William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that William Shakespeare illustrates in "Twelfth Night" that love is not always joyful but also can cause pain, turmoil and frustration. Orsino, Viola, Malvolio, and Olivia, the author points out, are characters that demonstrate the power and lack of power over love. The paper presents examples from this comedy by which Shakespeare demonstrates the ways that love is complicated and beautiful at the same time.

From the Paper:

"From this opening scene, we become aware of the tone of the play as well as see what the power of love can do. For instance, Orsino loves love. In fact, he may love the idea of love too much. His feelings for Olivia are over the top - so much so that he seems like a raving lunatic. If he were living today, he might stalk her. His intensity, however, is critical because it allows us to see the influence that love, or what we think to be love, can have over us."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Shakespeare, William. Four Great Comedies. Twelfth Night. New York: Signet Books. 1982.

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• Book Review # 116663 : "Twelfth Night"

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