Orsino's Obsession In Twelfth Night

Orsino’s obsession with Olivia starts off the night with music in order to drown out his love for Olivia, which causes the conversation between Curio and Orsino. Curio starts the conversation by trying to distract Orsino by saying, “Will you go hunt, my lord?” (I.I.16). This question leads into a pun by commenting that Orsino would be hunting “the hart”; which is the male deal but could be taken in different meaning to mean heart. That since Orsino has an obsession with Olivia that he should just go out and take her heart since that is what he desires. That pun leads Orsino into a small rant about how great Olivia is: “O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first” (I.I.20). This statement which Orsino says after verifying that yes he is hunting a heart but it is more so his own heart. …show more content…
Back to the statement starting with, “O”; Orsino’s way of bringing up love at first sight, this idea of it only took him to see her once to be sold on her. Orsino then says, “Methought she purged the air of pestilence” (I.I.21); smell is brought into play which is the smell of the world and how simply in first seeing Olivia, Orsino believed that the smell of the world became better. In order for a person to cause the smell in the world to become better he/she must have some power. Thus, in Orsino’s mind Olivia holds power leading into him saying, “That instant was I turned into a hart/ And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds”