How Does Orsino Use Metaphors In Twelfth Night

439 Words2 Pages
In Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare, Orsino frequently speaks of his strong love for Olivia. In passage five, Orsino uses metaphors, hyperboles, and similes to explain his love to Viola, claiming that it is too strong of a feeling for a woman to have. This passage is ironic, as Orsino is speaking to Viola, a woman, who is as deeply and passionately in love with Orsino as Orsino is with Olivia.
Orsino begins explaining his love with a metaphor, relating his passionate love to a physical beating, both of which, he claims, women cannot stand. He states, “There is no woman’s sides/ Can bide the beating of so strong a passion” (II.4.103-104), claiming that as women are unable to physically bear a painful beating, they are unable to emotionally