Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night

by

William Shakespeare

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Twelfth Night makes teaching easy.

Hunting Symbol Analysis

Read our modern English translation.
Hunting Symbol Icon
At various points in the play, hunting is used as a metaphor for the lover's pursuit of his beloved. The metaphor is telling because it emphasizes the extent to which a lover like Orsino takes pleasure in pursuing, rather than consummating, love: for an aristocrat like him, who does not need to hunt for food, once the prey of a hunt is caught, the fun is over.

Hunting Quotes in Twelfth Night

The Twelfth Night quotes below all refer to the symbol of Hunting. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Desire and Love Theme Icon
).
Act 2, scene 5 Quotes
Now is the woodcock near the gin.
Related Characters: Fabian (speaker), Malvolio
Related Symbols: Hunting
Page Number: 2.5.85
Explanation and Analysis:
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Twelfth Night PDF

Hunting Symbol Timeline in Twelfth Night

The timeline below shows where the symbol Hunting appears in Twelfth Night. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, scene 1
Desire and Love Theme Icon
Melancholy Theme Icon
Curio, one of Orsino's attendants, enters and asks the Duke whether he will he come hunt "hart" (male deer). Orsino jokes that, since he first saw Olivia, he himself has been... (full context)