Metaphor in Twelfth Night

By “fixed foot” Orsino means that Cesario will not move until he has an audience; his foot will grow heavier and more “fixed” until Olivia grants him an audience. A “foot’ is also a unit of measurement in poetry used to determine meter. A poetic foot contains one stressed syllable and one unstressed syllable. In more metaphorical terms, “foot” could be used to refer to the feet of a mathematical compass, as it does in John Donne’s “Valediction Forbidding Mourning.” In this metaphor, one foot remains fixed and the other moves around it. All three meanings emphasize that Orsino means for Cesario to root himself to one spot until he is able to speak to Olivia.

Orsino is once again referring to his lover and her affection with monetary metaphors. In this instance, her affections for him are compared to “profit.” Monetary metaphors such as this one show that Orsino sees Olivia as an object, something that can be bought, sold, and owned.

Feste uses the term “cuckold calamity” to suggest that Olivia has married grief and cuckolded all men. He uses this metaphor to warn her to give up her grief before it is too late. She is a flower and she will wilt if she continues to shun men for her melancholy.

Malvolio has just left after berating Sir Toby and Sir Andrew for excessive partying. After he leaves, Maria tells the others of a way they can trick him: she will write a love letter to Malvolio in Olivia’s handwriting. Sir Toby loves the idea, and Maria confirms the plan with this expression, agreeing that her “horse,” or “idea,” is the same “color,” or “kind,” that Sir Toby is thinking of. This plan demonstrates how deception and disguise can be used to hurt instead of to help, providing a valuable counterpoint to the disguises already in the play.

Viola refers to her love as a “show.” This metaphor further emphasizes the idea that her love is a type performance: it depends on its audience’ perception to “prove” its worthiness.

In love poetry, women are frequently compared to roses and flowers in order to demonstrate their delicate beauty and tragically ephemeral youth. Most love poetry uses this comparison in order to show that beauty is only precious and revered because it is fleeting. However, Orsino seems to miss this point in this metaphor. He sees the ephemerality of female beauty as a negative quality of loving women.

A “sophy” was a Shah of Persia. Fabian uses this metaphor to hyperbolically assert that he delights in the trick they they are playing on Malvolio. It is similar to saying “I would not give this up for all the money in the world.”

This means that the poor who have nothing are likely to be proud of something small. Olivia goes on to say that she would rather be defeated by a worthy opponent—a lion—rather than a cruel one. Her small pride is that Cesario was a worthy opponent. This metaphor should give the audience pause though. In complimenting Cesario and making herself seem hyperbolically regretful, Olivia undermines her claim that she has actually been defeated.

By this, Viola means that she is lovesick for Orsino, and not that she wants a beard of her own. This synecdoche, a metaphor in which a part of something stands in for the whole thing, humorously reiterates Viola’s predicament: her disguise as a man prevents her from expressing her love for a man.

Belzebub is one of Satan’s chief demons in Christian theology. Feste uses this reference to say that Malvolio has kept the devil at some distance.

Feste uses metaphors to get a third coin out of Orsino. “Play” is a reference to a child’s game in which players call out “one, two, three.” “Third plays for all” means third time’s a charm, and “triplex” is a musical beat played in triple time.