Twelfth Night Compare And Contrast Orsino And Viola Essay

In Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night, Orsino and Viola both endeavor to woo Olivia. However, they express affection for the duchess in vastly different manners. Orsino, on one hand, uses grand declarations of his love for the sweet and virtuous Olivia. Conversely, such speeches then go on to raise Orsino, himself, above his supposed beloved. Viola, on the other hand, often speaks to Olivia in insulting and demeaning ways that, oddly enough, hold an undertone of respect and admiration as well. In Orsino’s and Viola’s attempts to command love through their rhetoric, the audience can observe how love is unpredictable and cannot be manipulated. From the very first scene in the play, Orsino is shown to speak in a very hyperbolic manner that somehow emphasizes himself more than the supposed object of Orsino’s affections. For example, in act one scene one, Orsino laments his unrequited love for the fair Olivia. Orsino narrates, “O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, / Methought she purg’d the air of pestilence!” (1.1.18-19). Orsino uses very exaggerated descriptions of love at first sight to convey how deep he loves Olivia. The duke goes so far as to compare Olivia to some sort of salvation that purified his entire world. Orsino’s description can be taken to mean

Yet, Olivia tolerates Viola and even encourages her to continue. Olivia’s fascination with Viola is also in part to the undertones of respect and admiration that she speaks with. In the same dialogue from lines 113-117 in act one scene 5, the audience can feel a sense of respect when Viola declares , “[her] lord and master loves [Olivia]” (1.5.115). With Viola loving Orsino herself, there is some sense of respect for Olivia, the woman who has what Viola desires the most, that shows in her words. Thus the contrast between Viola’s disparaging words and her respectful undertones intrigue