Question

There are many themes about mistakes in love and relationships in Twelfth Night: whether it is foolish to love too passionately (Orsino and Olivia both make this mistake), or to put your love where someone doesn’t love you back (again, Orsino and Olivia both make this mistake, so does Sir Andrew) ; or bad to love yourself above others (Malvolio). Viola, being wise, refuses to admit her love to Orsino though she leaves hints, until an appropriate time. Sir Toby realizes that it is better to marry a woman who loves him and will risk trouble for him (Maria), than to cling to his niece’s money.

Choose two of these characters (Orsino, Olivia, Viola, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Maria, Malvolio), and discuss the mistakes/foolish choices, or smart moves, they make regarding love. Then Persuade me (your reader) as to either which one was more foolish, or which wiser, in how they handled their relationship situation in this play.
Support your viewpoint with specific examples from scenes in the play that show their folly and their wisdom.

Your thesis statement will be a declaration of which is the more foolish, or wiser, between the two.
You can choose to compare two you consider both foolish (which is even more the fool?)
Two which are wise (which is wiser?)
One you feel of each (One fool and one wise).

Checklist: Does my essay have an organizational pattern?
Is it between 2-3 pages long?
Does the thesis identify which of two characters is wiser or more foolish in love?
Does it communicate a clear overall impression?
Does it have transitions that link sentences together effectively?
Does it grab the reader's attention with a strong beginning and a strong conclusion?
Does it have correct spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation?
Is it in MLA format?
Does it include directly quoted lines from the play cited properly?