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Asked by: Quentin Yablontzev
pop culture celebrity relationshipsWhy does Olivia refuse to marry Duke Orsino?
Considering this, why does Olivia reject Orsino?
Valentine tells Orsino in Act 1, Scene 1 that Olivia is uninterested in Orsino's romantic feelings for her, and that she doesn't even bother to read the letters he sends expressing his devotion to her. The reason she is uninterested is because she is grieving the recent loss of her beloved brother.
Secondly, why did Olivia not respond to Orsino's love?
Olivia refuses the Duke's proposal because she is has unwittingly fallen in love with Cesario, who is really Viola in disguise.
Olivia eventually comes to the conclusion that she must marry him. However, in a case of mistaken identity, she marries Viola's twin brother, Sebastian. It is here that Olivia and Sebastian are hastily married, Viola and Sebastian rediscover each other, Malvolio is rescued, and Orsino proposes to Viola.