Exploring Love in Twelfth Night In the play "Twelfth Night", Shakespeare explores and illustrates the emotion of love in precise detail. According to “Webster's New World Dictionary,” love is defined as “a strong affection or liking for someone.” Throughout the play, Shakespeare examines three different types of love: true love, self-love, and friendship. “Twelfth Night” consists of many love triangles, however many of the characters who are caught in the web of love are blind to see that their emotions and feelings towards other characters are not true. They are deceived by themselves and/or others around them. There are some instances in the play where the emotion of love is true and the two people involved have a very strong feeling towards each other. Viola's love for Orsino is a great example of true love. Although she pretends to be a man and is practically unknown in Illyria, she hopes to win the Duke's heart. In Act 1, Scene 4, Viola lets out her true feelings for Cesario, "yet an incredible conflict! Whoever I woo, I myself would be his wife (1)." This statement becomes true when Viola reveals her true identity. Viola and Orsino had a great friendship and the transition to husband and wife was easy. Viola was caught up in another true love scenario, only this time she was on the receiving end, and things didn't go so well. During his attempts to woo Olivia over Orsino, Olivia grew to love Cesario. Viola was now in a terrible situation and there was only one way out, but that would jeopardize her chances with Orsino. It's amazing that Olivia could fall in love with a woman dressed as a man, but because Viola knew what women like to hear, her words won Olivia's heart. The next case of true love is on a less intimate and romantic scale and more family oriented. Viola and Sebastian's love for each other is a bond felt by all siblings. During times of grief and mourning over each of their apparent deaths, they still loved each other. They believed deep down that perhaps, somehow or by some miracle, each of them was still alive and well. Many people, even in today's society, love themselves more than anything else. “Twelfth Night” deals with the issue of self-love and how it affects people's lives.