Orsino If music be the food of love, Imagery- olfactory and gustatory

-he is the most play on. imagery(smell and taste). this type of
melancholy character Give me excess of it, that, imagery implies that he is more
that Shakespeare ever surfeiting, interested in indulging in Olivia's
created. His entire The appetite may sicken and physical body
opening speech is so die. Metaphor- Most physicians of
filled with words such Shakespeare's time were strong
as "excess," believers in humoral theory, both love
"surfeiting," "appetite . and grief are compared to illness and
. . sickening," which associated with an imbalance of the
shows his love for humors.
love. Motif-lovesickeness (idea that recurs
-His languid craving for throughout a work of literature)
music is equated by
his languid reclining Thy small pipe Dramatic irony- bc the audience
upon an opulent couch Is as the maiden's organ, knows it is a woman,especially funny
and his requesting shrill and sound, for an Elizabethan audience, since
attention, and then And all is semblative a Viola would have been played by a
suddenly becoming woman's part. young male actor, heightening the
bored by what he has homoerotic tension between the two
just requested. characters
-self-centered Irony- Orsino’s confidence in
-he’s in love with the cesario’s ability to woo Olivia. He is
idea of being in love. too successful with his youth and
-he will go to great femininity that she ends up falling in
lengths for love. love.
-He is very friendly to Olivia has sworn off the presence of
Viola in disguise and men, so Orsino uses the femininity of
indeed he has lots of Cesario (Viola) to his advantage.
traits he can be loved Blazon- A blazon is a poetic mode
for. Duke suddenly where the speaker uses literary
appears capable of the devices like metaphor, simile, and
really deep feelings. It hyperbole to describe his or her
is his feeling of lover's totally hot bod.Orsino also
friendship to Cesario blazons Cesario's features in a
(Viola). manner that feels far from platonic,
-Emotional implying a homoerotic attraction
Vulnerability: Despite
his noble status,
Orsino is not immune Our fancies are more giddy Foreshadows the end of the play
to heartache and and unfirm…Than women’s His claim that no woman could love
emotional turmoil- are. him as fiercely as he loves Olivia is
shows his vulnerability also ironic because, while Orsino's
n makes him relatable love for Olivia is entirely
and human. performative, the love that Viola feels
Growth and for Orsino is entirely genuine. Orsino
Self-Reflection: pauses in his excessive, cliched
Throughout the play, speech to have a truthful moment
Orsino undergoes a with Cesario, but he does not see the
transformation. He irony in it.( that cesario is in fact a
starts off as a lovesick women)
and self-absorbed
character but gradually I’ll sacrifice the lamb that I do Metophar- the lamb represents
gains self-awareness love Cesario, whom Orsino loves and is
and learns to see willing to sacrifice for the sake of his
beyond his own own passions. reveals the intensity of
desires. By the end, he his emotions and his readiness to
recognizes Viola's true make significant sacrifices for the
identity and realizes pursuit of love. It demonstrates his
that his love for Olivia passionate nature and his willingness
was based on shallow to go to extremes to attain what he
infatuation. desires.

Viola(cesario) Thy small pipe There is also a sense of

-strength of character Is as the maiden's organ, freedom that comes for
-quick wit shrill and sound, Viola-as-Cesario. As a man
-resourcefulness And all is semblative a she can walk the court freely
-self-controlled woman's part. and be independent, and she
-all love is depicted as can also have a friendship
shallow love except for viola’s with Orsino as well as be his
love. confidant.

Lady, you are the cruell'st she speaks in the convention of

alive "poetic blazon,"
If you will lead these graces Her speech mimics that of
to the grave Shakespeare's own sonnets,
And leave the world no copy. revealing the poetic and
hyperbolic nature of love and
lust. Viola-as-Cesario
demonstrates a certain level
of mystery and intelligence to
Olivia that Orsino doesn't
possess. She speaks in a
genuine and advanced poetic
way, whereas Orsino is often
cliched.

Make me a willow cabin at Natural imagery- suggests

your gate her love is simple and
truthful.
Political allusion- image of the
willow cabin is meant to
evoke the queen's devotion
to her country.
 This line, paired with Feste's
song, establishes trees as a
symbol of steadfast, eternal
love, which sharply contrasts
with the inconstant love
represented by
flowers(orsino’s flowery
poetry).

And with a green and yellow Green symbolizes

melancholy jealousy(orsino proclaiming
She sat like patience on a his love to olivia). Yellow
monument, symbolizes cowardliness.
Green + Yellow= Blue- the
colour of melancholy and
sadness.
Simile- shows she is suffering
behind a smile when in reality
she is in grief. Shows her
helplessness and bravery as
Cesario.

This fellow's wise enough to Shakespeare suggests in this

play the fool, moment that the disguises we
And to do that well craves a put on, i.e. the wise man as
kind of wit. the fool, or Viola dressed as
Cesario, allow us to have the
freedom to both see and tell
the truth. Viola can also keep
up with feste, unlike olivia

My state is desperate for my Even viola can be desperate

master’s love at times.

Olivia “Take and give back affairs she manages the household
-there are similarities and their dispatch With such a without the support of any
between Queen Elizabeth 1 smooth, discreet, and stable man which is unheard of in
and character of olivia bearing” - sebastian those days
-strong and confident
“He left this ring behind him” She made the first move

“But like a cloistress she Simile

veiled walk, and water once a Metaphor- dead love
day her chamber for a Symbolism- water could
brother’s dead love” represent tears
Maria Peace, you rogue, no more o' -to Feste, who has just
-loyalty to olivia that insulted Sir Toby
-clever -could be referencing her
-sharp tounged woman who affections for Toby; protective
is not afraid of speaking her of his name
mind -could also be protecting her
-mischievous lady's name
-Maria’s anarchic nature
aligns with the spirit of the For Monseiur Malvolio, let me -vocative (pronouns) is
play, which is perhaps why alone with him mocking Malvolio's
Maria succeeds where self-importance
Malvolio—whose arrogance Go shake your ears -introduces the 'yellow
and humorlessness are stocking plot'; plotting is an
Twelfth Night’s reflects theme of role archetypal Shakespearean
antithesis—fails. reversal; mistress of a lady is plot device - not usually
-Maria is always ready to insulting her lady's steward executed by a servant!
make a joke; 'what you will' (i.e. someone of higher social reflects theme of role reversal
attitude of play ranking)

practising behaviour to his mockery of upper classes

own shadow this half hour and their workforce; if there is
nothing for a steward to do,
he shall talk to himself and
daydream - does anyone
work in this world at all?

He is sure possessed, Maria would know the

madam repercussions for someone
possessed; she is being cruel
to both Malvolio (cost him his
life, possibly) and Olivia (her
brother has just died and she
is now the matriarch of her
household - doubt she wants
to be dealing with demonic
possession)
Feste For what says Quinapalus? -Quinapalus is invented
-In spite of being a 'Better a witty fool than a scholar
professional fool, Feste often foolish wit'. -Feste is mocking those who
seems the wisest character in quote people to boast
the play. intelligence
-almost omniscient role in the -He may not have the social
play- revealing the status of the other characters,
foolishness of those arnd but he is witty and self-aware,
him. and he sees their follies. Only
-represent the spirit of Twelfth Viola is able to match him
Night festivities intellectually.
- feste serves as the
audience’s representative in Cucullus non facitmonachum This is an Early Modern
the play. equivalent to the phrase
-Olivia constantly asks him ‘don’t judge a book by its
opinion. cover’. Feste is saying that
just because he is employed
as a fool it does not mean
that he is stupid.

The more fool, madonna, to Eg of feste’s awareness.

mourn for your brother’s soul -He sees the foolishness of
being in heaven. Olivia’s stubborn mourning
for her brother when, it can
“ the tailor make thy doublet be argued, he is in a better
of changeable taffeta, for thy place.
mind is a very opal.” “Madonna”- his tone is
playful, almost too bold for his
Act 2 scene 3- “His eyes do social position
show his days are almost
done.” Even while he clowns around
sir toby, he also provides
some shrewd commentary
about Toby's excessive and
dangerous behavior.
This awareness seems to
place Feste both inside and
outside the play. He's very
much a part of Twelfth Night's
rowdy activity, but he's also
able to stand outside the
world of Illyria, looking in. In
this way, Feste seems to
break down the barrier
between the audience and
the characters on stage.

“Youth’s a stuff will not Although Feste’s dialogue is

endure.” peppered throughout with wit,
 there is a melancholy tone to
much of it. His songs
repeatedly refer to winter,
ageing and death. This may
reflect his role as an outsider;
although the denouement of
the play has an impact on
every other character, he is
untouched by it. His life will
not change.

make him believe thou art Sir He also has a dramatic role,
Topas when He not only participates
in the scheme to humiliate
the unpopular steward,
Malvolio, but takes a leading
part in tormenting him. In that
sense Feste is quite cruel,
and even though we may
think Malvolio deserves what
he gets, Feste perhaps lays it
on too much.

-'topaz' is a rock with a

tendency to fracture easily -
implication that Feste's
disguise isn't a very good
one, indeed his supposed
priest's opinion of Pythagoras
was false
-topaz is also a rock that
cured lunacy, according to
English superstition - would
Malvolio make this
connection?

Malvolio (meaning-ill will) Maria says that "sometimes

-he is presented as the real he is a kind of puritan"
fool as he falls for their tricks
-Modern audiences often find He emphasises the
Malvolio to be a sympathetic importance of dignity,
figure. decency, decorum and good
-fun-spoiling, pompous(think order – yet he abandons such
they’re better than others), values when he thinks that
humorless man the Lady of the house, Olivia,
-social climbing attitude is interested in him
-malvolio and feste and romantically.
juxtaposed
 practising behaviour to his Narcissistic
own shadow this half hour
disguising himself to not care
at all in other times but when
alone, dreams of climbing the
social ladder

“must be caught with tickling’ 'must' modal verb suggests

the only way to fool Malvolio
is to entrance him with
unrealistic ideas of his future,
revealing Malvolio's character
to be easily gullible (?)

Lo, how hollow the fiend -dramatic irony

speaks within him -'fiend' is synonymous with
'devil' - he has been
demonised by Maria and
Toby; they are the fiends here
-continuation of mockery,
even after they have had their
main chuckle

Sebastian “Take and give back affairs He notices all the details of
-major character in the play and their dispatch With such a how rich and amazing she
who never engages in smooth, discreet, and stable is,and marries only for her
deception. bearing” looks. Also this is the main
-The constant powerful love difference between viola and
he shows while grieving and her brother personality vise,
when reunited with Viola as she is suppressing her
contrasts Orsino's and feelings and searching for
Olivia's relatively frivolous him. He just stopped the
emotions search for marriage.

- Sebastian remains true to his

own identity throughout the
play. This can be interpreted
as a reflection of his more
spontaneous and honest
nature.contrasts with Viola's
more complex and strategic
approach.
language
Love is in blank verse
The use of prose and verse reflects the mischievous upturning of social identities and
hierarchies in Twelfth Night
Verse- upper class
Prose- lower class/servents
*when viola dresses up as cesario she speaks both verse and prose
Eg; she speaks prose while Olivia’s servant, Maria, is in the room. Once Maria exits, Cesario
switches to verse to praise Olivia’s beaut

-the interchange of prose and verse complement the mischievous style of Twelfth Night.

Symbols
Flowers- “For women are as roses” orsino uses flower for inconstant love
Trees-