Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” is a romantic comedy involving twins, shipwrecks, a love triangle, and so-called cross-dressing. Throughout, Shakespeare plays with traditional gender roles, while also experimenting with plays within the play — a kind of metatheatre. When Olivia tries to woo Cesario (who is in fact Viola in disguise), she states with this line that love is best when it comes freely and unsought, rather than being actively searched for. As with most romantic comedies, both old and new, everything works out in the end, with true identities revealed and marriages successfully proposed.
