Roles of Love and Music in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Essay Sample

Love and music are deeply connected and play a strong role in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Music seeps into the language, motion, and rhythm of the play. A famous line from this play comes from the character of Duke Orsino, who calls music the food of love. In addition to romantic love, the music in the play is used not only to represent friendship. There is even an example of characters growing deeper in their love for each other due to an initial friendship. I believe music is an inspired approach to emotion. It is one way the audience can relate to characters without using words. Music is something everyone can relate to and understand. 

The first line in Twelfth Night is spoken by the character of Duke Orsino, who states “If music be the food of love, play on./ give me excess of it, that surfeiting,/ The appetite may sicken and so die./ That strain again, it had a dying fall” (I. 1. 1-4). In this scene, Duke Orsino talks about his love for Olivia, yet he has never met her in person. He has only written her letters through the years. He has created a sort of disguise forge by words. Even in the first few words of the play, Duke Orsino sounds like he is not in love with Olivia, but alternatively in love with the idea of love. Perhaps he simply likes the euphoric feeling of being in love. He does not want the music to stop, since the feeling would end. He does not exhibit symptoms of love, but symptoms of desire. Peter A. Scholes, a prolific musician and writer, provides an intriguing perspective on why Duke Orsino loves music so much:

Now prose will no longer satisfy the soul of a man in love. He wants metre, metaphor, music. There are many examples of this in Shakespeare, notably the Duke in "Twelfth Night," who calls for music as "the food of love," and solaces himself with an "old and antique song." By the music thus introduced the dramatist has undeniably succeeded in carrying his audience into the realm of romance he has prepared for them. (Scholes 8)

In contrast to Duke Orsino, who is more free spirited, the Character of Malvolio is more stoic. In Act II Scene 3 of the play, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and the fool meet each other. Sir Toby then asks the fool to sing a love song. After which, he states, “To hear by the nose, it is dulcet in contagion. But shall/ we make the welkin dance indeed? Shall we rouse the/ night owl in a catch that will draw three souls out of/ one weaver? Shall we do that?” (II. 3. 53-56). A catch is a type of song that is sung in a round. Sir Toby wants to fill the night with their singing. They are engaging in their love of their friendship, through their mutual love of music. At this point, Malvolio enters the scene and orders them to stop singing. He claims they are disturbing the peace. This is an evident contrast between Malvolio and Duke Orsino. Duke Orsino enjoys the music and is more easy-going, while Malvolio’s only real goal is to gain respect, authority, and stagnation. Malvolio hides his true emotions to gain respect from others. 

This was clearly a conscious effect to contrast the two characters. The first line of scene four of act two, mirrors the first line from the first scene of act one. While Orsino is with Cesario, he again calls for music. Orsino then tells Curio to fetch the fool, so he can sing for them. Duke Orsino presents Cesario with advice to become a better lover. Orsino says that a true lover must be unrestrained and subject to change. The only thing that must remain constant is the recipient of that love. Love is consequently related to music. Music is constantly changing and harmonizing to maintain the interest of the audience. If the music does not change or does not sound pleasing to the ear, then the audience will reject it. To emphasize this point, the fool says, “Now the melancholy god protect thee, and the tailor/ make thy doublet of changeable taffeta, for thy mind is/ a very opal. I would have men of such constancy put to/ sea, that their business might be everything and their/ intent everywhere, for that’s it that always makes a/ good voyage of nothing. Farewell” (II. 4. 66-71). It seems that the fool is making fun of Duke Orsino without him noticing. I believe the fool is trying to convey the importance of change in a good man. 

In act V scene 1, Duke Orsino and Olivia meet. Duke Orsino thinks he loves Olivia, while Olivia thinks she loves Cesario. Duke Orsino tries speaking to Olivia, but she brushes him off, saying “If it aught to be the old tune, my lord,/ It is as fat and fulsome to mine ear/ as howling after music” (V. 1. 103-105). She is saying that she has heard Orsino sing her praises countless times, that she has become deaf to it. She has been exposed to the point of numbness. Not only that, but she calls it gross and tedious. She says that it is like her ears are ringing due to the repetition. It is also interesting to see how Olivia rejects Duke Orsino’s advances. She does not know him, yet she marries Sebastian, who she thought was Cesario. Cesario, who is actually Viola, is only a stranger she met a few days prior.

Viola is one of the main characters in Twelfth Night. A viola is a musical instrument that was created in the 16th century. I believe the viola is more of a complimentary instrument. Perhaps the name is meant to reveal that the duke leads a good life, while Viola would be able to complement and enhance his good life. Nevertheless, Viola disguises herself and builds a close friendship with Duke Orsino. Throughout the play, Duke Orsino expresses his love for music. He relates music to his emotions and especially his love for Olivia. The duke’s love ends up being a shallow love that never truly reciprocated. Orsino and Cesario’s friendship did grow, so when Viola’s true identity was revealed, the two of them decided to marry. Duke Orsino and Cesario bonded over their mutual enjoyment of music. They became friends before it was revealed that Viola was disguising herself as Cesario the entire time. If Viola had introduced herself as a woman, she might not have had the chance to see the man behind the mask. Duke Orsino would have treated her the same way he treated Olivia, he would have constructed a façade to hide behind. In the case of Olivia and Cesario, it is essentially the reverse. Viola is in a disguise, yet Olivia still falls in love with the fiction Viola created. She rejects one fiction, the duke, for another fiction in the character of Cesario. She even goes on to believe she married Cesario, but in the last scene it is revealed that she married Sebastian instead. 

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night utilizes music in a unique manner. It is not only mentioned through the characters’ language, but aspects of music are intertwined into how the play is written. Shakespeare employed motion and rhythm in Twelfth Night. Once read aloud, certain syllables can be emphasized to give the illusion of motion. It is mentioned in the play how music and song effect the characters’ bodies, souls, and emotions. Not only is music an integral part of this play, but it is integrated into the story in a way that provides a product that is more than the sum of its parts. Music is not solely an integral component of this play, moreover, Shakespeare applied musical theories to compose a product that is more than the sum of its parts.

Works Cited

Scholes, Percy A. “The Purpose Behind Shakespeare's Use of Music.” Proceedings of the Musical Association, vol. 43, 1916, pp. 1–15., doi:10.1093/jrma/43.1.1.

Shakespeare, William, et al. Twelfth Night, Or, What You Will. New York, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2019.