In
Europe from the Christian times onwards the tradition of courtly love
developed. This is tradition of idealized love. It held the view that love
between a man and a woman could be purifying and ennobling. It could be
spiritual as well as physical. The concept of courtly love affected the European
literature and Shakespeare’s romantic comedy Twelfth Night had no escape from
this contamination.
The
main plot is a love triangle among Duke Orsino,, Olivia and Viola, later
involving Sebastian. The Duke Orsino is a romantic and highly sentimental
lover. The love games begin with Orsino's opening lines to the play:
“If music be the food
of love, play on; Give me excess of it, that surfeiting, The appetite may
sicken and die” (I.i.1-4).
As
Orsino continues to wax rhetorical and hysterical about being in love, it
rapidly becomes apparent that he is playing a game with himself, which he will
continue throughout the play. He is not in love, but in love with love. Olivia
is unattainable and she has told him so repeatedly. Yet Orsino persists in
making himself suffer, listening to sad love songs, writing to her, staying
awake at night and crying into his pillow because he believes that this is the
way someone in love acts.
Viola
has a real, deep love for the Duke. It is born of the heart and it is silent
and ardent. It is passion not only of the senses but of intellect and the soul.
Viola actually proves that women can have strong romantic love. She falls for
someone she comes to know well, which she can only do because she's disguised
as a man. But she also has better ideas than Orsino on how to woo Olivia, and
only has to promise Olivia to "build
me a willow cabin at your gate".
Moreover,
Olivia's impulsive and reckless love for Caesario' is ironically as misjudged
and misguided as Orsino's love for her. It is “love at first sight.” It is “the
quick flaming which is more of the senses than of the soul.”
Sebastian’s
is natural but not full grown like that of Viola. His is also a love at first
sight, and he does not stop to examine its depth.
As well as the marriages of Olivia and
Sebastian, Orsino and Viola, the play sees the wedding of Sir Toby and Maria,
an odd couple who are nevertheless well suited. Their love seems more
pragmatic: Sir Toby, it is reported, married Maria in "recompense"
for her part in a trick, yet they are great friends throughout the play. Maria
worries from the beginning about Toby's "quaffing and drinking".
In
the sub-plot, Malvolio is led to believe that Olivia, his mistress loves him.
His loves for Olivia arises out of his self-love: it is fantasy, the product of
his vanity and conceit. Here Shakespeare displays the follies of love.
Sir
Andrew’s love is also foolish; he is duped to believe that he is an accomplished
suitor for the hand of Olivia. His love is mercenary – “If I cannot recover your niece, I am a foul way out.”
Both
Olivia and Viola mourn the death of a brother in the play but Viola
demonstrates a more practical approach, taking care of herself. Olivia
over-dramatises her loss and therefore her love. This makes Orsino think Olivia
will be even more passionate when it comes to being a lover; he thinks she will
"pay this debt of love but to a
brother".
The
friendship that Antonio shows to Sebastian is another kind of love in the play.
Despite the fact that Antonio has enemies in Orsino's court, he follows
Sebastian to see if he can help him, which results in his being arrested as a
"notable pirate". This is
the only really strong friendship in the play and serves to highlight the
unusual aspects of Viola and Orsino's 'friendship'.
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