else for him to love apart from Olivia. Viola is his messenger so she will know how much he wants Olivia to love him.
‘In faith, they are as true of heart as we.’
Viola says this to the duke, Orsino. She is telling him that women can love as much as men. Orsino does not think that women can love as much as men. He says that love for men is strong passions and love for women is just like heartburn.
‘That suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt;’
This shows that he thinks he is the only person in love and the only person that can love. In the end he changes his love to Viola, so the love for Olivia could not have been that strong.
The love that Orsino has for Cesario is platonic love, but the love that Orsino has for Viola is romantic love. Viola accepts his proposal as the love for Olivia ends.
Viola, a generous and friendly person, is one of the main characters in the play. At the start of the play Viola and her twin Sebastian are shipwrecked, this is how they get separated from each other. Viola and Sebastian both think each other is dead. She says he is in Elysium. Since she is without Sebastian, she thinks she will not be able to cope. When she sees Orsino, she falls in love with him.
Viola was saved by the captain, who hides her true identity. Viola disguises herself as a man called ‘Cesario’. Viola’s father knew Orsino and he said he is a very nice man. Viola had not seen Orsino, yet she already had a good opinion of him. When Viola first saw Orsino, she thought he was very good looking. One day when ‘Cesario’ was talking to Orsino, Cesario started to talk about a woman that he liked, but the description was just like Orsino.
‘Of your complexion’
Viola was trying to drop hints to Orsino that she likes him by describing his appearance. The love that Viola has towards Orsino is true romantic love. She probably would have told him how she felt about him, I think, if Orsino did not ask Viola to be his messenger. The message was to go and woo Olivia for him. Viola was not happy one bit about going to do this, but she said she would do it because it will make Orsino happy.
‘Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife’
Viola went to Olivia’s house and explained the situation but she was not interested in him. Viola found it hard to woo Olivia for Orsino because she was in love with him.
‘Yet, a barful strife!’
Viola says this about the love triangle. When Viola was at Olivia’s house the first time, she was trying her hardest to get Olivia to love him. She said she was not going to leave until she had succeeded.
No, good swabber; I am to hull
A little longer.
This shows that she wants Orsino happy so she will stay however long it takes. In one way Viola was glad, as she knows that Orsino can’t be with Olivia, but in another way she was sad because the duke will be too. At the end of Act 1 Scene 3, before she went to see Olivia, she admits her love for Orsino. It shows that she wants him and would like to be his wife. Viola realises that there will never be a relationship between Orsino and Lady Olivia.
‘My lord and master loves you…
With adorations, fertile tears,
With groans that thunder love, with sighs of fire.’
Viola is saying this to Olivia, about Orsino. This shows that Viola is trying to do the best for Orsino and wants to get Olivia to love Orsino the way he loves her. Nothing that Viola was saying was going through Olivia’s head.
On another visit to Olivia’s house Viola tells Olivia that Cesario does not love her the way she wants her to. At the end Viola reveals her true identity. Olivia was shocked when she found out. Viola says that she would prefer to be with a man rather than to be a man.
‘ I am almost sick for one, though I would
not have it grow on my chin.’
It shows that she wants to be in a relationship with a man. The duke and Viola get married, so this is one couple that got together.
‘Orsino’s mistress, and his fancy queen.’
Viola acts very gentle and caring around Orsino to show her love for him. Olivia is another one of the main characters. I have talked about Orsino and Viola; these three characters are linked together as a love triangle forms. The first time Olivia saw Cesario was when ‘he’ was trying to woo her for Orsino. It is not love for Cesario from Olivia, it is just lust. This lust for Cesario made Olivia break her period of mourning.
‘They say, she hath abjured the company
And sight of men.
She has lost her father and brother in one year. Olivia should not have let Cesario in the room because she was in mourning after losing her brother. She said that she was in mourning for seven years and that she was not going to see any men for that long, but she broke her vow. Olivia thinks that Cesario is a fine gentleman and her perfect lover.
‘Methinks I feel this youth’s perfections.’
This shows that she wants Cesario to know how she feels about him. This is the first sign of lust towards Cesario.
‘I cannot love him. Let him send no more,
Unless, perchance, you come to me again,’
Olivia said this to Viola about Orsino. It shows that there is no love between Orsino and Olivia and there never will be. Also it shows that she likes Cesario, and ‘he’ is welcomed at her house. The first time Cesario goes to Olivia’s house, she thought he was a nice gentlemen and Olivia wants him visit her house more often but not for messages from Orsino.
‘The County’s man; he left this ring behind him,
Would I or not; tell him I’ll none of it.
Desire him no flatter with his lord.
Olivia makes up excuses for Cesario to go back to her house, to tell her how Orsino took the news. This is making her look very cunning. She likes everything about Cesario. Olivia, is showing that she has fallen in love. Whenever Cesario is at Olivia’s house Olivia says things that hint she loves Cesario. Olivia seems as though the more she sees Cesario the more she will fall in love with him.
‘How with mine honour may I give him that,
which I have given to you?’
Olivia wants to give Cesario all the love she can, she does not want to give any of her love to Orsino. Cesario thinks that Olivia will be better off loving someone that will love her back.
‘Poor lady, she were better love a dream.’
It shows that she wants Olivia to be happy. She tries to tell Olivia that she does not love her but Olivia does not listen. Olivia thinks that Cesario is hiding his true feelings for her.
‘A murderous guilt shows not itself more soon
Than love that would seem hid.’
When Olivia saw Sebastian she thought it was Cesario. She ends up marrying Sebastian.
‘Cesario, you do not keep promise with me.’
Olivia is not happy when she finds out that Cesario is a woman called Viola. Even though Olivia has married the wrong person she stays with Sebastian. The love for Sebastian from Olivia is love at first sight.
Sebastian, a very nice and kind man, is Viola’s twin brother, and he is on the ship when it gets wrecked. Antonio saves Sebastian; they are very close friends, not in love just pure platonic love. In the play he says that he loves Antonio.
‘But come what may, I do adore thee so.’
Sebastian shows his love for Viola when he thinks she is dead. He is very upset about his sister drowning:
‘She is drowned already, sir, with salt
Water, though I seem to drown her
remembrance again with more.’
It shows that he is caring and really loves his sister. Sebastian goes to Illyria to try to find his sister. Everyone gets baffled between Cesario and Sebastian, even Feste. Olivia shows signs of love to Sebastian, he is confused but loves the attention. Olivia asks him to marry her, he says yes, but thinks one of them must be mad.
‘Ye’t is not madness’
This love from Sebastian to Olivia is love at first sight. Sebastian was very upset when he thought his sister, Viola, was dead but he is happy when he finds out that she is alive.
‘Were you a woman, as the rest goes even,
I should my tears let fall upon your cheek
and say thrice welcome drowned Viola.’
They talk for a long time to make sure that they are really brother and sister. They are so happy that they are back together. This is another happy relationship.
I have written about four characters: Orsino, Viola, Olivia and Sebastian. I wrote about these four characters because they are all linked together and are all in love. The different types of love are love at first sight, platonic love, unrequited love and true or romantic love. I like the different types of love in this play, because it is not just about one type, it varies.
Orsino represents Shakespeare’s view of unrequited love in ‘Twelfth Night’. He shows this type of love by saying how much he loves Olivia throughout the play. Orsino is lovesick over Olivia. Another type of love that Orsino represents is romantic love. He shows this type of love by proposing to Viola.
Viola represents Shakespeare’s view of true romantic love in ‘Twelfth Night’. She shows this type of love when she is willing to give up her own happiness for Orsino.
Olivia represents Shakespeare’s view of lust in ‘Twelfth Night’. She shows this type of love by wanting to see Cesario all the time. Also Olivia represents Shakespeare’s view of love at first sight. She shows this type of love by thinking Sebastian was Cesario and marrying Sebastian.
Sebastian and Antonio represent Shakespeare’s view of platonic love in ‘Twelfth Night’. They show this type of love by risking their own safety to help each other.
