False Love In Twelfth Night

In the English language, only one word for love exists. This word is broadly and often falsely used. Sometimes, what one thinks is love for another person is actually love for oneself, the love of a concept, or the love of love itself. Through the relationships that Shakespeare forms in Twelfth Night between Olivia, Orsino, and Viola, he displays that the strongest love arises based on the emotional bond between two people and that there are many forms of false love that can be felt.

The story opens with the duke of Illyria, Orsino, lamenting over his love for the countess Olivia. She represents the ideal woman: beautiful, intelligent and, most importantly, in the upper class. Each character recognizes her outer beauty; she is sought after

As Viola works for Orsino under the guise of a boy named Cesario, the two develop the deepest bond between the characters. Orsino is attracted to Cesario from the beginning, although not necessarily in a romantic way. At first, his attraction to Cesario is based on curiosity. Before sending him off to see Olivia for the first time, Orsino says “Diana’s lip is not more smooth and rubious; thy small pipe is as the maiden’s organ, shrill and sound, and all is semblative a woman’s part” (1.4.31-34). Orsino understands that Cesario is very effeminate, even for a young boy, and is drawn to him. He sees Cesario as a way to better deliver his messages of false love to Olivia. Although his first instinct is to use Cesario, realizing how feminine he is plants a seed in Orsino’s mind that grows throughout their time together. As the two grow closer, Orsino begins to realize how valuable Cesario has become. While Cesario appears to be a young man, the two can speak as close friends rather than as a duke and his subordinate. This lets the seed of love grow. Through his natural femininity, Cesario has a pull on Orsino’s heart; however, the duke’s love for Cesario is subconscious. His love for Cesario represents the closest thing to real love in Twelfth Night, as it is based on friendship rather than physical attraction. After Olivia marries Sebastian, confusion ensues. She continues to believe that she married Cesario. When Orsino and Cesario visit her, she alludes to her marriage to ‘Cesario’. This confuses the real Cesario and enrages Orsino. Orsino says, “Why should I not, had I the heart to do it...kill what I love?–a savage jealousy that sometime savors nobly” (5.1.117-19). It is difficult to tell if Orsino is jealous of Olivia or Cesario, as he has shown to be fond of both. As Orsino takes his leave, he asks Cesario to leave with him, suggesting that Cesario has become the object of his