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A LEVEL ENGLISH LITERATURE B A* ESSAY 'Twelfth Night celebrates the power of love' SECTION B
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ASPECTS OF COMEDY SECTION B A* ESSAY
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Emma‘Twelfth Night celebrates the power of love. To what extent do you agree?’
In the romantic comedy, Twelfth Night, it is clear that the power of love is celebrated. Although
some forms of love are presented negatively, celebrating the power of love is reinforced by the
joyous endings for the protagonists. Possibly, forms of love viewed as socially unacceptable in
Elizabethan England are condemned in the play, which could make us consider whether Shakespeare
really celebrates the power of love in the play.
Undoubtedly, the power of romantic love is celebrated in Twelfth Night, as the romantic endings for
the protagonist characters highlight the positivity of love. Throughout the play, we witness Orsino’s
desperate attempt at retrieving romantic love from Olivia. In fact, the first line spoken in the
exposition, by Orsino, revolves around love, as he proclaims, ‘If music be the food of love, play on.’
Instantly, this highlights Orsino’s desire for passion but also underlines how powerful love is over
emotions. He expresses how love is ‘sweet’ and like a ‘bank of violets’, which is ironic as it almost
foreshadows to the name of his future wife, ‘Viola’. This implies that love is so powerful that your
romantic ending is determined far in advance, hence it should be celebrated. Despite Orsino being
desperate for Olivia’s love, it is evident this love is unrequited, however when Orsino turns to
Cesario- Viola- we see the beginning of the tangled love interests. Even though Cesario is a man,
Orsino falls in love with his personality, emphasising the power of love. In fact, this love is so
powerful that it causes Orsino, the ‘noble duke’ to expose vulnerability to his servant. Orsino tells
Cesario, ‘I have unclasped thee to the book of my secret soul’ and Shakespeare’s use of a
melodramatic metaphor illustrates the trust Viola and Orsino have in each other from the beginning.
This creates the idea that romantic love has the power to cure misery and form joyful resolutions,
creating the sense all will end well. Perhaps, Shakespeare is suggesting that you are more likely to
endure romantic love if you explore social classes, suggested by Orsino falling in love with his
servant, as traditionally in Elizabethan England you marry within your social class. Moreover,
Shakespeare celebrates the power of love through the romantic relationship between Viola and
Orsino.
However, you could argue that Shakespeare’s use of unrequited love in Twelfth Night is definitely
not a celebration of love. Duke Orsino, who stereotypically should be ‘noble’ brave and responsible,
is shown to be a fool when love causes him to be extremely persistent. His obsession causes Orsino
to become depressed, you could even suggest that he is lazy and unwilling. After multiple rejections,
Orsino turns to Cesario in hopes ‘she will attend better in thy youth’ instantly connoting Orsino’s
insecurity with his appearance. Then, he tells Cesario to ‘unfold the passion of my love’ and ‘leap
civil bounds’. The word ‘leap suggests Orsino is aware of the task difficulty, and claims to care
passionately for Olivia, making the reader question why Orsino isn’t courageous enough to show
Olivia himself, causing him to appear foolish . Here, Shakespeare uses human folly to condemn
unrequited love, as it is powerful enough to overwhelm someone, causing them to act negatively
and abnormally. Unrequited love is also presented to us through the character of Malvolio. Although
solemn Puritan Malvolio and flamboyant Orsino may be opposing characters, they are united with
their foolishness of loving Olivia, showing how unrequited love can make anyone a fool. Sir Toby, Sir
Andrew and Maria trick Malvolio into believing Olivia has written him a love letter at the end of
scene three, in which she requests him to do ridiculous things like wear yellow stockings and ‘smile’.
This physical comedy would have been very funny to an Elizabethan audience, as they dislike
Puritans, so seeing one dressed ridiculously and awkwardly smiling would have allowed them to feel
superior. Obviously, Malvolio’s ridiculous appearance doesn’t attract Olivia, presenting Malvolio to
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