Twelfth Night Courtly Love Essay

Lovers in the Court! Sometimes a love works out perfectly but most times, unrequited love runs paramount. Courtly love involves one finding and winning over their true love because at the time, one was married for money not for love. These marriages were often arranged by the parents of the soon to be wed bride and groom. Romantic love is what we think of today as love. Courtly love, the a type of love shown in the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare in Orsino’s actions toward Olivia but Maria and Sir Toby marry for Romantic Love. In Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Orsino practices courtly love towards the prettiest lady in all of Illyria. To begin with, Orsino follows the first law of courtly love; to have every thought devoted

Sir Toby does not follow the rule that one must already be married and Maria follow suit. The lines, “I could marry this wench for this device,” foreshadows Sir Toby’s intentions (II.v.186). This line implies that Sir Toby loves Maria and wants to marry her. Then, Sir Toby starts hinting at a major love affair. The lines, “I would he were, for I am now so far in offense with my niece that I cannot pursue with any safety this sport the upshot. Come by and by to my chamber,” prove this statement (IV.ii.72-75). This means that Sir Toby disproves Olivia’s mourning that he cannot think and then asks Maria to meet him in his bedroom/chamber. After that, Sir Toby says he would forgo a dowry if Maria came up with another prank. Sir Toby states, “And ask no other dowry with her but such / another jest" (II.v.188-189). He states that if Maria came up with another great prank, he would forgo Maria’s money at marriage which shows how much Sir Toby loves

The article, Telling Love: Twelfth Night in Samuel Richardson, Teresia Constantia Phillips, and William Blake, by J. A. Smith shines a light upon this. In the article, Smith discusses the powers of courtly love and it’s effects on the characters. Courtly love, states Smith, holds deep feeling of struggling for what you want. The lines, “When Orsino dismisses the possibility that a woman could feel love for him as painful as that he feels for the aloof and indifferent Olivia,” prove this. The words, “Dismisses the possibility . . .could feel . . . as painful,” (Smith 1) show that Orsino goes through a great struggle with his love affair with Olivia, who blatantly ignores him. Smith continues discussing the deep emotional connection to courtly love with the lines, “replies that she knows “too well what love women to men may owe. / In faith, they are as true of heart as we” (2.4.105–6). Viola then narrates a ‘history,’ apparently of an invented sister, who kept the fact that she was in love a secret,” (Smith 1). These lines show that Viola/Cesario knows what Orsino feels and has sympathy for his feelings. Some readers feel that courtly love just adds some needed drama to spice up the story but Smith makes it clear that courtly love has a much larger purpose than just developing the drama and action in the play. In Smith’s article, he never once mentions that courtly love is drama exclusively so he can focus