Twelfth Night Olivia Quotes

I left no ring with her. What means this lady?
Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her!
She made good view of me.

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 2. Viola as Cesario, meditating on the meaning of the ring and realizing that her male disguise is causing some gender troubles for her. Olivia uses Malvolio in a trick to get Cesario to return to talk with her another day. She sends Malvolio to return Cesario’s ring. Olivia is lying about the ring, but she has fallen in love with Cesario. This passage foreshadows Olivia’s love with Sebastian, Viola’s twin brother.

There is no woman’s sides
Can bide the beating of so strong a passion
As love doth give my heart; no woman’s heart
So big, to hold so much. They lack retention.
Alas, their love may be called appetite,
No motion of the liver, but the palate,
That suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt.
But mine is all as hungry as the sea,
And can digest as much. Make no compare
Between that love a woman can bear me
And that I owe Olivia.

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 4. Orsino claims that a woman’s love cannot be anywhere near as strong as a man’s love. Women are not capable of “passion,” he says. He even implies that women are physically incapable of a man’s strong love, their hearts aren’t big enough. He goes on to dismiss woman’s love as superficial, an “appetite” felt only in the “palate.” While his love is constant. If only Orsino could hear how ridiculous he sounds, we can only put it down to the madness sparked by his obsession for Olivia.

Daylight and champaign discovers not more. This is open. I will be proud, I will read politic authors, I will baffle Sir Toby, I will wash off gross acquaintance, I will be point-device the very man. I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade me; for every reason excites to this, that my lady loves me. She did commend my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my leg, being cross-gartered, and in this she manifests herself to my love, and with a kind of injunction drives to these habits of her liking. I thank my stars, I am happy.

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 5. A puffed-up Malvolio, having read the fake love letter from his employer Olivia, seems to lose his puritanical reserve and throw caution to the wind to further his ambition. Which is to rise in the world from servant to nobleman and rid himself of lower-class acquaintances. He is convinced that he is not fooling himself that Olivia loves him! Oh it’s definitely love, but love of self, for the only one that loves Malvolvio is Malvolio. So much so that he cannot separate appearance from reality.

What relish is in this? How runs the stream?
Or I am mad, or else this is a dream.
Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep;
If it be thus to dream, still let me sleep!

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 4, Scene 1. Sebastian wonders if he is mad or dreaming, because the beautiful Olivia whom he has never seen before is in love with him. He doesn’t realize she has mistaken him for Cesario – his sister disguised. Oh what a tangled gender web Shakespeare weaves, where not everybody is who they appear to be.

This is the air; that is the glorious sun.
This pearl she gave me, I do feel ‘t and see ‘t.
And though ’tis wonder that enwraps me thus,
Yet ’tis not madness. Where’s Antonio, then?
I could not find him at the Elephant.
Yet there he was; and there I found this credit,
That he did range the town to seek me out.
His counsel now might do me golden service.

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 4, Scene 3. In Sebastian’s monologue, he tries to make sense of Olivia’s love for him. He treasures his new found love as a pearl and assures himself that he is not mad. But he wishes Antonio was around to give him some golden advice about his new girlfriend.

Blame not this haste of mine. If you mean well,
Now go with me and with this holy man
Into the chantry by. There, before him
And underneath that consecrated roof,
Plight me the full assurance of your faith
That my most jealous and too doubtful soul
May live at peace.

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 4, Scene 3. Olivia doesn’t let the grass grow under her feet when she wants to wed her man. Stepping into the traditionally male role she appears with a priest and promptly proposes marriage to Sebastian – mistaking him for Cesario (Viola). Appearances can be deceptive, especially in this play!
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