twelfth night quotes with paragraphs

food of love

“If music be the food of love, play on;/ give me excess of it”

Semantic field of excess which implies that he wants to overindulge in the experience of love, which in relation to it being compared to “food”, illustrates that he is consumed by his desire for it to the extent that he feels sick and how he wants for the pain associated with it to end.

hounds

“my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, e’re since pursue me”

Orsino conveys that his pursuit for Olivia’s heart feels as though this love is hunting him “like fell and cruel hounds”, which is a painful situation for him. His unrequited love for Olivia is causing him great hardship and makes him feel trapped within this bestial chase.

Olivia’s grief

“cloistress” - Valentine

She is characterised as a “cloistress””, which is a nun who is secluded from the rest of the world, because her love for her family is unable to be reciprocated by them and she therefore doesn’t have much freedom.

Valentine can see Olivia’s state of grieving but Orsino is unable to see past the intial and tainted impression that he has of her.

willow cabin monologue

“make me a willow cabin at your gate”

Viola’s “make me a willow cabin at your gate” monologue depicts Viola’s love for Orsino, and in doing so presents how excessive love doesnt always have to be a confining experience. She displays her love in a simple and less performative fashion, in which she isn’t overindulge and consequently, her connection is more authentic and isn’t based on lust, like Orsino’s love for Olivia. Although it is still painful for her to have this yearning love, it doesn’t cause her to shut down like Orsino or Olivia, but rather lights her up and makes her passion genuine.

Malvolio self-love

“sick of self-love, Malvolio” - Olivia

Malvolio is characterised as “sick of self-love,” which positions his obsession with himself as a flaw that alters his perception of others and the world around him . Rather than being confined by suffering, Malvolio’s self-love gives him false confidence and ambition because he sees what he wants to see, making him believe that the letter is a true love confession from Olivia. However, it narrows his vision and makes him an easy target for deception.

Malvolio’s trickery

“I know my physic will work with him”

When Maria states that her “physic will work with him”, she metaphorically describes her scheme on Malvolio as like a drug, where she only has to plant the seed while Malvolio’s self-love will imagine the rest. This implies that his interpretation of events is not grounded in reality, but rather in the world that his vanity has constructed.

greatness

“some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them” - Malvolio reading from ‘Olivia’s’ letter

Malvolio internalises the phrase from the prank letter that “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em” because his self-love makes him believe that it applies to him. The word “thrust” implores bawdy humour with the double entendre of social advancement but also a sexual undertone. This implies that Malvolio is imagining his romantic future with Olivia and how it will allow him to climb the social hierarchy. However, this is not actually possible for someone of his social status within the strict class boundaries of the time.

Malvolio’s revenge

“I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you”

Malvolio’s downfall is made clear in his bitter declaration, “I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you.” The use of the collective noun “pack” frames the other characters as a predatory group, but it also reveals how society as a whole turns against those who overstep their social position. Malvolio’s humiliation warns about the dangers of allowing personal desire to surpass established social roles.

marriages

The marriages between Orsino and Viola, and Olivia and Sebastian, restore social order by reinforcing heteronormative, class-appropriate unions

Viola + Orsino

“Orsino’s mistress and his fancy’s queen”

Even Viola, who disrupts gender expectations through her disguise, is ultimately returns into a traditional female role as “Orsino’s mistress and his fancy’s queen”. This possessive language reinforces the reassertion of a patriarchal society, reducing Viola’s identity to roles defined by her relationship to Orsino and positioning her safely within the expected social boundaries of the time.

However, Shakespeare implies that the homosocial bond between Orsino and Viola, when she was disguised as Cesario, was the very foundation of their newly romantic relationship because she never ends up changing out of her masculine costume on stage.

Feste’s final song

In Feste’s melancholic final song where he sings about “the rain it raineth every day”, it reflects on the consequences of pursuing desires without considering social limitations, suggesting that suffering inevitably follows those who, like Malvolio, allow their ambitions and affections to defy the rules of their world.

Feste, wit v fool

“better a witty fool than a foolish wit” - Feste

Feste states that its “better a “better a witty fool than a foolish wit” which uses bawdy humour through a double entendre, as “wit” in the Elizabethan era meant both intelligence and male genitals. Through this, he cheekily suggests it’s better to be a fool who can use either interpretation wisely than a supposed wise person who misuses them. The line subtly critiques characters like Orsino and Malvolio, whose unchecked desire or arrogance makes them foolish. In doing so, Feste highlights that self-awareness matters more than social status or cleverness.

opal

“opal” - Feste about Orsino’s love for Olivia

When Feste metaphorically compares Orsino’s love for Olivia to an “opal”, he highlights the Duke’s emotional inconsistency. An opal is a gemstone known for changing colour in different lights, which mirrors how Orsino’s feelings for Olivia shifts and lacks genuine depth. Through this image, Feste exposes Orsino’s fickle and performative love, suggesting it is driven more by mood and ego than true affection.

corrupter feste

“I am indeed her fool but not her corrupter of words”
When Feste claims he is “indeed [Olivia’s] fool but not her corrupter of words”, he depicts himself to be a fool in title, but not someone who twists or manipulates words. However, through a bawdy double entendre, “corrupting words” can also mean turning innocent language into cheeky, suggestive jokes, which is exactly what Feste does throughout the play. This highlights that while he may be labelled a fool, he’s actually the wittiest and most perceptive character on stage.