How does Act 1, Scene 1 prepare the audience for the love theme of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night"?
HOW DOES ACT 1, SCENE 1 PREPARE THE AUDIENCE FOR THE LOVE THEME OF SHAKESPEARE'S "TWELFTH NIGHT"? Act 1, Scene 1 prepares the audience for the rest of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" by introducing the central theme of love which runs throughout the play. Orsino, Duke of Illyria is immediately established as one of the protagonists, and it is clear that love is all he is willing to think about. Orsino is indulging himself thinking of love, but he is preoccupied with his own reactions, and doesn't take into account those of the object of his affections, Olivia. He has declared his love for Olivia, which sets up the storyline between them. For Orsino it was love at first sight, which he explains through metaphor when one of his Lords, Curio, tries to change the subject to hunting. He explains by saying that when he first saw Olivia he was turned into a hart, and compares his desires for her to fell and cruel hounds that "E'er since pursue me". Shakespeare has taken this idea from the Greek legend of Actaeon. In the legend, Actaeon was out hunting when he came across Diana, God of Hunting, bathing naked in the river. She turned him into a stag, and then his own hounds hunted him down and killed him. Shakespeare has used this idea to show Orsino's sense of self importance by how easily he can imagine himself in the role of Actaeon. Despite claiming to be this deeply in
In the first two scenes, we meet the three main characters, Viola, Orsino, and Olivia. Describe the situations all three are in, and how they face the problems to do with time and love
In the first two scenes, we meet the three main characters, Viola, Orsino, and Olivia. Describe the situations all three are in, and how they face the problems to do with time and love Viola, Orsino and Olivia are involved in a love triangle by the end of scene 5, as a result of the themes of love and time. Orsino is an apparently impatient man over the prospect of love; when Valentine returns from Olivia's house, he questions him about the meeting, "How now? What news from her?", are the first words he says to him, asking for information about the situation with Olivia. His pursuit of Olivia, which he turns around and claims that he is the "hart, / And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, / E'er since pursue me", where he compares himself to the hunter Achaean who was turned into a stag by Diana, and set upon by his own hounds when he looked at her, which is against the world picture. His slip between "hart" and "heart" help to show the dream world in which Orsino lives in. The romanticism of the words he uses shows how besotted, and almost obsessed with Olivia; the synesthesia used by Orsino over the "sweet sound / That breathes upon a bank of violets", which can't really be heard, shows how his "love" affects all his senses, and makes him lose control of them. The comparison of love with food and music is also a kind of synesthesia; "If music be the food of love...Give
Is Orsino the best model of a true lover and which other types of love are represented in "Twelfth Night"?
"For such as I am all true lovers are" Is Orsino the best model of a true lover and which other types of love are represented 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 main types of love: true love, self-love and friendship. Within this essay, I will look at the love used throughout the play, especially the love between Duke Orsino and other characters. "Twelfth Night" consists of many love triangles, however many of the characters that are tangled up in the web of love are blind to see that their emotions and feelings toward other characters are untrue. Themselves and the others around them are deceiving them. There are certain examples in the play where the emotion of love is true, and the two people involved, feel very strongly towards one another. Viola's love for Orsino is a great example of true love. Although she is pretending to be a man and is practically unknown in Illyria, she hopes to win over the Duke's heart. In act one, scene four, Viola let's out her true feelings for Orsino. This is shown by, "yet a barful strife! Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife". This statement is put into reality when Viola reveals her true
What Views Of Love Are Exploited By Shakespeare In Twelfth Night
What Views Of Love Are Exploited By Shakespeare In Twelfth Night Introduction Twelfth Night is a play about misrule where people's roles are turned upside down for a day. In this play there is confusion and misunderstanding and trickery. These are the ingredients for a good comedy. In this essay I will be discussing what views of love there are and how Shakespeare exploits these views. I will also be discussing the effects of these views and how they are portrayed in this play. In this play Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are separated in a storm, which washes them both up at different points on the shores of Illyria. Believing each other to be dead, both attempt to survive by using their wits. Viola cross-dresses and enters the service of the lovesick Orsino, in love with Olivia, an heiress in mourning for the loss of her brother. Orsino's saucy young page Cesario (Viola) soon falls in love with his master. Unfortunately, whilst Viola falls in love with Orsino, Olivia falls in love with her alter ego, Cesario, whilst also being pursued at the same time by her pompous servant Malvolio. Olivia's house is also turned upside down by the antics of her drunken uncle, Sir Toby Belch, and the whole crazy situation reaches boiling point when Sebastian reappears. Orsino's Love Orsino is very romantic and poetic in his love. Orsino only dreams of love and never acts with
Twelfth Night or What You Will
Twelfth Night or What You Will With close reference to the text, explain and discuss the tripartite relationship between Orsino, Olivia and Viola The main theme in "Twelfth Night" is love, the most apparent and complex form of love is between Orsino, Olivia and Viola. Orsino is in love with Olivia, "O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, methought she purged the air of pestilence" Viola falls in love with Orsino, Viola says in a soliloquy "Yet, a barful strife! Whoe've I woo, myself would be his wife". Olivia falls in love with Viola disguised as Cesario, "Even so quickly may one catch the plague? Methinks I feel this youth's perfections. Thus, creating the love triangle between Orsino, Olivia and Viola. There are many different forms of love in "Twelfth Night": Perceived love, real love, self love, friendship and family love. This love triangle is the most complicated love in Twelfth Night, Viola says in act 2, scene 2 "O time, thou must untangle this, not I; it is too hard a knot for me to untie" The most obvious character to evoke perceived love is Orsino, he is in love with love, not a particular person i.e. Olivia. Duke Orsino thinks he loves Olivia, but it soon becomes obvious that he loves her mainly for her beauty, not her mobility or soul; however he gradually falls in love with Viola after her inner qualities appear while she is disguised as Cesario. Orsino's
Love in 'Twelfth Night'.
Shakespeare has presented love in Twelfth Nigh along with his other plays. Love is a major theme in the play, and the plot is based on love. Throughout the course of the novel Shakespeare explores the different types of love. Sure, there is self-love, true love, fake love, unrequited love and many more. There are many love triangles in the play. The main triangle being between Orsino, Olivia and Viola. It goes as such: Orsino loves Olivia, Olivia loves Viola and Viola loves Orsino. SO it goes in a circle with one loving another. However can the love between Orsino and Olivia be true love? Does Orsino really love Olivia for who she is? Many of the characters become involved with love for all the wrong reasons. In the beginning of the play we see Orsino and his desire for love and Olivia. "If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it, that suffeiting, The appetite may sicken and so die. That strain again, it had a dying fall; O it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound that breathes upon a bank of violets, Stealing and giving odour" - 1.i.ln 1 This being the first words of the play by Orsino. From this we see that he is lovesick and very much in love. We can see that he is in love with the 'idea' of love, rather than love itself. He sees love as this perfect and beautiful thing, but talk is all that he does. He just goes on about the idea and doesn't
Discuss the Role of the Fool in Twelfth Night
Discuss the Role of the Fool in Twelfth Night In English Literature, a fool is a person professionally counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others. They are always regarded as comic figures, which provide mediation under tensional circumstances. As Twelfth Night is an atypical romantic comedy, the jester is not the only fool who is subject to foolery, many other characters are subject to foolery by their silly acts as well. There are two types of fool in the play, namely Feste the professional jester who is in fact quite intelligent, and the non-jester fools, who are not fools but act like fools. Since Feste is the only designed fool in the play, the role of Feste will be explored in the following. Feste is more of the comic truth of the comedy. Since Feste is a licensed fool, his main role is to speak the truth. Feste plays the role of a humble jester employed by Olivia's father. "Feste the jester... a fool that the Lady Olivia's father took much pleasure in", Feste is "an allowed fool", meaning he is licensed, privileged critic to speak the truth of the people around him. In Act1 Sc5, Olivia is proved to be a true fool by Feste when she is asked what she was mourning about, there is no point for Olivia to mourn for a person's soul in heaven, "The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven". Feste is a comedic character who is extremely
Viola has a great importance of "Twelfth Night" because she alone helps reveal other main characters' personalities that would've otherwise been hidden
Choose one important character from your extended text. You will write in detail about a character and explain his/her importance in the text. Viola has a great importance of "Twelfth Night" because she alone helps reveal other main characters' personalities that would've otherwise been hidden. Viola who is disguised as Cesario had the greatest effect in revealing Orsino's and Olivia's true natures that were hidden behind their melodramatic and self-involved behaviour. Her strong qualities of being direct, honest and friendly allow her to form close relationships with the both. In just "but three days" in his service, Viola (as Cesario) has already formed a close relationship with Duke Orsino. "I have unclasped to thee the book even of my secret soul", Orsino says to her. He uses this metaphor of being an unclasped book to explain that like an unlocked book he has completely opened up to Viola even into his "secret soul". Before meeting Viola, Orsino appears to be incredibly self-absorbed in his apparent unrequited love for Olivia while he mopes around on "sweet beds of flowers". It is evident that his thoughts were all based around himself and no one else. But as his close emotional bond with Viola develops, Orsino starts to change and reveal that he can be sympathetic and caring about another person. And in that way, his relationship with Viola has taught and changed him
An exploration of the different types of love in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth night”. What does Shakespeare convey about the nature and variety of love in this play?
An exploration of the different types of love in Shakespeare's "Twelfth night". What does Shakespeare convey about the nature and variety of love in this play? Shakespeare explores a great variety of themes in this play, the main one being love and its many different natures. The aim of this essay is to examine the text to discover ways in which Shakespeare portrays love using characterisation and style. Orsino is the first character to speak in "Twelfth night"; his first words are "if music be the food of love play on". The main part of his speech describing his love for Olivia is consists of refined and eloquent language, which seems to be used to impress rather than to express his feelings, he also talks more of love its self than Olivia which makes you doubtful of his sincerity: "O spirit of love, how quick and fresh thou art" "Love thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers" He also thinks himself to be "as all true lovers are" in that the love he feels for Olivia is so intense that it is painful: "And my desires like fell and cruel hounds, E'er since pursue me" He is also portrayed as inconsistent, in the first seven lines of the play he tires of the music, which had been played proclaiming that it, is "not so sweet now as it was before". This also hints at the fact that when he possesses something he will lose interest in it. Orsino is Shakespeare's
Twelfth Night. To what extent do Act 2 scene 5 and Act 3 scene 1 use conventions of tragedy
Martina Betteto To what extent do Act 2 scene 5 and Act 3 scene 1 use conventions of tragedy? According to Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and writer, there are eleven essential aspects of tragedy. Twelfth Night is a typical Shakespearean romantic comedy, however we can find some of these Aristotle aspects in the play. In this essay I’m going to focus on two scenes of two different Acts of Twelfth Night, and both of them have perspectives that could be included in the genre of comedy and tragedy. In Act Two, Scene Five, Maria appears,with the love-letter she has written for the purposes of baiting Malvolio. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and their friend Fabian are present; they hide behind a tree as Malvolio approaches, and Maria places the letter somewhere where he is certain to find it. Malvolio approaches, already muttering nonsense about thinking that Olivia fancies him, and about how things would be if they were married; this angers Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, who want to beat Malvolio for his pretension. Malvolio finally spots the letter, and recognizes the handwriting as Olivia's; he takes the bait completely, believing it to be proof that Olivia really does love him. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew marvel at Maria's plan, and how it has worked, and cannot wait to see Malvolio make an even bigger fool of himself. The mood of this scene is very light hearted and full of