Discussion Topic

The significance of "If music be the food of love, play on" in Twelfth Night

Summary:

The quote "If music be the food of love, play on" in Twelfth Night signifies Duke Orsino's deep infatuation with love itself. It reflects his desire to indulge in music to fuel his romantic feelings, hoping it will either satisfy or cure his obsession. This line sets the tone for the play's exploration of love and its complexities.

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What does the quote "If music be the food of love, play on..." mean in Twelfth Night?

DUKE ORSINO
    If music be the food of love, play on;
    Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
    The appetite may sicken, and so die. (I.i)

Some background and a couple of definitions will help you understand this quotation. Duke Orsino is in love with--or infatuated with--Olivia, but she is not interested in him partly because her brother has recently died and she has sworn to undertake two years of mourning. Orsino finds himself distracted to the point of emotional suffering by Olivia's cold reception of his attestations of love. In a languor of melancholy, he is listening to sad songs played by his musicians. When you think of this, perhaps thinking of these rock-n-roll lyrics might help your understanding:

Turn on those sad songs
When all hope is gone
Sad songs say so much [...]
Just feel their gentle touch
When all hope is gone [...]
Sad songs, they say
Sad songs, they say so much
(Elton John, "Sad Songs (Say So Much)") 

American Heritage Dictionary Definitions

  • surfeiting: excess of indulgence to the point of satiety or to the point of disgust; excess to overindulge
  • satiety: the condition of being full or gratified beyond the point of satisfaction; surfeit.

The first part of this quotation is a complex metaphor: "if music be the food of love." Love is compared to the body that needs food to stay alive and to grow. Music is compared to food. Both are combined in the hypothetical first conditional: [paraphrase] if music keeps love alive and makes it grow the way food keeps bodies alive and makes them grow,....

The second part of the quotation grows out of this metaphor. If music feeds love, then play more because, like with food for the body, if you get too much, you will get disgusted with it and not want any more: think of eating too much chocolate cream pie all at one time. Orsino is saying that if they keep playing and that if he gets enough of the romantically melancholy music that he becomes disgusted with it, then he will metaphorically also get disgusted with loving Olivia: he will reach satiety; he will reach surfeit; he will no longer ardently desire Olivia.

"The appetite" is another metaphor comparing physical appetite for food to his emotional longing for Olivia's love. Thus, with so much music to feed his love that he gets disgusted with it and with love, then his longing--his appetite--for Olivia will sicken from satiety and surfeiting and die like a person who turns in disgust from food (for a long time, that is--no metaphor is perfect).

PARAPHRASE

  • If music feeds love the way food feeds the body, then keep playing that sad music so that I get sick of it and sick of love so that my desire for Olivia also sickens from disgust and dies.
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Why does Orsino say "If music be the food of love, play on" in Twelfth Night?

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. Olivia has vowed off men.  She has experienced some hardships because both her father and brother died and she wants to take a seven year mourning period to recover from the loss.  This is a different kind of love.  Duke Orsino has convinced himself that he is in love with her, but she will have none of it.  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.  Basically, if you listen to enough music, you won’t be in love anymore.  I guess that’s his plan, metaphorically.

DUKE ORSINO

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 … (Act 1, Scene 1)

It doesn’t work.  Orsino gets sick of the music and tells the musicians to stop.  Shakespeare makes another joke with a play on the “hart,” which is a stag.  This sounds a lot like “heart,” doesn’t it?  This is especially true since Shakespeare’s audience would have been hearing and not seeing the word.

CURIO

Will you go hunt, my lord?

DUKE ORSINO

What, Curio?

CURIO

The hart. (Act 1, Scene 1)

Orsino picks up the play on words by mentioning Olivia.  He is hunting her heart, not a deer.  He wants Olivia to return his affections.  Listening to music did not make him love her any less.

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How does the passage from Twelfth Night, "If music be the food of love, play on ... Even in a minute!", convey Orsino's character and the play's major themes?

"If music be the food of love, play on ... Even in a minute!"

This passage is made up of the very first lines in Twelfth Night, all spoken by Duke Orsino, the Duke of Illyria. The duke is a bachelor and rather erratic; his speech at the beginning actually helps to characterize him. The duke is a hopeless romantic and totally in love with love itself. Love is one of the biggest themes in the play; every character, in some way, interacts with the theme. However, the duke's speech, though it is about love, is full of rather depressing words like "sicken," "die," and "dying fall." He is passionate, but also moody and silly. Another main theme of the Twelfth Night is how flawed human nature is, highlighted by the duke's overdramatic lovesickness.

This passage also opens the reader up to one of the most important moments of the play: when the duke sees Lady Olivia, a beautiful and wealthy countess. After the duke sees her for the first time, he is absolutely convinced that if she does not marry him, he will die. The duke weaves an elaborate fantasy around his love for Olivia, focusing more on his part in the fairytale than Olivia's.

However, the duke also has a fairly short attention span. He enjoys lounging around on a fancy couch asking for attention and listening to his favorite music. But when the duke gets what he wants, he grows bored of it very quickly. In fact, he constantly asks for music to be played, but usually interrupts the musicians before they can even finish. Despite this, the duke is the perfect suitor; according to Olivia, he is courageous, handsome, noble, and wealthy.

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