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Orsino, the Duke of Illyria, is a highly self-involved character who seems more focused on feeding his own emotions rather than cultivating a genuine romance with someone. He spends almost the entire play pining for Olivia and disregarding the needs of others, two qualities which render it challenging for him to make significant progress toward a relationship with anyone. Rather than actively engaging with the world around him, Orsino remains passive and has servants like Viola/Cesario engage with others on his behalf. Shakespeare captures this narcissistic attitude in the very first lines of the play in order to emphasize how central it is to Orsino’s character. His request for more music, or “the food of love,” to quench his “appetite” reflects a habit of over-indulgence which continues to manifest itself throughout the play in his obsession with Olivia. The fact that Orsino discusses love metaphorically rather than literally in these opening lines also suggests that he is more interested in love as a concept rather than something tangible to pursue.
Although Viola’s arrival in Illyria manages to grab Orsino’s attention, he never undergoes a definitive change of character. He relates to Viola in a more honest way than he ever did with Olivia, yet this relationship does not put an end to his longing. Instead, Orsino seems to develop an infatuation with “Cesario” in addition to his unrequited love for Olivia. In Act I, Scene 4, for example, he describes Viola/Cesario’s lips as “smooth and rubious,” and he is quick to defend Cesario against Antonio’s accusations in Act V, Scene 1. This interest, along with Orsino’s general fickleness, helps explain why he abandons Olivia in favor of marrying Viola in the play’s final moments. Orsino’s lack of genuine emotion ultimately allows the narrative to resolve quickly and neatly. He finds satisfaction in the fact that anyone, man or woman, is willing to satisfy his selfish desire to be in love.
