Viola’s instant love could come from Orsino’s poetic allusions in his previous speech. His use of the poetic blazon to describe Cesario invokes the motif of poetry and shows that there is no stronger power over human emotions than poetry and writing.

Viola’s sudden confession of love could be a rhetorical device that shows the audience how Viola’s emotions have developed over the time that has passed. The suddenness of this reaction could also show that Viola immediately falls in love with Orsino when he describes her as beautiful.

To describe Cesario, Orsino uses a poetic blazon, in which the speaker fragments his love object into her physical parts in order to compare each fragment to something natural and perfect. For example, skin as white as snow, lips red like a rose.

By “fixed foot” Orsino means that Cesario will not move until he has an audience; his foot will grow heavier and more “fixed” until Olivia grants him an audience. A “foot’ is also a unit of measurement in poetry used to determine meter. A poetic foot contains one stressed syllable and one unstressed syllable. In more metaphorical terms, “foot” could be used to refer to the feet of a mathematical compass, as it does in John Donne’s “Valediction Forbidding Mourning.” In this metaphor, one foot remains fixed and the other moves around it. All three meanings emphasize that Orsino means for Cesario to root himself to one spot until he is able to speak to Olivia.

A “nuncio” is someone who bears a message. It also signifies an ambassador for the pope who bears his will to foreign courts. Although Orsino is not saying that he is an ambassador for the pope, his use of the word “nuncio” adds a level of gravity, or emphasis, to the message he is sending.

Orsino’s command touches on the theme of performance, especially emotions as a type of performance. This further suggests that Orsino’s love for Olivia is more of a pose of love that anyone can assume. Viola is able to “act his woes” because he is also acting.

Orsino is once again referring to his lover and her affection with monetary metaphors. In this instance, her affections for him are compared to “profit.” Monetary metaphors such as this one show that Orsino sees Olivia as an object, something that can be bought, sold, and owned.

Throughout the play, letters, handwriting, and poetry are motifs that show the power of writing over human emotions. Here, Orsino refers to his feelings as part of a “book” that he has entrusted to Cesario. The word “book” is significant because it frames his feelings as a story: the power of Orsino’s love comes from its narrative structure.

Notice that Shakespeare uses these first lines to show that time has passed: Viola has successfully endeared herself to the duke as Cesario, a young eunuch. These lines reveal that Cesario has not only begun working for Orsino but has become a trusted confidant.