Twelfth Night Research Paper

What is love? This question has troubled every human being’s imagination, including myself. For some it is happiness and joy, for others, it is grief and sadness. Love can be a turning point in many people's lives as it may break their heart or make their day. Love is one of the most complex and confusing emotions that humans possess and can be so easily misunderstood. The play, Twelfth Night, written by William Shakespeare is a great example that shows all fascinating aspects of love, good and bad. Malvolio’s self-love and craving of Olivia's power is the cause of him being the victim of a dirty trick played by Maria and Sir Toby. For Orsino, his affection for Olivia has made him very lethargic and obsessive as he dreams about her constantly

“If music be the food of love, play on. / Give me excess of it that, surfeiting, / The appetite may sicken, and so die” (1.1.1-3). Orsino orders his men to play music so he can be more in love. He wants an excess of it, so he’ll get sick of it and stop loving. “Oh, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, Methought she purged the air of pestilence. That instant was I turned into a hart, And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, E'er since pursue me.” Orsino has already seen Olivia’s face once, and the sight of her has captivated him to such an extent that his romantic imagination persuades him that he will suffer if Olivia doesn’t consent to be his wife. Thus, he tries to convey various messages of love to Olivia through Cesario hoping to convince her about his love and affection. However, the Duke isn’t overly desperate for Olivia’s love as he isn’t ready to accept her excuses and refusals as

Although he is only a steward, he thinks very highly of himself and considers himself to be more powerful than he really is. This egotism leads him to be a victim and an easy prey for Maria and Sir Toby, who are pranking Malvolio by sending him a forged letter written from ‘Olivia’ describing her love for him. Malvolio is desperate to marry Olivia due to the enormous amount of power and wealth she possesses. Maria and Sir Toby are aware of his motives and plan to trick Malvolio into being a fool. “Thus near, that, should she fancy, it should be one of / my complexion. Besides, she uses me with a more / exalted respect than anyone else that follows her. What / should I think on ’t?” (2.5.24-27) “To be Count Malvolio!” (2.5.33) Even before Malvolio finds out about the letter, he is dreaming about all the power he will gain if he marries Olivia. Further into the play, Malvolio is thought of as crazy by others as he is assured that Olivia has a strong fondness for him. Malvolio’s self-love and ultimate egotism have led him to act very foolishly in front of himself and