Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night is a complicated love maze. Duke Orsino is in love
with Countess Olivia but she is not interested. To take his mind off
love, Orsino needs to be entertained, so he says …
If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it, that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken and so die …
When a new young man comes to the palace, Orsino makes
friends with him and asks him to tell Olivia that Orsino loves her …
With adoration, with fertile tears
With groans that thunder love, with sighs of fire.
Although Olivia doesn’t love Orsino, Viola does – but she can’t tell
him because she is disguised as a man. Even worse, Olivia thinks
Viola is a man and has fallen in love with him! What a disaster!
Fortunately Viola’s twin brother comes to town and falls in love
with Olivia at first sight, leaving Orsino to realise that the girl who
loves him most is Viola and that is just who he should marry.
Although the play is a romantic comedy, it ends with a very
thoughtful song about the whole cycle of life and love.
Song - ‘When That I Was’