Act 2 scene 5 Twelth night - What dramatic devices ensure that this scene is the main focus of comedy within this play?

What dramatic devices ensure that this scene is the main focus of comedy within this play?

Act 2 Scene 5 is one of the most humorous and important scenes within Twelfth Night. As well as being humorous it also shows Malvolio’s self love and delusion. It also explores one of the main themes of the play; the theme of love. Shakespeare has included many dramatic devices, which ensure that when acted on stage, Elizabethan and modern audiences could understand and enjoy the play.

The way in which Shakespeare structures the play heightens the comedy in this scene. Its humorous content is emphasised by its contrast with the seriousness of Scene 4, which is very much about love and illusion, with Viola and Orsino having an intense discussion about their love. Scene 5 itself symbolises Malvolio’s self love and is humorous as Malvolio is tricked and hence becomes the victim. The running commentary from the onlookers and their use of plosive words and entertaining language is very amusing to the audience.

In comparison the intelligence of Act 3 Scene 1 serves to double the comedy. Feste’s and Viola’s clever and witty conversation and wordplay in this scene continues the humour, but also emphasises Malvolio’s foolishness.

Act 2 Scene 3 is where it all begins. The drunken revelry of Sir Toby and his friends is interrupted by Malvolio telling them to be quiet. Malvolio also blames Maria, who proposes they revenge themselves by writing him a letter in handwriting similar to Olivia’s, suggesting Olivia is in love with him. As a result they hope Malvolio looks a fool in front of Olivia.

Scene 4 is a serious scene with Viola hinting that she loves Orsino. Orsino tells Viola that woman should marry older men than themselves because men are fickle:

-“Let still the woman take, An elder than herself, so wears she to him;” (Line 27).

He then contradicts himself by saying that no one can love stronger than a man:

-“As love doth give my heart; no woman’s heart so big to hold so much. They lack retention” (Line 90).

Shakespeare has used the dramatic device of making the themes very different in the play to ensure that certain scenes are emphasised. The language and style used in this scene creates a romantic atmosphere, unlike Scene 5, which in contrast is humorous and disorderly. Malvolio is the main focus in this scene. The fact that he thinks he is alone shows how foolish he is. This makes it very funny for the audience to watch and the fact that there is a running commentary from the others behind the box tree intensifies the humour. The letter plays on his excessive self-love making him the object of ridicule. The main comedy comes from Malvolio’s misinterpretation of the letter. He even considers becoming ‘Count Malvolio’ reassuring himself that it is possible:

-“There is example for’t: the Lady of the Starchy married the yeoman of the wardrobe”(Line 35).

When Malvolio is imagining that he is married to Olivia, he imagines what he would say to Sir Toby:

“Cousin Toby, my fortunes, having cast me on your niece, give me this prerogative of speech-“(Line 57-58).

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-“There is example for’t: the Lady of the Starchy married the yeoman of the wardrobe”(Line 35).

When Malvolio is imagining that he is married to Olivia, he imagines what he would say to Sir Toby:

“Cousin Toby, my fortunes, having cast me on your niece, give me this prerogative of speech-“(Line 57-58).

The language is formal and elegant, so if a director was to direct this part of the scene he should make the actor playing Malvolio sound arrogant and proud. He’s got ideas above his station so he should make the speech to Sir Toby completely over the top. This could accentuate the comedy by highlighting the foolishness of Malvolio and by also showing Sir Toby’s alarming reaction from behind the box tree.

He fantasises about acting lord of the manor, being gracious yet firm, calling Sir Toby and telling him to “amend your drunkenness” (Line 60), and refers to Sir Andrew as a “foolish knight”(Line 63). When Malvolio says this he could point his finger and act as if he really is talking to Sir Toby. This would be even funnier if he does it in the direction of the place where the audience knows Toby is actually hiding. A director could show Sir Toby appearing furious at this saying “out, scab!” (Line 63) quite loudly. The actor playing Fabian should have to hold him back to stop him rushing to attack Malvolio and spoiling the whole trick. Again the comedy is emphasised more by the other characters being at the brink of being seen and also by the furious Sir Toby getting out of hand.

No doubt there is some sympathy for Malvolio at times, but he leaves the audience struggling not to laugh at his misfortunes. In this scene he shows exactly how pompous and arrogant he is, until the trick makes him look ridiculous. Malvolio talking to himself is overheard with great amusement, yet growing annoyance from the others, who are still behind the box tree.

There is an immense amount of potential laughter in how Sir Toby and his friends hide because they are always at the edge of being seen by Malvolio. If this was to be presented by a director he could show them being very clumsy, making them very amusing to watch and every so often them coming very close to being seen by Malvolio. Malvolio creates a range of response in the audience’s mind through the devices of the soliloquy and the letter. The audience learns more of Malvolio’s thoughts and absurdity in his attitude. At first he is a most unlovable character but he has our sympathy for the way he is treated by Sir Toby and Maria. The audience’s reaction soon changes when he reads the letter aloud and this ensures that the audience now have little sympathy with him. They would also enjoy the spectacle of a puritan being gulled in this way.

Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to enhance the humour in the scene because the audience have prior knowledge of the letter left to trick Malvolio. This makes it even more humorous when Malvolio starts to read it. He has trouble working out what “M.O.A.I.” (Line 91) stands for, which makes it very comical for the audience to watch. The letters have no special significance except that they are readily recognisable as forming part of Malvolio’s name, enough for him to interpret the letter as addressed to him, as he sees only what he wants to see: “M’ Malvolio – why, that begins my name! (Line 106).

The director would have to think about how Malvolio speaks and behaves when reading the letter. Malvolio could be reading this with disappointing expressions at first, gradually turning into a large grin and great excitement when he realises it is addressed to him:

“’M.O.A.I.’ This simulation is not as the former, and yet, to crush this a little, it would bow to me, for every one of these letters are in my name.” (Lines 116-118).

He could be shown as taking the letter very seriously however, showing him excited and smug when reading it. It would be imagined that Malvolio would act in a ‘stuck up’ manner, thinking he is a higher status and greater than everyone else for the majority of the scene. This is evident when he says:

“In my stars I am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.“ (Lines 120-121)

The way that Malvolio presents himself on stage shows the audience and the other characters how gullible and vain he really is. Malvolio’s manner is very comical by the way in which he has been talking to himself for half an hour and rehearsing gestures and movements:

“He has been yonder I’the sun practising behaviour to his own shadow this half hour. Observe him, for the love of mockery. (Lines 14-16).

This lessens the audience’s sympathy for Malvolio and makes him the object of ridicule. His own imagination supplies as much evidence as Maria’s letter and his self-loved thoughts are expressed aloud by him persuading himself that Olivia loves him, and imagining that they are married.

The audience, of course, find the whole situation very amusing but with Malvolio’s manner the way it is, the comedy of the scene is doubled. The audience again is reminded of Malvolio’s great self-love. He makes out that he is going to be rich and nearly says ‘my steward’s chain’ then corrects himself, and by saying ‘some rich jewel’:

“I frown the whole, and perchance wind up my watch or play with my – some rich jewel” (Line 50).

This could be acted on stage by him handling and exhibiting a piece of jewellery.

Shakespeare also uses the device of irony within the scene to make the audience laugh at Malvolio’s manner. Malvolio claims that he will smile but everyone knows that Malvolio only smiles in spite when acting as a puritan trying to spoil others’ fun. Malvolio could perform this by looking at his smile in a mirror or some other kind of object that he would be able to preen himself in.

“I extend my hand to him thus, quenching my familiar smile with an austere regard of control” (Line 55).

In addition, emphasis of language used and the manner in which it is said by the other characters in the scene increases the comedy. Their response to Malvolio is very funny with quick pauses between each sentence. They especially use plosive words when Malvolio imagines that he is going to marry Olivia: ”Pistol him, pistol him! Peace, peace! (Line 32-33). These short plosive words heighten the comedy because they sound very funny by the way in which they are said. The characters would have probably said them very quickly and with powerful but quiet voices making it humorous. Another reason they bring comedy into the scene is due to the way in which they react to what Malvolio says. He talks about them as if they are his servants:

“Saying,’ Cousin Toby, my fortunes having cast me on your niece, give me this prerogative of speech-“ (Lines 57-58).

They cannot respond to this without giving themselves away, so there is a lot of anger amongst them.

Another entertaining moment is when Malvolio says something of a sexual nature:

“these be her very c’s, her u’s, and her t’s, and thus makes she her great P’s” (Lines 72-73).

The lower classes of the Elizabethan audience would have found this hilariously funny. To add to the comedy Sir Andrew does not know what Malvolio is talking about and almost shouts out what it means:

“Her c’s, her u’s and her t’s: Why that?” (Line 75).

This could have been made funnier by one of the other characters quickly stopping him from saying this by putting their hand over his mouth.

At the end of the play the confusion is all cleared up, but it isn’t a perfectly happy ending. Shakespeare tries to put across to the audience that Malvolio has learnt absolutely nothing from his mistakes, and emphasizes this by showing most of the characters getting what they deserve. Viola’s been loyal to Orsino and ends up marrying him and Olivia gets married to Sebastian. The main devices used by Shakespeare do ensure that this is a comic scene. He has made sure in every way possible that all varieties of people enjoy the comedy, however making sure that they also have mixed feelings towards Malvolio. He has done this by placing the scene in a very good position, letting the characters use humorous language and placing the self-obsessed character Malvolio into the play.

Jenny Willis