In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare illustrates love in various forms and suggests that, like beauty, the true meaning of love exists in the eye of the beholder. Love is seen as bordering on madness, a frivolous game of ever-changing affections, and the cause of bizarre behavior. Through the characters of Twelfth Night, Shakespeare explores love as an infatuation, a fabrication of the mind, and a conventional form of love. Each type of loss produces different results, and their consequences are as uncertain as the true meaning of love itself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Some characters are devoted to love, while others are more concerned with the mere concept of it. The play begins with one of these characters, Duke Orsino, who is madly in love with Olivia. After Olivia's repeated refusals, Orsino says he would like to be so full of love that it would destroy his taste forever. He said, "If music be the food of love, then play on. Give me an excess, that the appetite may sicken and die." (1.1.1-3) At this point it seems that his main desire is Olivia, but he goes on to say: "O spirit of love, how keen and fresh you are, who, despite your capacity to receive like the sea , nothing enters into it, whatever its validity and magnitude, but falls into despondency and cheapness even in a minute, fantasy is so full of forms that it alone is highly fantastic. (1.1.9-15) As he speaks these lines, it becomes clear that Orsino's love is not directed toward any particular individual. He is completely drowned in his obsession with love and admires it with great fascination. When Orsino finally realizes that he will never receive Olivia's love, he becomes furious and threatens to sacrifice the "lamb", Viola, but immediately moves on and decides to marry Viola as soon as he learns that “he” is really a woman. Orsino's madness for Olivia disappears as quickly as it appeared, revealing the inconsistent nature of mad love. Orsino considers love to be a higher power, one that nourishes his soul and provides him with sustenance. Orsino's craze has no end; instead, it results in a shift of interest from one love to another and proves that he is truly in love with love itself. While Orsino depicts infatuated love, Malvolio and Olivia portray a love of another kind. Malvolio is a character who lives in his own fantasy world and harbors a love that has no connection with reality. He still dreams of marrying Lady Olivia and believes that she too is in love with him. As he walks through the garden, Malvolio recites: "Having been married to her for three months, sitting in my state..." (2.5.42-43) His vanity and confidence in her love are revealed unsuccessful and reflect love for Olivia. Alto. In Olivia's case, she fell in love with Viola without knowing it. Viola knows that Olivia's love will never come true and says: "Poor lady, she had better love a dream." (2.2.26) Malvolio and Olivia's fabricated loves are only true in their minds, and their feelings are never shared by those they love. Malvolio and Olivia denounce the lie of imaginary love and its failure to flourish. For these two characters, love is what they have created in their minds and their trust lies in their creations. The last type of love is described by Viola, and it is conventional love that is most easily recognized. Viola pretends to be a young man, Cesario, to help Orsino with his love spell, but in the meantime finds herself in love with him..