In this essay on twelfth night I will refer closely to the text and show the love and pain that Orsino, Olivia and viola experience. In act 1 scene 1 Orsino shows an obsession for Olivia and himself. He cant get enough of love, he says “If music be the food of love, play on” and “give me excess of it” and out of no where he commands” Enough no more “tis not as sweet as it was before” Orsino compares his love to the sea; he thinks that his love is so great it rivals the vastness of the sea and only Olivia has the capacity to fill his needs.
In act 2 scene 4 Orsino is still obsessed over himself and Olivia; he craves love and compassion. Orsino uses the song for self indulgence as he takes pleasure from a song that is sad and seems to be about death “not a flower, not a flower sweet, on my black coffin let there be strown”. Orsino is persistent in making Olivia love him. He sends Cesario to see Olivia to tell her that he loves her for her beauty not her money. This shows that Orsino must love Olivia but at the same time he wants to be loved back.
Orsino thinks that women cannot love like men, they cannot feel the same passion of love, orsino says “no women’s sides can bide the beating of strong passion” and that “no women’s heart so big to hold so much” Orsino implies that women lack the ability to feel the passion of true love. In act 5 scene 1 Orsino has one last attempt and asks Olivia to be his only love but she still rejects him “My lord it is as fat and fulsome to mine ear” And Orsino replies “still so cruel” Olivia must be fed up of telling him “no” so she is not as polite as before.
Orsino gets the idea and he too stops being as polite “what to preferences? You uncivil lady”. Orsino gives the impression that if he can’t have Olivia no one can, as seen when Orsino says “my thoughts are ripe in mischief. I’ll sacrifice the lamb that I do love” Orsino just doesn’t want Olivia to be happy with someone else. He could of at least have tried to understand that she doesn’t love him and left her alone.
In act 1 scene 2 Viola is in despair because of her brother’s death, but the captain thinks that her brother could still be alive “I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves” said the captain. This makes Viola anxious, just not knowing if her brother is alive or dead and this adds to the stress of being stranded on a foreign island In act 1 scene 5 Viola goes to talk with Olivia to find out who Olivia is. She is disguised as Cesario and Olivia covers her face. This shows that both of them want their identity to be unknown by the other.
When Viola gets Olivia to take off her veil she accuses her of keeping her beauty to herself by not marrying and having children. Viola delivers the willow speech Olivia falls in love with Cesario. She says “I cannot love him, let him send no more – unless you come to me again” After Cesario has left Olivia thinks Cesario and herself are one its as if he was reading her mind and seeing what her emotions are, as shown when Olivia says “I’ll be sworn thou art; thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions and spirit”.
In act 2 scene 4, Viola gives her statement of love “it gives a very echo to the seat were love is throned”. She thinks it makes her heart echo and her heart is where her love is. She could be saying that Orsino makes her heart echoes deeply reflecting where love is seated. In act 3 scene 1 Olivia feels venerable because she believed that viola was a man and then viola says “then you think right: I am not what I am” this makes Olivia feel venerable because she trusted viola and viola betrayed her
