An Appetite for Love: Assessing 'Twelfth Night' and 'Of Apolonius and Silla' Katelyn White College

In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Shakespeare closely transcends the idea of an appetite for love from Of Apolonius and Silla by Barnabb Rich. The appetite for love is demonstrated through many characters throughout Twelfth Night and is one of the main themes of the play and the source. Cesario falls in love with Duke Orsino, Malvolio falls in love with Olivia, Orsino is in love with Olivia, and Olivia is in love with Cesario. In the source of Apolonius and Silla, both Silla and Apolonius fall madly in love with each other but there aren’t any major love triangles. The appetite is seen through both pieces but is used in several different ways. More specifically, Shakespeare demonstrates love sickness through appetite, while the source represents pregnancy through appetite. Shakespeare takes the idea of an appetite for love from Apolonius and Silla and thoroughly develops it by creating several conflicting love triangles in his own work of Twelfth Night.

An appetite for love can be compared to a growing pain for hunger in of Apolonius and Silla. Silla gradually falls in love with Apolonius, and really recognizes it when he finally leaves for Constantinople. By gradually falling in love with someone, this can be compared to...