Twelfth Night - Orsino

How does Orsino contribute to the comedy of "Twelfth Night"?

- Exaggerated Romanticism

- Unrequited Love

- Mistaken Identity and Disguise

- Narcissism and Self-Absorption

How does Orsino's exaggerated romanticism contribute to the comedy of "Twelfth Night"?

- His extreme romanticism and melodramatic nature often come across as humorous.

- His dramatic expressions of unrequited love are exaggerated to the point of parody, highlighting the absurdity of his situation.

How does Orsino's unrequited love contribute to the comedy of "Twelfth Night"?

Orsino's persistent yet hopeless pursuit of Olivia adds to the comedy. His inability to win her affection, despite his noble status and poetic efforts, creates a comedic dynamic.

How does Orsino's lack of awareness of Viola's disguise add to the comedy of "Twelfth Night"?

His interactions with Viola, who is disguised as Cesario, are filled with dramatic irony. The audience knows Cesario is actually Viola, creating humor in Orsino's obliviousness.

How is Orsino's self-love comedic?

Orsino's narcissistic tendencies and self-absorption are played for laughs. His preoccupation with his own feelings and status often makes him appear comically vain.

What is a Petrarchan lover?

A Petrarchan lover is someone whose love is intense but unrequited. Petrarch was a poet who wrote about being madly in love without having that love returned.

How is Orsino presented as a Petrarchan lover?

- Idealized and Unrequited Love

- Excessive Melancholy and Suffering

- Idealization of the Beloved

- Use of Poetic and Hyperbolic Language

How does Orsino idealize the beloved?

Orsino places Olivia on a pedestal, idealizing her beauty and virtues. His descriptions of her are highly exaggerated, portraying her as an almost divine figure.

How does Orsino use poetic and hyperbolic language?

Orsino's speeches are filled with elaborate metaphors and similes, characteristic of Petrarchan poetry. His language is flowery and often overly dramatic. For example, "If music be the food of love, play on" shows his lyrical and metaphorical way of speaking about love.

What did Cash say about Orsino and self-love?

"There is no figure sicker of self-love than Orsino."

How does Orsino present unrequited love and why is this significant to the play?

His love for Olivia is unreciprocated, setting the stage for much of the play's exploration of love and desire. His persistent melancholic longing is a focal point of the early acts.

What does Orsino's character depict about the emotional depth of humanity?

- Orsino's character shows the complexities and folly of love.

- His emotions are intense and fluctuating, reflecting the whimsical and unpredictable nature of love.

How is Orsino a catalyst for the theme of disguise and mistaken identity?

He indirectly causes Viola, disguised as Cesario, to enter his service. This disguise leads to misunderstandings and mistaken identities, fueling the comedy of the play.

How is Orsino a construct of courtly love?

His expressions of love for Olivia embody courtly love. He is eloquent and poetic, often using music and elaborate metaphors to express his feelings

How does Orsino showcase transformation and resolution?

Over the course of the play, he undergoes a transformation in his understanding of love. He shifts his affections from Olivia to Viola, suggesting a more genuine and mutual love.

How does Orsino's idealization and romanticism of love show he does not completely understand love?

- His view of love is highly idealized and romanticized.

- He speaks of love in grand, poetic terms, appearing detached from reality.

- His language is filled with hyperbolic and flowery expressions, showing he is more in love with the idea of love.

Give an example from Act 1, Scene 1 of Orsino's idealization and romanticism of love and explain what it means.

"If music be the food of love, play on" - He wants to be overwhelmed by love and indulge in emotion rather than seek a true connection.

How is Orsino presented as inconsistent and fickle?

He shifts his affections rapidly and seems to be more in love with the pursuit and emotional highs and lows that come with it.

Give an example of Orsino's inconsistency and fickleness.

Orsino tells Cesario about his undying love for Olivia, but by the end of the play, he shifts his affections to Viola once her true identity is revealed.

How is Orsino presented as self-absorbed?

His understanding of love is marked by a level of narcissism. He focuses on his own feelings and experiences rather than those of the person he claims to love, viewing love as something that enhances his own stature and emotional life.

Give an example of Orsino's self-absorption.

In Act 1, Scene 1, Orsino is more consumed by his own feelings of longing and melancholy than by Olivia's actual personality or situation.

How does Orsino's love for Olivia depict a lack of true understanding of love?

He doesn't know Olivia well or make a genuine effort to understand her. His declarations of love are based on her outward appearance and the social prestige of winning her, rather than on a deep emotional connection.

How is Orsino's love for Olivia presented in Act 1, Scene 1?

His infatuation is sparked by Olivia's beauty and the idea of loving her, rather than by any meaningful interaction between them.

Give quotes from Orsino from Act 1, Scene 1. [6 points]

- "If music be the food of love, give me excess of it, that surfeiting the appetite may sicken and so die"

- "Enough, no more, tis not so sweet as it was before"

- "rich golden shaft"

- "methought she purged the air of pestilence"

- "hart"

- "my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, E'er since pursue me"

Give quotes from Act 1, Scene 4 from Orsino. [7 points]

- "I have unclasped to thee the book even of my secret soul"

- "Diana's lip is not more smooth or rubious"

- "Thy small pipe Is as the maiden's organ, shrill and sound"

- "All is semblative a woman's part"

- "unfold the passions of my love, surprise her with discourse of my dear faith"

"thou shall live as freely as thy lord, to call his fortunes thine"

Give quotes from Orsino from Act 2, Scene 4. [5 points]

- "For such I am as all true lovers are."

- "sovereign cruelty"

- "For women are as roses, whose fair flower Being once displayed doth fall that very hour"

- "no woman's heart so big to hold so much - they lack retention. Alas, their love may be called appetite, no motion of the liver."

- "But mine is all as hungry as the sea. And can digest as much"

Give five quotes from Act 5, Scene 1.

- "I'll sacrifice a lamb that I do To spite a raven's heart within a dove"

- "Here comes the countess; now heaven walks on earth"

- "One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons: A natural perspective, that is not"

- "Orsino's mistress and his fancy's queen"

- "As black as Vulcan in the smoke of war [...] Notable pirate, thou salt-water thief What foolish boldness brought thee"