In 'Twelfth Night' Olivia's trusted steward Malvolio, like Sir Andrew, is the 'butt of comedy'.

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Malvolio Drama Essay

In ‘Twelfth Night’ Olivia’s trusted steward Malvolio, like Sir Andrew, is the ‘butt of comedy’. His very name suggests ‘ill-will’, which echoes his role in the play. Malvolio is an egotistical, “overweening rogue”, who is a straight laced, puritanical, social climbing rebuker of others for their anti-social and often sinful behaviour, or as he put it, “misdemeanours”. Malvolio’s character is summarised excellently by Maria in Act II Scene III:

The devil a puritan that he is, or anything, constantly, but a time-pleaser, an affectioned ass that cons state without book and utters it by great swarths; the best persuaded of himself, so crammed, as he thinks with excellencies, that if is his grounds of faith that all that look on him love him.

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The positioning of this speech and its venomous tone is meant, without doubt, to prime the audience, and to turn the audience’s neutral feelings towards Malvolio to ones of somewhat unjustified hatred considering the small amount that we have seen of him in the play so far.

It is not just the under-plotters that mock Malvolio. His boss, Olivia, also criticizes Malvolio, but this time, due to the difference in status, to his face. She says that he is, “sick of self love.” Malvolio’s reaction to this statement shows one of three possible   things about his ...

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