Malvolio knows that Sir Toby is superior to him, being Olivia's uncle so he knows that he cannot be too over the top and spiteful towards him, but he makes the most of the rare opportunity boss him about a bit. This scene confirms to me the fact that Malvolio genuinely thinks that he, as a person, is far more superior to any of them.
I think that Shakespeare at this point wants the audience to really hate Malvolio. He knows that most of the audience watching the play will be working class people who hate puritans and do like to go out for a drink or two, therefore they will side with Toby and start to see Malvolio as the 'baddie' in the play. Personally, although I don't particuarlly like him, I don't hate Malvolio at all at this point. To me he is just a man that likes order and disipline and has differing opnions to Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and the Clown. Shakespeare has so far portrayed him as a snobbish, conceited and take-pleasure-in-others-pain type of person, which is someways is correct, but I get the feeling that there is a more significant reason for his behaviour.
We next see Malvolio walking around the gardens of the house in a daydream. This is the first suggestion that he is not all strict and formal, and that he does have dreams like the rest of us. When we discover he is day dreaming about marrying Olivia, a lot of things are explained to us. For example, his extreme protectiveness over Olivia and his annoyance when a young man calls for her. This is the scene where the strong feelings he has towards his lady are confirmed. Some people in the audience may possibly start to warm to him after this is made clear, but I believe many will stay disliking him.
'Tis but fortune, all is fortune. Maria once told me she did affect me, and I have heard herself come thus near, that should she fancy, it should be one of my complexion....'
This tells the audience that Malvolio genuinely believes that Olivia could be in love with him, like he is in love with her.
The audience know that a cunning trick is soon to be played on Malvolio and they are anticipating what happens. As Toby, Andrew, Maria and Fabian are hidden from Malvolio's sight, the audience can still see and hear all of them.
Malvolio continues to dream out loud to himself about what life would be like if he was married to Olivia. Shakespeare really brings out Malvolio's true thoughts and feelings in this scene which makes him seem less uptight and puritan - like. To thicken the plot between him and Toby, Shakespeare makes sure Malvolio says plenty of insulting things about Toby when he thinks he can't hear them, which makes Toby far more aggravated and keener to play the trick on him.
When Malvolio first sees the letter and picks it up, he does not catch on that it is meant for him to read. He believes it is Olivia's handwriting, but it takes him a while before he realises that the letter is for him.
As he takes in the fact that Olivia has written to him and declared her love for him, he is not logical enough to believe that this may be a cruel joke, he sees what he thinks is Olivia's handwriting and therefore believes that this letter is for real. As Malvolio continues to walk blindly into the trick, Toby and the others fall into hysterics, along with the majority of the audience.
I think that Shakespeare wants the audience to enjoy the prank on Malvolio rather than feel sorry for him, and he knows that the majority will because the majority hate people like Malvolio in real life.
Malvolio next appears in the dress code 'Olivia' had instructed him to wear in her letter. This causes more uproar from the audience as we see him smiling in yellow stockings and cross - garter, which was a complete fashion disaster in the Elizabethan period. For me this tells me that Malvolio is the type of person that will really go out of his way for the people he loves. Malvolio was always going to be the laughing point for the Shakespearian audience throughout the play, being a straight - laced puritan, and this is the moment where the audience appreciate just how funny the trick is.
When Maria tells Olvia about the state of Malvolio she say;
'He's coming madam: But in very strange manner. He is sure possess'd madam.'
This is the first significant mentioning of madness in the play and it is an early indication of whats to come. After reading the letter, the idea that Malvolio may be mad becomes a realistic possibility to Olivia who is left unaware of the whole thing.
By now the audience know that Malvolio is not exactly who they thought he was at the start of the play. He has already fallen for a fairly obvious trick and has shown no hesitation in showing himself up in order to please Olivia. In my opinion Malvolio is a very vunerable person because he believes that no one would dare play tricks on him, and they do and thats why he falls for it. When Malvolio dressed up in the attire the letter told him too, the object was to laugh at him. But I think that Shakespeare was hinting to the audience that not only is Malvolio very foolish and stern, but he is willing to do almost anything for the people he loves, which is a good quality most of the time.
Malvolio continues to wear the clothes the letter instructed him do and act in a cheery manner. This predictably confuses all of the characters who are not in on the joke. As a result of this Malvolio is called mad and is locked up away from the world.
Toby thinks this is hilarious and decides to make the most out of a very vunerable Malvolio. He is locked up away from everything and no sunlight most importantly. It is said that to be declined the knowledge of what time of day it is for days on end turns a man insane, and when the fool dressed as the local priest goes to visit Malvolio, Toby thinks it would be entertaining to let Malvolio think he is mad. When we get to Malvolio, the first thought is that he is actually mad, but on closer inspection he probably isn't. When pointing out the 'hideous darkness' that he has been bound to, the 'priest' tells him it is light. This of course panics Malvolio, and now he believes he is mad also. He has been tricked again.
Shakespeare probably split the Elizabethan audience into two thirds when they got to this point in Twelfth Night. Two thirds are enjoying Malvolio's torture and the other more sympathetic third are feeling sorry for him. I am with the minority, because although I believe that Malvolio deserved abit of a joke played on him, this has gone over the line.
Shakespeare must know that some people are going to be feeling a bit of sympathy for him by now. He has portrayed Malvolio from a bitter and shallow person, to a poor, gullible helpless person, but yet he still knows that some members of the audience will still think he deserves everything that happens to him.
After this scene, Malvolio is left for a bit, presumably forgotten about after Toby loses interest in using him as entertainment for himself.
He next appears in the final scene after Olivia and Sebastien and Viola and Orsino have got together. He enters with Fabien by his side. In some versions of Twelfth Night, Malvolio crawls in, in rags and looking dirty and unwell. In other versions he walks in normally looking a bit tired at the most. I think the reason for the variety of interpretations for this scene is all down to the way each individual director portrays Malvolio himself. If the director is a hard, unsympathetic person, he will have no intention of making the audience feel more sorry for him by letting him walk on looking like death. A soft, more sympathetic director will want to gather up the audiences sympathy as much as he can so he will do the opposite.
When he arrives infront of Olivia, it is clear that he still believes she is the writer of the letter, and that she knows nothing of the whole situation.
'Madam, you have done me wrong, notorious wrong.'
This tells me and the audience that Malvolio is now under the impression that Olivia herself was out to make a fool of Malvolio. He then carries on with;
'Lady you have, pray you peruse that letter. You must not now deny it is you hand, write from it if you can, in hand, or phrase, or say, 'tis not your seal, not your invention'
These lines offer the first hint of doubt in Malvolio's voice. The audience may be thinking that he is starting to catch on.
'.....Why have you suffer'd me to be imprison'd, kept in a dark house, visited by the Priest, and made the most notorious geck and gull, That e'er invention play'd on? Tell me why?'
By now, Shakespeare is making it very clear that Malvolio is meant to be in a state of desparation as he says this to Olivia. The audience by now may be changing their feelings towards Malvolio. Many will have hated him, then laughed at him, now possibly feeling slightly uncomfortable from seeing the state of mind and body he is in. Particularly if the director has got Malvolio looking rough in rags and with dirt all over him.
As Olivia reveals to Malvolio that Maria must have written the letter, he stays silent for a while, presumably taking all the information in. In information being; Olivia is not in love with him, somebody dared to lay a trick on him, he has been tricked by his arch enemy and fallen for it. A good actor will use lots of 'facial acting' meaning that the audience stay glued to his face just to see what he will come out with as a retort. All this information seems to swim around in his head before he replies;
'I'll be reveng'd on the whole pack of you!'
This usually leads Malvolio to storm out the room in a rage and leave the rest of cast in shock. Wheather Malvolio actually intends to get revenge on Sir Toby and co is unknown, but, again, depending on the director of the play, he can say it threateningly, scarily, quietly or whatever he feels right.
The audience should be left feeling shocked. After almost having what they thought was going to be a happy ending, where two couples get together and live happy ever after, Malvolio comes in and shakes things up. It is almost as if the audience forgets about Mavolio, but then realise how significant he is when he reveals himself after weeks of imprisonment. The audiences final feeling of Malvolio can be many different things. Some may feel very slight guilt, for laughing, others still hate him, others feel totally and utterly sorry for him and others don't really have any preferance.
Throughout the play, Shakespeare is portraying Malvolio is different ways to see which way the audience will go (for or against). At the the start of the play, the idea is to dislike him for being a snobbish, arrogant man. As we get to the Boxtree scene (Act 2 Scene 5) we see him in a very different light, talking about love and marriage, but still with a hint of nastiness when he talks about ordering Toby around. After he finds the letter and starts to act like Olivia apparantly instructed him to, we see the foolish side to Malvolio. Most people feel inclined to laugh at him and only a few will feel sorry for him being made a fool out of. When he is locked away, we see Malvolio for the first time, visibly distressed, and still not caught on to the trick. More people will feel for him now, knowing that he truly loves Olivia and he does not know she doesn't feel the same. Finally when we see him confronting Olivia for the first time, Malvolio looks at his most pitiful. The people in the audience who feel sorry for him are those who can identify with his heartbreak or can imagine how damaging it can be to a person.
The ending of Twelfth Night is not usually referred to as a happy one. I think it is a thoughtful ending. By that I mean, you leave the play, or close the book, thinking lots of things about the characters. Olivia, Sebastien, Viola and Orsino all end up getting married and live happy forever. Malvolio leaves unhappy and unfinished, somehow. I think that Malvolio is supposed to have left, having learnt a lesson in life - not to be foolish.
In someways Malvolio is very like the most unlikely of candidates - Sir Andrew Aguecheek. In my opinion, Sir Andrew is Malvolio without the bitterness and ignorance. Both are foolish - but think they are not. And both have a certain amount of innocence about themselves. Sir Andrew is innocent purely because of the fact he is stupid (not the same as foolish). Malvolio is made inncocent by his obvious devotion to Olivia and her household. Because of his love for her, he is made a fool out of which makes us think how powerful love is.
My final thought on Malvolio is not a significant feeling. In some ways I feel sorry for him because he was made a fool out of in front of so many people. I never particularly liked Malvolio, nor hated him but I think he was a very interesting character in Twelfth Night who teaches eveyone who knows the play an important lesson. That is, what goes around comes around.
