Twelfth Night Essay on Love

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”   This was expressed by William Shakespeare in the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1.1).   Love is a mystery that when discovered and reciprocated can lead to great happiness and joy.   Throughout the play Twelfth Night, relationships expressed between the characters represented love based on false pretense, but for some characters their reasons for love is true.   The definition of true love is that it is a connection; a discovery of one’s self in another, compassion, attraction and caring for their partner physically and emotionally.   The relationships throughout the play cannot be considered normal and express the bizarre and extreme actions caused by love.
      The first relationship depicted in the play was between Duke Orsino and Olivia. Duke Orsino loves Olivia, but the love he feels is only based on physical attraction.   When the Duke orders his servant, Cesario, to head to Olivia’s house to finally declare his love he states:
        O, then unfold the passion of my love,
        Surprise her with discourse of my dear faith:
        It shall become thee well to act my woes;
        She will attend it better in thy youth
        Than in a nuncio’s of more grave aspect. (1.4. 24-28)
Cesario explains and expresses the Duke’s love, he states that the Duke feels passionate and faithful for Olivia, but Olivia will not love, fore she has just lost her brother and must morn for him.   When Duke Orsino discovers that his love towards Olivia is unrequited, he becomes sad and depressed and feels like there is nothing important left in his life:

        Why, so I do, the noblest that I have.
        Oh, when mine eyes did see Olivia first,
        Methought she purged the air of pestilence.
        That instant was I turned into a hart,
        And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,
        E'er since pursue me. (1.1. 18-23)
When explaining his feelings...