Orsino: Act II. 4 (around line 37)
"Then let thy love be younger than thyself,
Or thy affection cannot hold that bent;
For women are as roses, who fair flow'r,
Being once displayed, doth fall that very hour."
Here Orsino is discussing women with Cesareo or Viola.
Viola tells Orsino that she is in love with a woman of his age (when it's actually Orsino). Immediately Orsino's reaction is that she is too old for him. He then states that women are like flowers, more specifically Roses. They are beautiful for a short time, but eventually their age and become ugly. Orsino is basically being a shallow jerk- saying you have to marry women while they’re young, while they are still beautiful.
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I think this is a unique quote because it is extremely pertinent to live outside the novel. The way that men and women speak in code is the only way that people can see or get a glimpse of who they really are. Also it shows the blindness of love as people are so willing to forgive the subtle indiscretions of the people they love. Viola does both these things.
ReplyDeletecont'd ...
ReplyDeleteThis is only apparent due to the analysis of the quote which Megan created.
I like this analysis. It's a good overview of the quote. I don't know if you know this or not, but you could include that Shakespeare is sort of obsessed with aging. He mentions it in a lot of this sonnets. You could add that it is a common theme in much of his writing.
ReplyDeleteThere are some spelling and grammar mistakes that you can fix too. "there" should be they're, and etc.
I think you need to expand on the quote a little bit... Women's looks aren't the only reason Orsino is telling Viola to marry yonger. I think another reason Orsino tells Viola to marry younger is because he doesn't think a marriage will last if a woman isn't young probably because women are still developing and they can easily adapt to the changes of marriage and having a husband.
ReplyDeleteTrue enough -- Orsino urges Viola to choose carefully. What is he commenting about beauty or the brevity of life?
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