The Language of Love Throughout the history of literature and writing, love has been one of the few constant human experiences and themes. Love can be expressed, seen and taken in many different ways. According to Webster's Dictionary, the term love is defined as “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person; attraction which may include sexual desire or strong affection felt by people in a romantic relationship; and/or a warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion” (Webster). It is difficult to decipher the exact meaning of love or the situation in which love is shown since this word has such a broad definition. In Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night, love is expressed frequently and in a quite specific way. In particular, throughout this work, Shakespeare recognizes three types of love: true love, self-love and friendship. Many fall victim to the distorted perception of love when they believe that things are always bright, happy, cheerful and passionate, strictly between a man and a woman; when in reality love also gives rise to difficulties, pain and suffering. There are so many ways that love can be expressed, which is why the characters in Twelfth Night may have experienced confusion and misunderstanding of their feelings. Shakespeare takes this play and weaves together the many ways love can be expressed and felt and connects it to fascinating truths about human nature and human relationships. It helps readers distinguish honest love from fake love among romantic relationships, family relationships, and even friendships. Many playwrights have composed songs on the theme of love because of the immense power it wields and the dominion it has over people's lives. Arguably, this power and dominance evoked by love can be shown when r...... middle of paper ...... the heretotypical idea and definition of love are put to the test when characters are forced to address the depth of love and the different situations from which love can emerge. Works Cited1. Carlo, Casey. “Gender Issues in Twelfth Night.” Theater Journal 49.2 (1997): 121-41. Print.2. Stone, James W. Crossing Gender in Shakespeare: Feminist Psychoanalysis and Inner Difference. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print.3. Tommaso, Caterina. "Nunn's Sweet Transvestite: Longing for Viola in Twelfth Night." Popular culture newspaper. Blackwell and Web.4. Biewer, Carolina. "The semantics of passion in Shakespeare's plays: an interdisciplinary study". Archive.is: Saved from Http://scholar.googleusercontent.com/*. Routledge, October 2007. Web. 27 February 2014.5. Lindheim, Nancy. “Rethinking Sexuality and Class in Twelfth Night.” University of Toronto Quarterly 76.2 (2007): n. page Net.