The Twelfth Night opens with Orsino talking about his love for Olivia “If music be the food of love, play on” (Act I, line 1). Orsino speaks of his love for Olivia, so right at the beginning of the play, we know what Orsino wants to do. However, when Orsino says, “So full of shapes is fancy that it alone is high fantastical” (Act I scene I.14-15), we begin to wonder if Orsino is really in love with Olivia at all. This comment leads me to believe that Orsino may be more in love with the idea of love in his imagination rather than Olivia herself (as mentioned above).
"For such as I am, all true lovers are, Unsaid and skittish in all motions else, save in the constant image of the creature that is beloved."
The above quote sums up Twelfth Night’s idea of love and this is reiterated throughout the play. Love is presented as a fleeting and fanciful ideal with many of the characters showing this in their actions and speech.
Source = Enotes.com
A good example of the way romantic love is depicted in Twelfth Night is in this scene.
Viola, still disguised as Cesario, has a discussion with Orsino about Orsino’s supposedly undying love for Olivia, and for that matter the nature of love in itself and all of its differences and ‘befuddlement’. Viola listens to Orsino talk of his difficulties to his young, unwise servant; then Viola interrupts Orsino’s ‘melodramatic’ cries for sympathy with secretly concealed meanings of how Cesario has a sister who was in a similar predicament. Cesario’s sister was in love, but hid her feelings to the one whom mattered (In actual fact, it is herself). Orsino, though, shows his selfish characteristics, as he is interested in what Cesario has to say for a few minutes, he quickly turns back his own longings, and this scene ends with Orsino sending Cesario to try and ‘woo’ Olivia for Orsino’s behalf, yet again.
As there are many obvious ironies and love mix-ups in this passage, such as Viola’s act as Cesario, and the love triangle between Olivia, Viola and Orsino, there are many underlying ironies as well. One that I find particularly funny is how Orsino refers subtly to women, overall, as lesser beings then men, and how Viola, who is intelligent, manages to ignore his references to his lack of respect for women and still be ‘in – love’ with Orsino.
There are also many gender confusing relationships, Shakespeare uses this to bring out comedy in Twelfth night.
E.g (Act III, Scene 1,153-157)
By innocence I swear, and by my youth, I have
One heart, one bosom and one truth, And that
No woman has; nor never none shall mistress
Be of it, save I alone. And so adieu, good
Madam.
Here, Viola tells Olivia that she could never love her or any other woman because she only has one love (to Orsino) and she wants to be faithful. But, Olivia is still in love, and requests that Cesario return. Cesario is a man played by a woman and Olivia falls in love with him/her. This is funny because of the dramatic irony, the audience know Cesario is a woman and it is funny to see that Olivia is attracted to a woman. Of course, to add to this gender confusion, in Shakespearian days, women were played by men. Which meant that Men playing as women would have to pretend they were really men but act as if they were women trying to be manly. This sort of gender confusion makes Twelfth Night very amusing.
Overall, Viola learns that in the role of Cesario she had to be quick on her feet, and defend the probing questions and statements about her love (Orsino) and others love for her (Olivia). She also acquired the skill to bide her time, until the time was right. The story ends with marriages of Duke Orsino and Viola, Sir Toby and Maria, and Olivia and Sebastian.
Shakespeare does a great job of explaining the difficult subject of love in Twelfth night.
