Twelfth Night By William Shakespeare

There are many types of love, some people are experiencing true love with their soul mate while the others are undergoing an obsessed love or intimacy with someone else. Although love can be experienced in many forms, but only true love is rewarding. Three types of love are chiefly demonstrated through the characters in The Twelfth Night play by William Shakespeare: Olivia is infatuated with Cesario, Malvolio experiences self-love, whereas Viola and Duke Orsino are truly in love, which is the most rewarding type of love.

Olivia has a passionate love for Cesario which is one-sided and therefore unrewarding. Olivia quickly falls in love with Cesario's handsome appearance without knowing anything about him. After they meet for the first

After Olivia and her court ‘jester’, Festes, banter back and forth, Malvolio comments to Olivia,"'I marvel your ladyship takes delight in such a barren rascal'"(Shakespeare 1.5.75). Malvolio not only uses very disrespectful terms such as "barren rascals" to describe someone else of the same rank, but he also speaks to his mistress with an insulting tone which is very inappropriate. Olivia then remarks at his narcissism,"'Oh, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio'"(Shakespeare 1.5.81). Malvolio is very proud, arrogant, and disdainful. For his pride, Sir Toby and Fabian also comment, "'Here's an overweening rogue. Contemplation makes a rare turkey-cock of him'" (Shakespeare 2.5.25). Malvolio does not know his place and keeps on looking down at other people. He always thinks himself better than the others, but he is not. When he is walking in the garden, he dreams about marrying his mistress Olivia, which again reveals his self-love and overwhelming pride. The result for his self-love could be foreseen and is bad without a doubt: he is forsaken by the others and is tricked by using his pride. After Malvolio discovers that he is tricked, he exclaims,"' They [has] here propertied me, keep me in darkness... asses!—and do all they can to face me out of my wits’"(Shakespeare 5.1.82). But Malvolio is very incorrigible, even after he is tricked, he is still as proud as before. It is demonstrated by him saying,"'I'll be

Once Duke Orsino's servant Valentine exclaims, “‘He hath known you but three days, and already you are no stranger’”(Shakespeare 1.4.1). Duke Orsino sees Viola as his best friend, whenever he wants to confide in someone, he goes to Viola. He says to Viola, “‘Thou know’st no less but all. I have unclasped to thee the book even of my secret soul’”(Shakespeare 1.4.13). Viola and Duke Orsino could tell each other about their inside feelings and have confident, personal conversations together. They also attract by each other’s personalities and has a really close relationship. They know each other well, trust each other, and that is what love is based on. When Duke Orsino is still “in love” with Olivia, she is told to go woo Olivia. She does what is told, but says to herself, “‘I’ll do my best to woo your lady. Yet a barful strife. Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife’” (Shakespeare 1.4.42). Viola’s love for Duke Orsino is deep, she is willing to sacrifice herself to make him happy, and smiles with grief on her own. In comparison, Olivia does not want to sacrifice herself for Cesario, in her case, to let go of her grip and set him free. She cares for her own pleasure more than she cares for her lover’s feeling. Through Viola and Duke Orsino, we see that true love is the most rewarding and gratifying type of love. Both lovers get the best result because the feeling that they have for each other is real and will