Twelfth Night Essay free essay sample

When Viola first meets Duke Orsino, dressed as Cesario, she is convinced and hopes to win the Duke’s heart over. Viola expresses her true feelings for Orsino the first time she meets him. Viola says â€Å"I’ll do my best/ To woo your lady. [Aside. ] Yet a barful strife! / Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife† (1. 5. 44-46), when she is sent to express Orsino’s love to Olivia. This is the first time where we see Viola taking interest in the Duke. Viola and Orsino also had a good and strong friendship before the truth came out at the end of the book. Switching from friends to husband and wife would have been easy for them even though Viola is now herself, dressed as a girl. The two see each other on a daily basis and are constantly talking which makes their bond closer and closer. Viola is then caught in another true love scenario only this time she is on the receiving end and things didn’t end smoothly. We will write a custom essay sample on Twelfth Night Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She tried to get Olivia for Duke Orsino but as time went on Olivia grew to love Cesario. Cesario was not who he seemed to be though because he was really Viola in disguise. There was only way of getting out of this and this was to tell everyone her secret but if she did it could have put her chances with the Duke in danger. With Viola and Orsino spending mostly everyday together has helped them grow a true bond and this is why their love is so strong and an example is true love not lust. Lennon2 Viola’s respect for Duke Orsino was evident before she even knew she loved him. Viola dressed up as a man to be Duke Orsino’s servant. She did not have to dress up as a man but she chose to and this how she became a servant for the Duke. Viola’s intentions of dressing up as Cesario and working for Duke Orsino were to gain access to Orsino’s palace. With her working for him they grew closer together before her identity got revealed. When Viola first heard of Orsino’s name she already had the respect for him. You can hear that Viola respects Orsino when she says â€Å"Orsino I have heard my father name him. / He was a bachelor then† (1. 2. 29-30). This shows that Viola knows of Duke Orsino and has heard her father speak of him in the past. Viola continues her respect by agreeing to persuading Olivia that Duke Orsino likes her but behind her words you can tell that she has feelings for Orsino and wants to pursue a relationship with him. She confesses that she wants to be the role of his wife when she says â€Å"Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife† (1. 5. 46). Since Viola had previous respect for Orsino this will carry on through their marriage and show that they are true to each other and mean what they say. True love shows between Viola and Duke Orsino when they have a conversation about women and both insert their input and opinions. Orsino shares his views on the nature of women while Viola listens and gives her feedback. Orsino shares to Viola that â€Å"There is no women’s sides/ can bide the beating of so strong a passion/ As love doth give my heart; no women’s heart/ So big, to hold so much; they lack retention/ Alas, their love may be called appetite/ No motion of the liver, but the palate/ That suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt;/ But mine is all as hungry as the sea/ And can digest as much. Make no compare/ Between that love a women can bear me/ Lennon3 And that I owe Olivia† (2. . 103-113). by this Orsino thinks that women’s love is deceiving and empty-hearted. In return Viola defends women and tells him that some women out that like love more than lust. Viola then shares her own interest of love to Duke Orsino. Viola says â€Å"Sooth, but you must/ Say that some lady, as perhaps there is/ Hath for your love as great a pang of heart/ As you have for Olivia. You cannot love her;/ You tell her so. Must she not then be answered† (2. 4. 98-102). Viola is asking Orsino is he would ever love another women as much as he loves Olivia. Orsino claims that there is no stronger love that he had for Olivia. This was important because it lets the audience know that there could possibly be a chance of relationship down the line. Their love becomes true when Cesario reveals herself as Viola to everybody including the one she loves Orsino. Orsino says â€Å"Give me thy hand/ And let me see thee in thy women’s weeds† (5. 1. 285-286). By Orsino taking Viola’s hand in marriage, it causes the love between them to come to an end and for them to continue life and furthering their true love with Viola being herself, dressed as a girl. Although many characters loved each other the only true love was found between Viola and Duke Orsino. Viola spent most of \her days with the Duke and stated early on that she was going to win his heart over and id going to be his wife. Her respect for Orsino and her talks with him helped her achieve this. Throughout Shakespeare’s â€Å"Twelfth Night† there are many love triangles and relationships but the only relationship that shows true love id the relationship between Viola and Duke Orsino. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. Washington. Washington Square Press, 1602.