One way that Shakespeare criticizes …show more content…
He depicts homosexual love in Twelfth Night as the strongest and truest love, by comparing it to the fleeting love based on beauty that Orsino feels for Olivia and Olivia feels for Olivia’s brother Sebastian. In doing so, Shakespeare attacks popular beliefs against homosexuality at that time. A paradigm of such love occurs between Antonio, a sailor, and Viola’s brother, Sebastian. Antonio rescued Sebastian from the shipwreck and, while he was nursing him back to good health, fell deeply in love with him. Antonio confesses his love after bravely following Sebastian to Orsino’s court, despite having many enemies there. “I could not stay behind you. My desire, / More sharp than filèd steel, did spur me forth” (III.iii.4-5). Shakespeare displays this homosexual love as a beautiful thing between two likeable characters, and as a result demonstrates his belief that society's negative views of homosexuality are