As the quote shows Malvolio dreams of being married, and of having control over people he does not like. In a puritans view both were considered ungodly and as Malvolio was claiming to be a Puritan and therefore better, and more righteous than everyone else, Malvolio was being hypocritical. Shakespeare used Illyria here in order to avoid repercussions from the Church for ridiculing a widely held belief at the time.
Shakespeare probably also used Illyria to give a sense of perspective. People in the time of Shakespeare were not a people to question religions and beliefs. The population, mostly, just accepted the concept of Puritanism for what it was. However Shakespeare took Puritanism out the concept of England and put it in a new place, a different world; to let people look at it without preconceived notions and let them see Puritanism for what it what was really. This led to more people questioning the beliefs of Puritans. Shakespeare got his audience to think about their beliefs and what Puritans really were. This is one of the reasons Shakespeare’s work is so famous and had lasted so long, he got his audiences to think and reconsider things that previously had been accepted.
In Twelfth Night Shakespeare mentions the topic of Puritanism and then proceeds to ridicule it throughout the play. He does this so effectively through the creation of the character Malvolio. Malvolio is theoretically a strict Puritan who is priggish and austere; he regularly ruins Sir Toby Belch’s Sir Andrew’s, Fabian’s, and Mariah’s fun.
“MALVOLIO: My masters, are you mad? Or what are you? Have ye no wit, manners, nor honesty, but to gabble like
tinkers at this time of night? Do ye make an alehouse of my lady's house that ye squeak out your coziers' catches without any mitigation or remorse of voice? Is there no respect of place, persons, nor time in you?
TOBY BELCH: We did keep time, sir, in our catches. Sneck up!
MALVOLIO: Sir Toby, I must be round with you. My lady bade me tell you, that, though she harbours you as her
kinsman, she's nothing allied to your disorders. If you can separate yourself and your misdemeanours, you are welcome to the house; if not, an it would please you to take leave of her, she is very willing to bid
you farewell.” (Act 2 Scene 3)
Shakespeare here is turning the audience against Malvolio, and Malvolio here is being a stereotypical Puritan, so Shakespeare is slyly turning the audience against Puritanism in general. Shakespeare was probably so against the Puritans as he was more or less the complete opposite of one. The Puritans wanted to ban the theatre, Shakespeare whole life was centred on the theatre. The Puritans had very strict rules about marriage and the like whereas Shakespeare is known for ‘sleeping around’ and basically not following any Puritanical ethics. Thus Shakespeare decided to write Twelfth Night with a Puritan character so he could get across his views on the belief.
However Shakespeare has some other views on Puritans too. In Twelfth Night he later portrays Malvolio to be a hypocrite.
““Having been three months married to her [Olivia], sitting in my state… Calling my officers about me, in my branched velvet gown; having come from a day-bed, where I have left Olivia sleeping… I frown the while; and perchance wind up watch, or play with my--some rich jewel. Toby approaches; courtesies there to me…” (Act 2 Scene 5)
Malvolio is fantasizing about Olivia, and having power, and day-dreaming about being wealthy etcetera, thus showing Malvolio to be a hypocrite, as puritans are supposed to have a very pure, humble and clean life and want nothing more than God himself.
Shakespeare continues with this theme of ridiculing important people, and beliefs within Twelfth Night. For instance when Feste dresses up as Sir Topas, (as part of the trick Sir Toby, Mariah, Fabian and Sir Andrew play on Malvolio) he says:
“Well, I’ll put it on and I will dissemble myself in’t: and I would I were the first that ever dissembled in such a gown.” (Act 4 Scene 2)
We can see here that Feste thought the church was already dishonest and wishes he was the only ‘fake’ curate there had been. As the church is a symbol of truth and good in the world of dishonesty, disguise, and lies; yet even the church, the symbol of righteousness, has been infected with the dishonesty – and this disgusts and disappoints him. As we can tell Shakespeare is mocking the church as he believes it is full of lies and untruths, again getting his audiences to think about what they believe more carefully and not just to take things for granted, to question the things they see and hear.
This satirical theme continues throughout the play. With Orsino and his stupidity and such little understanding of love, believing he can woo Olivia through a formal courtship, even when Olivia has said she wants nothing to do with him. In the fact that Orsino repeatedly sends messengers rather than visit her himself; and spends his time moping around in his castle, no matter what the conversation subject is, whether it be hunting or music, he brings back to his love for Olivia. He wallows in self pity.
“ORSINO: If music be the food of love, play on…'Tis not so sweet now as it was before. O spirit of love! How quick and fresh art thou…
CURIO: Will you go hunt, my lord?
ORSINO: What, Curio?
CURIO: The hart.
ORSINO: Why, so I do, the noblest that I have: O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, Methought she purged the air of pestilence! That instant was I turn'd into a hart; and my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, E'er since pursue me.” (Act 1 Scene 1)
Orsino repeatedly leads his conversation back to the topic of love; when his attendant, Curio, asks him if he will go hunt a hart, Orsino answers by speaking of his heart, (a clever pun). However he then relates the topic of hunting to his lovelorn condition; he alludes to Ovid's account of Actaeon, who was punished, for seeing the goddess Diana naked, by being turned into a hart, and then attacked and killed by his own dogs.
Shakespeare continues with this satirical attack on the important people of the day with his representation of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. They are both supposed to be nobles, Sir Andrew a knight, yet they are portrayed as men who live to drink, eat and generate trouble. They are irresponsible and do not foresee consequences they simply want to have a good time – no matter who they inconvenience.
“ANDREW: Nay, my troth, I know not: but I know, to be up late is to be up late.
TOBY: …Does not our life consist of the four elements?
ANDREW: Faith, so they say; but I think it rather consists of eating and drinking.
TOBY: Thou'rt a scholar; let us therefore eat and drink. Marian, I say! A stoup of wine!” (Act 2 Scene 3)
As the quote shows the two were often drunk and insisted on keeping company with the servants of the house such As Mariah and Fabian, as well as a fool called Feste. This behaviour would have been frowned upon in Shakespeare’s days. So Shakespeare’s audiences would have frowned upon the nobles wishing them to be more responsible, again making the audience think about their own preconceived notions about the governors of the land.
So in conclusion Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night has the setting of Illyria, a mythical place, for many reasons. It gives him more freedom, a chance to give his audience a sense of perspective on many issues such as Puritanism, and lets Shakespeare be satirical with no repercussions. So Twelfth Night does explore deeper issues of Victorian society, but most importantly he uses the play to get his audiences to reconsider what they had previously accepted.
