Does Malvolio get what he deserves, or is it a joke gone too far?
Twelfth Night is one of the great comedy plays by William Shakespeare. The play centres on the character of Viola who is shipwrecked with her twin brother Sebastian off the Illyrian coast. Believing her brother Sebastian to be dead, Viola then disguises herself as a man and becomes known as Cesario, so that she can work for Orsino, the Duke of Illyria as his manservant. Orsino is in love with the rich countess Olivia, Orsino instructs Cesario to explain his love for her, however this plan backfires as Olivia falls in love with the messenger Cesario. To further complicate matters Viola then falls in love with Orsino and a classic Shakespearian love triangle is established. To add to the farce Viola's identical twin, Sebastian who has survived the shipwreck turns up in the duke’s court. This leads to much confusion culminating in Olivia asking Sebastian (whom she believes to be Cesario) to marry her. Finally the twins (Sebastian and Viola) appear together and Cesario reveals that he, is really a she. The play finishes with Orsino and Viola declaring they will marry.
Much of the play concentrates on a comic sub-plot to bring a comeuppance to Countess Olivia’s pompous head steward Malvolio. Living in Olivia’s household is her uncle, Sir Toby, who was invited to stay whilst Olivia was mourning the death of her brother. He is a rowdy drinker with little money who invites his wealthy, but rather stupid friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek to stay on the pretence that Sir Andrew could woo Lady Olivia. During one of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew’s late night drinking sessions with Olivia’s favourite household fool Feste Malvolio reprimands the drinkers thus demonstrated his idea of superiority, which was above his station as a servant: “my masters are you mad? Or what are you? Have you no wit manners or honesty but to gabble like tinkers at this time of night”. Malvolio (who’s name means evil wishing in latin) in this simple, self righteous fashion is acting as a puritan “he is a kind of puritan” to the merry making of the others. This was a popular theme in Elizabethan times as the puritans where seen as the enemy of the theatre. This outburst to Sir Toby leads to his resentment of Malvolio. However more importantly Malvolio also threatens to telltales to her mistress Olivia about Maria (Olivia’s servant), who had entered the room to try (although she failed) to quieten the gentleman. “Mistress Mary, if you prized my lady’s favour at anything more than contempt, you would not give means for this uncivil rule: she shall know of it by this hand” Sir Toby, Maria and Feste (who had been slighted previously by Malvolio) plotted his humiliation by writing a forged letter from Countess Olivia to Malvolio, falsely suggesting her love for him.
