William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night explores the theme of love extensively. As displayed by the author, the majority of the characters tangles in love are blind not to see that their feelings and emotions are untrue. As such, some of the characters end up seeing love as a cause of their suffering. They are deceived by their lovers. Some of the forms of love that will be discussed include self-love and true love.
In some instances in the play, some characters display the love that is strong towards their lovers. Viola is an excellent example that brings out the aspect of true love in the play. She pretends to be a man in an attempt to win Orsino’s love. Due to their good pre-existing friendship, switching to marriage was easy. Despite her feeling for Orsino, Viola was forced to jeopardize her love to save the situation.
Consequently, self-love is another primary aspect of the play. Malvolio has an exceptional love for himself. He views himself as a handsome man that most women would die to have. However, he has a limited approach to looking into different situations as an approach to suit his outlook. For example, he flips Olivia’s words as a way of making it seem like she admires his stockings while she despises them.
During the Elizabethan era, a person that was in love was considered a fool. People were not expected to marry for love. The majority of the marriages were arranged. Parents and friends played a critical role in choosing a spouse. It was anticipated that a person would found love in marriage. One of the exemplary matches that turned out to manifest true love was the 7th Baron and Lady Berkeley.
In conclusion, love plays an integral role in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” While Viola’s love for Orsino was regarded as true love, Malvolio displayed self-love. At the time when Shakespeare was writing the play, people did not believe that marriage was bound by love but rather through an arrangement.