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Twelfth Night Olivia is one of the dominant characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. She is a wealthy, high-ranking countess, and apparently the most ideal match for the Duke. She is considered to be beautiful by all. Orsino speaks of her appearance as purging “the air of pestilence,” Viola calls her beauty “truly blent, whose red and white Nature’s own sweet and cunning hand laid on.” Similarly to Olivia, melodramatic Orsino is seen to be an emotional character who is ‘sick of self-love.’ Olivia and Orsino are characters of self-indulgent love fancies, introspective, more concerned with the theme of love rather than love itself, and are possessed by the curse of melodrama. In Olivia’s personality, melodrama prevails as a dominant characteristic. This is illustrated when Olivia’s desire to mourn for seven years is announced by Valentine. “She shall not behold her face at ample view; But like a cloistress she will veiled walk, And water once a day her chamber round With eye-offending brine; all this to season A brother’s dead love, which she would keep fresh And lasting, in her sad remembrance” (1.1.27-32) During this time, it is clearly portrayed that Olivia is a ‘woman of extremes.’ As one can see her motivation of melodrama leads her to mourn for seven years.
Approximate Word count = 847
Approximate Pages = 3.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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