We've already brought this out a bit in our "Character Roles" section on Shel and Sasha, but this novel has very clear ideas about what constitutes love. Love that's about pompous poetry and romantic looks? Not real. Love that's about mutual enjoyment of one another's company and a deep natural sympathy between people? Real. And while Orlando does find love as a woman with a man, Orlando leaves open the possibility that this real love is most natural between people who share the same gender—because both Orlando and Shel are androgynous and have a more fluid relationship with their own gender, so they understand each other in ways that are deeper than a traditional heteronormative relationship.
Questions About Love
- Do you find it odd that queens and noblemen and various other people fall in love with Orlando left, right, and center? Might that mean anything?
- Do Shel and Orlando love each other? How can you tell?
- Did Orlando truly love Sasha? Vice versa? How can you tell?
Chew on This
Sasha was only using Orlando to liven up her time at the English Court. She never truly cared for him.
Love is not a major theme in Orlando.