What is the quote if music be the food of love?

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.

Is If music be the food of love a metaphor?

In the opening scene of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Orsino, the Duke of Illyria, having been repeatedly rejected by the Countess Olivia, invokes a musical metaphor to describe his lovesick heart: If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die.

Why is music the food of love?

It was believed that music was a tangible force that had the power to magnify and enhance your emotions: it was quite literally “food for the soul”. Love was seen as the emotion most susceptible to this, making music the “food of love”.

What does the Duke mean when 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?

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” (1.1 3-5) to compare his love for Olivia to his love of music. Orsino wants the “excess of it”, so that he can become bored of music and therefore his love for Olivia.

Why does Orsino call music the food of love?

Duke Orsino is suffering, and he is hoping that the music will end his suffering. Duke Orsino is in love, but his love is unrequited. This is why he tells the musician to play on, because music is the “food of love,” as they say, and if you eat too much, you will no longer have an appetite for it.

Is Malvolio a servant?

Malvolio is the steward (head servant) to Lady Olivia.

Who said let music be the food of love?

The first line of the play Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare. The speaker is asking for music because he is frustrated in courtship; he wants an overabundance of love so that he may lose his appetite for it.

What is the meaning Surfeiting?

surfeit \SER-fut\ noun. 1 : an overabundant supply : excess. 2 : an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something (such as food or drink) 3 : disgust caused by excess.

How are Olivia and Viola difference?

The main difference is that Olivia is portrayed as living at home, enjoying wealth and position under her own identity, while Viola has been shipwrecked and is disguised as a boy and employed as a page. Olivia’s brother is actually dead, but Sebastian, Viola’s twin brother, lives, and is frequently mistaken for Viola.

What is the main message of Twelfth Night?

The main theme of Twelfth Night is that of a romantic comedy revolved around love where some characters find love but at the same time it also depicts pain to some due to disguise and betrayal by fellow humans.

What does the quote If music be the food of love play on mean?

(ACT 1, Scene 1) The famous twelfth night quote “If music be the food of love, play on” is spoken by Orsino in ACT 1, Scene 1. Orsino is lovesick and asks his servants and musicians to continue playing music, if music is food of love and give him excess of that, so that his longing for love may die.

What did Duke Orsino say in if music be the food of Love?

If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die. Duke Orsino of Illyria, presiding over the merry, mixed-up world of Twelfth Night, opens the play with these festive sentiments, soured though they be by the affected airs of the melancholic lover.

Who is young in if music be the food of Love?

He is obviously very young because he expresses an adolescent emotion in a sighing, yearning way more fitting for a teenager than a man, and because his passion is wasted on a woman who he knows is not interested in him. The play opens with him sitting in his garden, surrounded by friends and servants, listening to a musical ensemble.

Who is Viola in if music be food of Love?

As is usual in Shakespeare, he mixes all that with an exploration of friendship. It’s quite complicated. The same Orsino employs Viola, who has disguised herself as a young man, as a servant and sends her to woo Olivia on his behalf.