In the very first line of the play Orsino famously says to the musicians, "If music be the food of love, play on." What he means by this is that if music makes people fall in love, then he wants to hear as much of it as possible. Hence this instructions to the musicians to keep on playing.
Orsino's a hopeless romantic, head over heels in love with Olivia. But his love is unrequited, for as his servant unhelpfully points out, Olivia doesn't even return the numerous messages he sends her. Poor Orsino, then, remains in a state of perpetual love-sickness, hoping against hope that one day his passionate love for Olivia will be reciprocated. In the meantime, he's determined to continue loving Olivia, no matter how often she rebuffs his advances. So he instructs his troupe of musicians to keep on playing, thus feeding the flames of his most ardent desire.
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