Question

What does this excerpt from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night imply about Olivia?

VALENTINE: So please my lord, I might not be admitted,
But from her handmaid do return this answer:
The element itself, till seven years' heat,
Shall not behold her face at ample view;
But like a cloistress she will veiled walk,
And water once a-day her chamber round
With eye-offending brine: all this to season
A brother's dead love, which she would keep fresh
And lasting in her sad remembrance.

A.) Olivia has decided to join a nunnery and give up all material attachments.
B.) Olivia has decided to cut herself off from all social interactions.
C.) Olivia has decided to keep her brother’s memory alive by weeping continually.
D,) Olivia has decided to remain single and not take a suitor.

Answer 1

C. Olivia has decided to keep her brother's memory alive by weeping continually.

In the text it states that she will "water once a-day her chamber round With eye-offending brine". The water she is talking about is her tears. Brine is salty water, and tears are salty. It is also customary when mourning a loved one to wear a veil to protect women from being seen during their time of grief. The text also says that she is doing "all this to season A brother's dead love, which she would keep fresh". This refers to her wishing to keep her brother's memory alive.

Answer 2

Answer:

What this excerpt from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night implies about Olivia is that Olivia has decided to remain single and not take a suitor.

Explanation:

The context of this excerpt shows the decision of Olivia after her brothers' death, she has decided not to love anyone for seven years, which makes her refuse to the offer of any suitor, and isolate herself to mourn the death of her brothers, this makes then Valentine not admitted as he says, for those seven years of grief.