Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Love and Language

Study Notes

Orsino's View on Love

Opens with the metaphor of music representing love, hinting at its overwhelming and often painful nature.
Orsino equates love with a sickness, suggesting that his feelings are more theatrical than genuine.
The contrast between Orsino's dramatic language and Viola's sincerity highlights the fluctuating nature of love in the play.

Orsino's Elevated Language

His use of elevated and fantastical expressions illuminates his obsession with romantic ideals, underscoring his character's whimsy.
Orsino's soliloquies showcase a contrast between reality and his distorted perception of love, foreshadowing impending chaos.

Sir Andrew and Comedic Subplots

Introduces the comedic element with Sir Andrew's bluntness about food affecting his wit, juxtaposing lofty romantic ideals.
Sir Andrew's musings on skill lack depth compared to the more serious pursuits of love among the main characters, infusing humor into the larger narrative.

Viola's Poetic Expressions

Viola employs a poetic blazon, showcasing her genuine yet complex feelings compared to Orsino’s overwrought rhetoric.
Viola’s ability to express love contrasts with Orsino’s failures, indicating a more authentic emotional depth.

Feste's Wisdom

Feste's cynical view on love solicits humor and reflects the absurdity of romantic pursuits, portraying a lighter perspective amidst chaos.
His remarks capture the essence of foolishness surrounding love, compelling characters and audience to confront the folly in their pursuits.

Orsino’s Fickle Nature

Orsino’s inconsistent feelings reveal him as insincere, culminating in dramatic irony as he professes his love to Viola in disguise.
His ready acceptance of Viola’s true identity underscores the superficiality of his affections and their basis in desire rather than love.

Malvolio’s Ambition and Humiliation

Malvolio's inflated sense of self-worth leads to comedic downfall, revealing how perception and deception intertwine with social status.
His desire for greatness reflects the folly inherent in love, as it distorts reality and self-identity.

Themes of Disguise and Identity

Characters navigate a world of disguise—Viola concealing her true self, Malvolio mistaking ambition for love, and Orsino’s lack of scrutiny in relationships.
Disguise fosters mistaken identities, leading to hilarity and ultimately revealing deeper truths about each character’s desires.

Tears and Mourning

Saltwater symbolism weaves through moments of mourning and love, contrasting genuine grief (Sebastian) against fickle sorrow (Olivia).
The imagery of saltwater suggests deeper emotional currents inherent in love and loss, linking the characters' experiences across the narrative.

Feste as the Omniscient Observer

Feste's observations throughout the play offer a critical lens on the actions of others, marking him as the most insightful character.
His final song encapsulates the cyclical nature of love, offering a reflective commentary on the journeys of the characters, framing the narrative with closure.

Class and Status

Class differences punctuate the interactions among characters, with Malvolio’s rise leading to tension and ultimate humiliation.
The play critiques self-importance due to social standing, suggesting that love transcends class distinctions, ultimately leading to folly.

Love's Illusions

The various characters' pursuits of love highlight its illusory nature, with relationships often based on deceptive appearances rather than truth.
Antonio and Sebastian's relationship diverges from the superficial romances, presenting a nuanced exploration of love and loyalty that contrasts the others.

Description

Explore the themes of love and language in Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'. This quiz delves into Orsino's view on love, contrasting his theatrical expressions with Viola's sincerity, and highlights the comedic elements introduced by characters like Sir Andrew. Test your understanding of the play's complex portrayal of romantic ideals and humor.