Discuss the role that the fools (Feste, Maria, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew) play in the comedy and explain the humour they add to the play

Feste plays the part of a humble clown employed to humour and amuse Olivia's family. Curio tells us that Feste is employed by Olivia's father "Feste the jester.... A fool that Olivia's father took much pleasure in". Olivia also tells us that Feste is a "allowed fool". This indicates that he is a licensed fool allowing him to speak the truth about people around him.

Feste character is static he has the same insight from the beginning to the end. He also has no self-realisation in that he does recognise his own inadequacies. Feste seems to be the wisest person within all of the characters. Viola remarks on this by saying "This fellow's wise enough to play the fool". Being a licensed fool, Feste's main role is to speak the truth. This is where his truth/humour is shown; for example he asks Olivia what she is mourning about. The implication of this question was to determine why Olivia was mourning for a person whose soul was already in heaven and to mock death; consequently entertaining Olivia accomplishing his position within the court.

Clown: Good Madonna, why mourn'st thou

Olivia: Good fool, for my brother's death

Clown: I think his soul is in hell Madonna

Olivia: I know his soul is in heaven, fool

Clown: The more fool, Madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool gentlemen

In the extract above you see how the fool uses trickery to enlighten a serious situation and to put forth his point that Olivia should not mourn her brother when he was in heaven the finest place sort to go.

Feste dresses up as Sir Topaz and visits the imprisoned Malvolio with Maria and Sir Toby. In this occasion he manipulates his humour to abuse Malvolio, who is unaware that it was the fool that he was talking to. Feste calls Malvolio a "lunatic" implying that he was mad this was a dangerous assumption in the time that the play was set. Feste also bewilders him by wittingly making him into the fool, this leads to Malvolio being uncertain about himself.

Throughout the play Malvolio was the main character that intentionally destroyed and spoiled the fun of the fools. By the end of the play Feste has triumphed over Malvolio by his mockery. Shakespeare shows how humour and facetiousness can lead people to be controlled and manipulated. Malvolio is the only character to show a negative attitude and whose dignity is reversed. At the end of the play Feste is left in control showing the great influence that the fool has in the play. In many of Shakespeare's comedies a song illustrates the end of the play. This song illustrates the fact that you begin life as children with out any cares or worries and as you grow up, life becomes more complicated and intricate. The play is about the loss innocence and the serious responsibilities that adult life places upon you. It is the story of life. The audience will remember Feste's importance, as he will be their last memory of the performance. Having the fool as the last character on stage also gives the audience a last humorous impression of the play. Except in this case Feste's song is any thing but funny it is a sad and melancholy, showing the sadness that is buried within the play. Malvolio is striped of his dignity and stature. Olivia is deceived into marrying Sebastain thinking it is Voila, hence their marriage is based on a facade.

Viola is a representation of feminine clown. She has a great deal in common with other medieval jesters. Feste applauds her for her talents at word-play, exclaiming, "A sentence is but a chev'ril glove to a good wit. How quickly the wrong side may be turned outward!" Viola's cross- dressing was often associated with the manner of fools. Fools crossed dressed to humour their audience. These sort of sexual ambiguities were not infrequent amid medieval jesters. In the adaptation of ""Twelfth Night", staring Helen Bonem Carter, the film starts off with a performance of Viola and Sebastian dressing as each other. They were humouring and confusing their audience (as fools do) by cross dressing

Providing lady Olivia required fools then she had copiousness amounts of them at hand Maria, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew came from a era whose only objective was their own amusement and the overthrow of any one who limited their pleasure and gratification. Maria, Olivia's companion, is another person who seems enthusiastic about, playing pranks. She plays the unsuspecting role that gives the ideas to Feste and the knights. To do this she uses her sexuality to manipulate the men. They help her by assisting her in her plans. In two incidences, she remains quiet while her plans are carried out, she remains out of trouble if the scheme is discovered as if she was discovered her position would become affected and she may lose her job. It is ironic that the main humour within the play is based on Maria's pranks that are brutal and devilish. They use Olivia's love and power to assault and manipulate Malvolio greed, self-love and authority. This gets him confined in a dark cell and his acquaintances accused him of being mad. Combined with the fools he allows them to make the play funny by his humiliation and embarrassment, and gives them a objective to achieve. Shakespeare puts him in the play to allow the fools to show that one persons humour is another's defeat and the deterioration of character.

The final fool that I will comment on is Sir Toby Belch. His name suggests drunkenness and ill-mannered behaviour. His part is aiding "is the game of make believe". Always encouraging the wealthy Sir Andrew Anguecheek that he has a chance of wooing Olivia's hand. He has reflective characteristic of Feste because he carries out hoaxes like a fool. An example of this is in act 2; When he was drunk he sings along with Feste while Malvolio attempts to make the quiet them down. Sir Toby is defining Malvolio's power, as he has no respect for Malvolio, because of Malvolio's self-loving attitude. When there is a prank Maria entices Sir Toby to be encompassed within it. The main plan, which the fool's parts revolve around, is the fake letter allegedly sent from Olivia to Malvolio to humiliate him. Their scheme works convincingly and Malvolio gets put away. The other hoaxes that they carry out on Malvolio is when Feste disguising as Sir Topaz to deceive and humiliate Malvolio for their pleasure. That was another example of Maria influences on Sir Toby Belch.

In the "Twelfth Night", the fools are the ones that manipulate the comedy and humour in the play. They assist in the game of make believe and fool around with the other characters destinations. In the play Feste, Maria and sir Toby Belch are the fools that make the comedy humorous. They produce the confusion through merriment and it all works out in the end too construct Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" into an exceptionally entertaining performance.