William Shakespeare is the most well-known British author in the history of literature. He has covered almost every genre in his plays, including tragedy, horror, historic fiction, fantasy, romance, and comedy. His ironic production Twelfth Night, or, What You Will is a romantic comedy that has earned much critical acclaim. Shakespeare covered many controversial issues in the areas of love and relationships throughout the play due to his society's views toward love, homoerotic relations, and gender associations.

With the introduction of each main character, their relationships and troubles with Cupid are revealed. During the Middle Ages, a type of attraction known as "courtly love" invaded common thought. In this specific system, a man will fall in love (usually at first sight) with a beautiful woman who will not return his adoration. Orsino, the Duke of Illyria, suffers from this in his idolization of Olivia.

Orsino describes his own...