Question

What does this excerpt from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night reveal about Duke Orsino?

DUKE: 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;
O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet south,
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour.—Enough; no more;
'Tis not so sweet now as it was before.



A) He has developed a dislike for music.
B) He is in love with the idea of love itself.
C) He has lost his appetite for food.
D) He wants sweet flowers in his court.

Answer 1

B

Step-by-step explanation:

The play opens in a room in the duke's palace. His words to Curio are an indication of his believing in love itself. It is unforunate that the love he feels for Olivia is not reciprocal at the moment and he expects that a "surfeiting" or an abundant amount of music can decrease his appetite for love just the way food eliminates feelings of hunger. Love is what can provide that sweetness which he needs to cure his melancholy.

Answer 2

The answer is B) He is in love with the idea of love itself.