Orsino – A Man of Love
“Love is life” many would say, and within the play of Twelfth Night resides many forms of this feeling. One of the most unique varieties of this beautiful emotion is Orsino’s. I have seen that his entire role is regarding about love, and the tragic inadequacies of it. However, Twelfth Night would lack its compelling and rich plot without him.
Always attempting and failing at getting Olivia’s heart and soul, Orsino can be called by some as a hopeless romantic. For example, in the beginning of the play, he recited a mesmerizing poem, and saying how lovely love is. This reciting of a poem implied that he dreamed of love like those in fairy tales. Believing in these things are what makes a hopeless romantic. “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.” (1.1.17) In this quote, he was talking about how beautiful and wondrous the woman is, describing her just like a hopeless romantic. The reason why he sounded like a hopeless romantic was because only a hopeless romantic would talk about love so often. This quote from Orsino proves that he talks about love, as if it was the most special thing in the world, and a hopeless romantic thinks exactly the same about love. Another fine example would be near the end, when he was talking about how he was so desperate, that he would kill Cesario, since Olivia loves him. (5.1.114) “I’ll sacrifice the lamb that I do love, To spite a raven’s heart within a dove.”. This confirms how his love is so “tremendous” and “frightening”, and how he is so hopeless at love, he will do anything to get it. This reason is much more horrendous than the first one. Since these evidences in this play support my opinion, I believe that this character fits the definition of a “hopeless romantic”.
Orsino's misery over his perpetual, unrequited love for Olivia drove him into a deep depression.“Methought it did relieve my passion much, More than light airs and recollected terms, Of these most brisk and giddy-paced times”. (2.4.1) This quote was from Orsino, and demonstrated how he is depressed, and wanted to listen to some music to help him forget about his troubles for a short while. The whole purpose of him wanting to hear music was to escape his depression. In conclusion, I believe Orsino is depressed, since he cannot get Olivia’s heart.
However, this kind of depressive thinking comes at a price. He thinks he is so miserable, he pronounces himself as the center of the world, and is cocky by doing so. I believe he expresses this arrogance in a term of love “There is no woman’s sides… and that I owe Olivia”. . (2.4.94) In this paragraph, he is degrading people, particularly women, saying how no woman can feel such intense love as much as men (specifically him). What he said proves that he thinks of himself highly above others. When Orsino was conversing with Cesario about how Olivia was mourning for the death of her brother and father, Orsino was cocky enough to tell Cesario how Olivia will love him and make her forget all of her troubles. “O, she that hath a heart of that fine frame, To pay this debt of love but to a brother, How will she love, when the rich golden shaft, Hath killed the flock of all affections else” (1.1.32) The duke was inferring that he was better than Olivia’s brother and father combined. Therefore, I conclude that Orsino’s love has affected his depressive thinking, making him terribly arrogant.
This earlier quote I will mention also proves how he is an ego-centric person, and how he thinks of himself so highly compared to others. What he said then was a perfect example of him being a hopeless romantic, and a conceited person. “O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou, That, notwithstanding thy capacity, Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there, Of what validity and pitch soe'er, But falls into abatement and low price, Even in a minute.” (1.1.1) In this quote, he described love as if he knew all about it, and acted wise upon the subject. This passage is a paradox, since he implied he knew so much about love, even though he failed to get Olivia’s heart. Since he is contradicting his words from his actions, we can tell he is just arrogant, since a real wise person would be able to say what he does, while an arrogant person boasts about things, even if he doesn’t know too much about the topic. Therefore, because of this form of wisdom he has acquired that was formed from love, his depression has affected his overall attitude, making him arrogant and thinking highly of himself than others.
Being an arrogant person, Orsino is also quite persistent. When Orsino privately talks to Cesario, he requests a favor. “Therefore, good youth, address thy gait unto her; Be not denied access, stand at her doors, And tell them there thy fixed foot shall grow Till thou have audience.” (1.4.12) This extraction of Orsino’s lines indicates that he wanted to make Cesario keep waiting in front of her property until Olivia talks to him. This line shows just how the duke is so determined to have the woman. As a result, I believe that the duke relentlessly perseveres, attempting to get Olivia.
Orsino is a person with multi-dimensional traits of love, which makes anyone intrigued and entertained by his character. Throughout the play, I have seen that his entire role is regarding about love, and the tragic inadequacies of it. His type of affection is truly unique. Full of intense and original emotions, such as depression and love, Orsino has a vital role in Twelfth Night, and cannot be replaced.
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