Foolishness of Love in Twelfth Night
Love plays a big role in everyone’s life. In most cases, affection is a wonderful thing that unites people together. But on occasion, love can be mad and crazy. Four hundred and fifteen years ago, William Shakespeare wrote the comedic play, Twelfth Night, in which the central theme of love was discussed. Twelfth Night is a comedic play in which humour is seen through the foolishness of love demonstrated by the characters: Olivia, Antonio, and Sebastian.
Olivia, the beautiful and noble lady of Illyria, demonstrates the silliness of love when she marries Sebastian, a man she has just met minutes ago, which results in her own humorous mood swings. It seems normal for Olivia to marry Sebastian when she has mistaken …show more content…
His arrogance and vanity of self-love make him the greatest fool in the story as said by Olivia, his master, “O, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio, and taste with a distempered appetite” (1.5.89-90). Malvolio is only a servant in Olivia’s house but yet, he thinks himself better than others. His vanity causes him the trouble he later finds himself in after his struggle for power with Sir Toby. His self-love also exposes him and makes him the perfect target for Sir Toby and Maria’s joke which is the most entertaining part of the play. Sir Toby and Maria makes fun of Malvolio by faking a love letter from Olivia. The letter directs Malvolio to do everything against Olivia’s taste making himself into a mad man. Only with Malvolio’s folly of self-love makes the humorous scene of the letter of love possible.
Clearly, the humour in Twelfth Night caused by the folly of love which is fully revealed by Olivia, Antonio, and Malvolio. Olivia marries a gentleman she has just met and confuses him with Cesario which causes her own humorous emotional swings. Antonio, despite the dangers he foresees in pursuing Sebastian to Orsino’s court, follows the man which caused chaos and misunderstanding when he takes Cesario for Sebastian. The deeply self-loving Malvolio makes a fool of himself by following the instructions of the joke letter written by Maria. So, what doth thee bethink of love
Love plays a big role in everyone’s life. In most cases, affection is a wonderful thing that unites people together. But on occasion, love can be mad and crazy. Four hundred and fifteen years ago, William Shakespeare wrote the comedic play, Twelfth Night, in which the central theme of love was discussed. Twelfth Night is a comedic play in which humour is seen through the foolishness of love demonstrated by the characters: Olivia, Antonio, and Sebastian.
Olivia, the beautiful and noble lady of Illyria, demonstrates the silliness of love when she marries Sebastian, a man she has just met minutes ago, which results in her own humorous mood swings. It seems normal for Olivia to marry Sebastian when she has mistaken …show more content…
His arrogance and vanity of self-love make him the greatest fool in the story as said by Olivia, his master, “O, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio, and taste with a distempered appetite” (1.5.89-90). Malvolio is only a servant in Olivia’s house but yet, he thinks himself better than others. His vanity causes him the trouble he later finds himself in after his struggle for power with Sir Toby. His self-love also exposes him and makes him the perfect target for Sir Toby and Maria’s joke which is the most entertaining part of the play. Sir Toby and Maria makes fun of Malvolio by faking a love letter from Olivia. The letter directs Malvolio to do everything against Olivia’s taste making himself into a mad man. Only with Malvolio’s folly of self-love makes the humorous scene of the letter of love possible.
Clearly, the humour in Twelfth Night caused by the folly of love which is fully revealed by Olivia, Antonio, and Malvolio. Olivia marries a gentleman she has just met and confuses him with Cesario which causes her own humorous emotional swings. Antonio, despite the dangers he foresees in pursuing Sebastian to Orsino’s court, follows the man which caused chaos and misunderstanding when he takes Cesario for Sebastian. The deeply self-loving Malvolio makes a fool of himself by following the instructions of the joke letter written by Maria. So, what doth thee bethink of love