Twelfth Night - Character study: Malvolio Character study: Malvolio: Did he deserve the punishment that he received? The character Malvolio (meaning literally “I mean ill will) is immediately affected by the implications of his name. His personage is implied directly to be one of negative and somewhat disagreeable nature, which is continued and supported throughout the play, leading to his downfall and mockery which both initially seem to be thoroughly deserved, due to his numerous defects of
Malvolio Malvolio is the steward of Olivia’s house and is in control of everything that goes on with the servants. He is always looking to make things perfect, and things that are unorthodox, like Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, have to be rid of. ‘”If you can separate yourself and your misdemeanors, you are welcome to the house. If not, and it would please you to take leave of her, she is very willing to bid you farewell.”’ Even though Malvolio says that Olivia would want them to leave if they carried
Malvolio and the Way he is Treated in William Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night Malvolio is an extremely complicated and difficult character to study because of his mixed, complex personality. At times in the play he seems very reliable and loyal but sometimes he seems foolish and weak, and in many scenes in the play the audience are encouraged to laugh at him, his actions or his words. He is not portrayed as a lovable character, which makes the play funnier. Also, the way that Malvolio seems
Importance of Olivia in Twelfth Night Olivia, in Twelfth Night, is the character who unifies the play by her involvement in each of the three plots. Olivia is loved by Orsino, but she loves Cesario. Olivia plays a vital role in the plot to gull Malvolio, although she is unaware of it. Olivia also has an active role in the plot to dupe Sir Andrew because he is jealous of her attention towards Cesario. In conlusion Olivia is the one who inifies the play the best. Olivia is involved the the
Maria and Feste portray a kind of platonic love, that can be applied to a modern audience. In addition, Malvolio is shown forth as the typical puritan, who is the wet blanket for every party and discourages any kind of fun and disorder. This, hence, is also applicable to a modern audience, as the audience see Malvolio as the kind of person everyone would dislike. Thus, later on, when Malvolio is plotted against, the audience can comprehend why. This scene is seen to be a comical one, where humour
play moves forward, Orsino actually meets Olivia but he loses his lust for her, and instead loves Viola ( formerly Cesario). Shakespeare also used lust between Malvolio and Olivia. Malvolio thought that Olivia had fallen in love with him (as the reader knows this was a joke being played on Malvolio). This grew a larger ego bubble on Malvolio. He thought that she truly wanted his love, and thusly his ego ...
stereotypical knights. Compared to other characters he is very low in the character spectrum although his title is quite high. At the end of the play even his "friend", Sir Toby deceives him. He is a laughing stock- stealing some of the lime light from Malvolio. Many jokes in the play arise from his inadequate grasp on words. When he was introduced to Maria, Sir Andrew is subjected into making a fool out of himself from the misunderstanding of the word "accost." I conclude that there are few strong
Toby draws his sword, and is quickly beaten. Olivia comes out and shouts at Toby. She takes Sebastian in side, and he is in love with her. Scene Two Malvolio is locked up in the dungeon, as everyone thinks he is mad. Feste, dresses up as Sir Topaz the Curate, and goes and teases Malvolio. The latter asks for pen and ink, but Feste refuses. He then leaves. Scene Three Sebastian, although concerned about Antonio, cant get over Olivia's
their foolishness at the end of the play, but Malvolio endures a greater suffering and greater embarrassment than the rest of the characters. This is not simply by chance or whimsy: but this is Shakespeare’s stratification of the vices that a person may take upon him or herself. With this stratification, Shakespeare allocates Malvolio’s vices of pride, usurping the social order, and dour temperament as the worst of character flaws, and that is why Malvolio receives the harshest punishment. Before examining
first impression and see a rude and conceited man. Malvolio calls Feste ‘a barren rascal’ with ‘no more brain than a stone’ suggesting Feste is a worthless idiot; belittling and demeaning him. Shakespeare shows that Feste holds a grudge on what Malvolio has said to him and this is revealed later in the play when Feste gives Malvolio his come-uppance. Malvolio felt superior over Feste and so he treated him unsympathetically. Shakespeare makes Malvolio part of a harsh practical joke after he ruined everybody’s
a very entertaining play, surrounding the character Malvolio, who is very impolite and disrespectful to the rest of the characters. As a result to this they decide to trick him, but however it gets out of hand when they decide to lock him up and claim that he is mad. Malvolio then stands as an unpopular steward and a vulgar character. He is more expressive about what he says than being witty but he is more self-important and big-headed. Malvolio brings both humour and sympathy to the play, and as
Malvolio is presented by Shakespeare as a serious puritan. The audience find his seriousness amusing when it is placed in contrast with the comedy provided by other characters such as Belch. Although Malvolio is only a servant, he is described to be pretentious and overly confident. Maria, who is another character of a similar status in society, uses other characters – Belch, Aguecheek and Fabian – to plot to ridicule Malvolio in front of everyone, especially Olivia. This ridicule is effective because
Audience's Perceptions of Malvolio Malvolio is Olivia’s administrator. He is the one and only character in this play who ever seems to be making a mindful effort to be ‘honest’ but also the only one of the household who shows no genuine like towards fellow workers and masters. This immediately tells us that people are going to dislike him and, in a way try to get back at him. On the other hand, he is the only effective and with no doubt devoted employee. As a steward his main job is to
Malvolio The Fool Foolishness is an inevitable part of everyday life. In Twelfth night, playwright William Shakespeare methodically uses foolishness to expose the ways in which individuals fall prey to pride, vanity, and self-deception. Although many characters in the play exhibits foolishness in their thoughts, words, and behaviour, Malvolio is undeniably the most foolish character. Malvolio's foolishness is clearly exemplified by his foolish thinking, he considers himself to be above his superiors
Sympathy for Malvolio Malvolio plays the role of Olivia’s self admiring butler. He takes advantage of his position in the house to abuse of those lower ranked in the house than him. These people are Sir Toby, Maria and Fabian, (Sir Andrew doesn’t work in the house). These people have got fed up of this and decide to get their own back throughout the play. The dispute is that may be they went too far. Malvolio is smart in appearance and well dressed. Apart from this, Malvolio is pompous
It is easily comprehended that there is certain ambiguity surrounding the character of Malvolio. His name clearly indicates that he is a malcontent; however doubt lies within whether he is a sympathetic or unsympathetic malcontent. This ambiguity creates the question of whether his treatment from others is righteous or whether the actions inflicted upon him are nefarious. The former would emphasise Malvolio’s narcissistic and hypocritical character – masked by Puritan beliefs. These traits make the
Malvolio spells out cut which was slang for the female genitalia, the meaning is compounded by referring to P’s. In fact these letters are not even on the outside of the letter. This is an example of both Malvolio’s stupidity and his uncouthness. It’s not certain whether Malvolio was meant to understand or if he is really that dense. Shakespeare, on the other hand, intentionally added the sexual joke because he wanted to undermine the Puritans. The example of the trickery played on Malvolio is
Account of the Plot Against Malvolio The plot against Malvolio begins when Sir Andrew, Sir Toby and Feste the clown return to Olivia's house drunk. At the beginning of Act Two, scene Three the trio are making a tremendous amount of noise dancing on and around the kitchen table, shouting and singing at the top of their lungs. This commotion causes Maria - a maid of Olivia's - to come down and warn them to be quiet, saying 'what a caterwauling do you keep here!' (Act Two Scene Three, Line
The Role of Malvolio in Twelfth Night The main storyline in Twelfth Night is love between Cesario, Orsino, Olivia and later on in the play Sebastian. Malvolio’s part in the play is a backdrop situation separate from the main story. He brings a level of both humour and sympathy to the play. Malvolio is one of the main sources of humour in Twelfth Night. In the later part of the play a different side of him is exposed. Malvolio is Olivia’s steward and his job is to manage Olivia’s house;
Malvolio is not as innocent as he claims to be. In William Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night, there are several characters, each with their own unique personality. One that stands out is Malvolio, the head butler of the house in Lady Olivia’s estate. He is ponderous, insensitive, and egotistical. If Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Maria, or Feste the fool are ever in his sight, he ridicules them to make himself feel as if he were above them in power. When Malvolio is around Lady Olivia, he treats her with