Peter 12D 22/1/18

English Literature Essay – Twelfth Night

With close reference to both language and action, discuss Shakespeare’s presentation of the Duke and his
court at this point in the play.

In Act 1 Scene 1 of Twelfth Night, the Duke is presented as a whimsical figure who self-indulge in the
feeling of being in love and his court is portrayed as being teemed with music that is reflective of Orsino and
his state of mind at this point in the play. Orsino fails to grasp the concept of love making his attempt to
court Olivia unfruitful; his suffering from being rejected, however, draws him to love Olivia even more.

Shakespeare uses music as an extensive metaphor to display Orsino’s outlook on love. The play begins
with Orsino surrounding himself with courtiers, and musicians who are demanded to “play on” the
“music” he likens to “food of love.” “Food” carries the connotation of being one of the essentials of
life; one could not live without food for more than 21 days. Orsino might be suggesting his mission to
woo and court Olivia is his means of living; without this mission, he simply could not live. His obsession
with his love over Olivia appears justified. “Food” further carries the connotation of luscious and
delicacies when we place it in Greek Mythology. Love here might be suggested to be a substance to
aspire to obtain such as where food of gods (ambrosia) gives one immortality, food of love gives one
everlasting happiness; as someone who has the wealth and the social standing, it is love that he wishes to
possess to make his life more fulfilled. His love for Olivia, therefore, comes into question; does he truly love
Olivia or is Olivia simply a medium in Orsino’s mission to find love. The likening of “music” to “food of
love” here might suggest music is the sustenance of love; “music” literally feeds and nourishes Orsino’s
love for Olivia. Orison attempts to surround himself with airy tunes and flowery lyrics to lift his
mood and incite his sexual desires. As Orsino’s love to Olivia is insincere and just a mission, this is
Orsino’s way to subconsciously convince himself that he’s actually in love with Olivia. Music is
interpreted as pleasant and songlike as Orsino described the music as “sweet sound” that
“breathes upon a bank of violets”. “Sweet” connotes delight while “Violets”, besides when read out
as 3 syllables foreshadow Orsino’s true love to Viola, connotes beauty and charm. The act of
breathing upon the bank of flowers further suggests as music give air that nourishes the flowers,
music similarly gives life that sustains Orsino’s love for Olivia. Alternatively, the music may be
interpreted as having a languid but melancholy melody. Orsino notices that the “strain” of the
music has a “dying fall”; here, the decrescendo in the music suggests the ultimate fate of Orsino’s
attempt to court Olivia: it is doom to fail as he has fallen in love of the feeling of being in love rather
being in love with Olivia at all.

Orsino sees himself as a victim of love: he is struck by Valentine’s “golden shaft” and thus is
irremediably in love with Olivia. As Apollo is tormented as he is stricken by Cupid’s arrow to fall in
love with Daphne who does not love him, Orsino, thus, similarly suffers from love in the same
manner. Although Orsino is the active pursuer who “hunt” for the heart of Olivia, he described
himself as the “hart”, implying he’s actually the prey; he sees himself as being preyed on by
Olivia’s relentless rejection of his love offerings. Associating Orsino with a prey deifies social
convention where it is the male who often takes the initiative in a relationship and thus associated with being
the predator; this arises from the prescribed notion that the women take on a more receptive role. The
defiance here relates to the prevalent gender inversion in Twelfth Night; Shakespeare may be suggesting
gender and love are fluid, and men and women can inversely take on role that is seen as inherently hold by
another. This reference is further significant as it foreshadows the homoerotic relationship Orsino shares
with Caserio which likewise disregard social norms. Furthermore, it is through Orsino that Shakespeare
makes the first indication that the play’s motif is the upset of societal convention, albeit for comedy
rather than commentary; after all, the title Twelfth Night refers to the holiday of Epiphany where
everything is turned upside down. Orsino further likens “desires” that is love to “fell and cruel hounds”;
an element of violence is clearly suggested as hounds are often associated with the act of fox
hunting and the adjective “cruel” signifies the animal’s bestial manner, craving to capture and indulge
its prey. Despite it being an intangible concept, love or rather the lack of love is suggested to have
damaged Orsino emotionally to the point it physically hurt him; the audience clearly sees it as hyperbolic
however this acts to show Orsino’s pretentious perception of love: if one does not show that they are
Peter 12D 22/1/18
physically suffering from love, one is not in love at all. Orsino’s pretentious perception of love is
further seen when we extend the element of violence of the hound to the cliche phrase that is to “fight for
love”; Orsino sees that a romantic union between two individuals requires a fight: for Romeo has
to challenge the rivalry between the two families to be with Juliet, Orsino has to overcome Olivia’s
mourning over her brother to be with her. Orsino has a set of expectation of what love should be;
thus, Olivia’s rejection of his love despite him following what he thinks is expected of him upset him.
Orsino, therefore, is in for a rude awakening as there are no such guidelines of how to love and attain one’s
love.

For Orsino, suffering is an interchangeable concept to love; the curse of being emotionally tormented by
love is embraced by Orsino. Orsino notices the air “steal(s) and giv(es) odour” as it breezes by the
bank of flowers. The flower-scented air gives out alluring aroma that attracts anyone passing by
like love for Olivia has attracted Orsino and consumed him; the air, however, then steals the fragrance
back as love is withdrawn by Olivia to Orsino. Orsino is, thus, left craving and unfulfilled; he suffers from
the act of love. Love is further described by Orsino as having the capacity of “the sea” where “nought
enters”; for those with “validity and pitch” that enters, they “fall(s) into abatement and low price”.
Love here is presented as having the limitless capacity of the vast “sea”, thus, anything that dares
to enter it deem minuscule just as any efforts for Orsino to court Olivia deem fruitless. Orsino further
contends anything you feed love will lose its “price” and value; it is remarkable that despite stating this
Orsino fails to draw the parallel that all the letters, messengers, gifts Orsino sent to Olivia have no
value. Only the force of nature can change the tides of the ocean, thus, only by giving sincere love to Olivia
will Orsino be given love back. As Orsino’s love is unreturned and withdrawn from him, he initially
calls Olivia to give him “excess” of love so his “appetite” of love “may sicken, and so die”. He,
however, rejects the idea in the very next line as he calls the musicians to play the “strain” of
music that is love “again”; Orsino is addicted to the suffering of love. It is the repeated suffering of
love that Orsino has fallen in love thus it is unclear whether Orsino will be content when he actually attains
love and suffering cease to be.

Orsino’s lines bear clear resemblance to a poem: despite being free verse, the lines are similar in
the number of syllables; the two lines of at the end of the scene also have rhyming couplet to suggests
finality. Orsino’s speeches being a poem, a stylistic form of text that utilizes rhythmic qualities as
well as aesthetics, may reflect Orsino’s perception of love: it is pretentious, for show, and lacks
sincerity. Ultimately, through extended metaphors and hyperbolic languages, Orsino is presented as having
extreme romantic sentiments: the sentiment, however, does not arise from his love to Olivia; it is attributed
to his love of being in love.