Twelfth Night Essay: The Noble Servant

The Noble Servant

In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Malvolio is the head servant in Lady Olivia’s household. He thinks poorly of those who enjoy drinking, singing, and having fun, and his pretentious attitude and vainness earn him the hatred of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria. He is a complex character and is portrayed as being a nasty, rude individual. He doesn’t really seem to belong in Twelfth Night, but his character is a good representation of the fact that even in the best of worlds, someone must suffer while everyone else is happy. Although he is portrayed differently, he has a soft side and is rather kind, generous, and devoted to everyone around him. His kindness and consideration are shown multiple times throughout the play. For

In act I, scene v, he says to Maria about the fool, “I’m surprised you enjoy the company of this stupid troublemaker. The other day I saw him defeated in a battle of wits by an ordinary jester with no more brains than a rock. Look at him, he’s at a loss for words already. Unless he’s got somebody laughing at him, he can’t think of anything to say. I swear, anyone smart who laughs at these courts jesters is nothing but a jester’s apprentice.” This, along with a few other quotes much like it, clearly shows us how generous Malvolio is with his criticism. In act II, scene ii, Cesario (Violet) comes bearing a ring for Olivia from Orsino and Olivia orders Malvolio to send it back. Rather than sending another servant to do the job, he is generous and searches for Cesario himself and returns the ring: “She’s sending this ring back to you, sir. You should’ve saved me some trouble and taken it away yourself. She wants you to make it very clear to your lord that she wants nothing to do with him, and that you should never come again on his behalf, unless you want to come back to tell her how he reacted to the bad news. Here, take the