Is Malvolio a good character in Twelfth Night?
Malvolio initially seems to be a minor character, and his humiliation seems little more than an amusing subplot to the Viola-Olivia-Orsino- love triangle. But he becomes more interesting as the play progresses, and most critics have judged him one of the most complex and fascinating characters in Twelfth Night.
What is Malvolio's first monologue in Macbeth?
Malvolio has several monologues in the play, and they all help him develop his character and role in the play. His first monologue, in Act 2, is when he finds the fraudulent letter supposedly written by Olivia, confessing her love and asking him to earn her favor by wearing ridiculous clothes.
What is the role of Malvolio in Othello?
Malvolio is the steward (chief of staff) of a wealthy lady, Olivia. She has a large household with a score of servants, frequent guests, a jester, and a live-in uncle, Sir Toby Belch. Malvolio appears in most scenes and is characterised throughout as a puritanical, fun-spoiling, pompous, humourless man.
What type of character is Malvolio in Romeo and Juliet?
When we first meet Malvolio, he seems to be a simple type—a puritan, a stiff and proper servant who likes nothing better than to spoil other people’s fun. It is this dour, fun-despising side that earns him the enmity of the zany, drunken Sir Toby and the clever Maria, who together engineer his downfall.
Why did Maria and Toby lock Malvolio in a dark chamber?
Back at Olivia's house, Maria and Toby have locked Malvolio in a dark chamber to cure his "madness." Outside the chamber, Maria instructs Feste to... (full context)
What is the scene in Act 1 Scene 5?
Act 1, scene 5. Olivia enters, wearing mourning clothes and attended by her steward, Malvolio. Olivia first instructs her attendants to send Feste away, but he teases her into better... (full context) Malvolio returns and informs Olivia that the young man outside will not leave.
What color are Malvolio's stockings?
Malvolio enters wearing yellow cross-gartered stockings, smiling idiotically. Olivia scolds him for this behavior. However, he... (full context)
What is Malvolio's prank?
In revenge, Maria, Sir Toby, and others play a prank on Malvolio that adds comic relief to Twelfth Night , but also reveals Malvolio's ambition, arrogance, and self-love.
Who gives Cesario the ring?
Malvolio catches up with Cesario. He gives Cesario the ring from Olivia and explains that Olivia... (full context)
Who enters with Fabian?
Malvolio enters with Fabian. Fuming, he presents Olivia with Maria's trick letter. After a quick examination,... (full context)
Who mocks Malvolio's desperate cries?
Sir Toby, amused, mocks Malvolio's desperate cries. But he confides in Maria that they must find a way out of... (full context)
What is the character Malvolio?
Malvolio initially seems to be a minor character, and his humiliation seems little more than an amusing subplot to the Viola-Olivia-Orsino- love triangle. But he becomes more interesting as the play progresses, and most critics have judged him one of the most complex and fascinating characters in Twelfth Night. When we first meet Malvolio, he seems to be a simple type—a puritan, a stiff and proper servant who likes nothing better than to spoil other people’s fun. It is this dour, fun-despising side that earns him the enmity of the zany, drunken Sir Toby and the clever Maria, who together engineer his downfall. But they do so by playing on a side of Malvolio that might have otherwise remained hidden—his self-regard and his remarkable ambitions, which extend to marrying Olivia and becoming, as he puts it, “Count Malvolio” (II.v. 30 ).
What is Malvolio's first transformation?
When he finds the forged letter from Olivia (actually penned by Maria) that seems to offer hope to his ambitions, Malvolio undergoes his first transformation—from a stiff and wooden embodiment of priggish propriety into an personification of the power of self--delusion.
What act does Malvolio go to a dark room?
Our pity for Malvolio only increases when the vindictive Maria and Toby confine him to a dark room in Act IV. As he desperately protests that he is not mad, Malvolio begins to seem more of a victim than a victimizer.
Is Malvolio a tragic figure?
As he is sacrificed, Malvolio begins to earn our respect. It is too much to call him a tragic figure, however—after all, he is only being asked to endure a single night in darkness, hardly a fate comparable to the sufferings of King Lear or Hamlet.
Is Malvolio in the anarchic world of Twelfth Night?
Malvolio has no real place in the anarchic world of Twelfth Night, except to suggest that, even in the best of worlds, someone must suffer while everyone else is happy. Previous section Orsino and Olivia Next section Sebastian.
How does Malvolio develop?
Monologues. On top of all the other quotes, one of the major ways that the character of Malvolio is developed is through monologues. A monologue is a long speech by one character. Most of the lines in a typical play are conversations, where the characters talk to each other.
What does Malvolio's monologue show?
After reading Olivia's letter, Malvolio's monologue shows how completely he's fallen for the trick:
What does Malvolio accuse the other characters of?
When Malvolio accuses the other characters of being idle and shallow, he's setting himself above them. He thinks he's better than everyone else, and he fantasizes about having power over them so he can make them follow his rules (one example is in Act 2, Scene 4, when he imagines having the authority to scold Sir Toby for drinking too much).
What is Malvolio in the play?
Malvolio the Character. In the play Twelfth Night, Malvolio is the Lady Olivia's steward and the target of a major prank. Throughout the play, he's characterized as a fun-hating and overly serious character with no sense of humor. What he wants most of all is status, mostly so he can make other characters stop doing things he considers frivolous ...
What is Malvolio's first monologue?
His first monologue, in Act 2, is when he finds the fraudulent letter supposedly written by Olivia, confessing her love and asking him to earn her favor by wearing ridiculous clothes. In this monologue, he reads the letter and then goes off on a tangent imagining what his life would be like as Olivia's husband:
What does it mean to enroll in a course?
Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams.
Why is Malvolio's characterization important?
Malvolio's characterization is central to the plot, because his personality is what makes the trick work. Throughout the play, Malvolio's lines characterize him as a very stern person who hates anything he perceives as silly or frivolous. They explain why his plot arc works and contribute to the humor of the trick.
Why is Malvolio imprisoned?
When Malvolio is imprisoned for being a supposed lunatic after acting out the instructions in the letter, Feste visits him both as himself and in the guise of "Sir Topas the curate", and proceeds to torment Malvolio by refusing to think him sane no matter what he says.
What does Malvolio wish Olivia to wear?
The letter convinces Malvolio that Olivia loves him, and leads Malvolio to think that Olivia wishes him to smile, wear yellow stockings and cross garters.
What does Maria do after Malvolio interrupts her party?
After Malvolio interrupts their party and chastises them for their lewdness, Maria devises a way to gain revenge on the steward, which she proposes to Sir Toby and the others. Maria composes a love letter in Olivia's handwriting, and leaves it so Malvolio will find it.
What did Hoby do to his neighbours?
Hoby sued his neighbours when they came uninvited to his house, drank, played cards, mocked his religion, and threatened to rape his wife. Hoby won damages in the case, which may have influenced the scene in Twelfth Night when Malvolio interrupts Sir Toby's late-night reveling.
What is Malvolio's style?
Style. In the play, Malvolio is defined as a kind of Puritan. He despises all manner of fun and games, and wishes his world to be completely free of human sin, yet he behaves very foolishly against his stoic nature when he believes that Olivia loves him.
Who played Malvolio in Shakespeare's Globe?
The role was first played by Richard Burbage at the Globe Theatre. John Marston observed that the actors of his time often played the role with "contemptuous superiority"; by contrast his favourite Malvolio, William Ferrin, performed it with "lofty condescension". Other actors known for their performance of Malvolio include Sir Alec Guinness, Henry Irving, E. H. Sothern, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Henry Ainley, Sir John Gielgud, Simon Russell Beale, Maurice Evans, Ken Dodd, Richard Briers, Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Derek Jacobi. Richard Wilson took on the role for the Royal Shakespeare Company 's 2009 production. In 2012, Stephen Fry assumed the role at Shakespeare's Globe. In 2017, actress Tamsin Greig portrayed a female version of the character (renamed Malvolia) in Simon Godwin 's revival of the play at the National Theatre.
Who are the characters in the play Malvolio?
This leads to major conflicts with characters such as Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Maria, mistress of the household. Much of the play's humour comes from Maria, Feste, Toby Belch, and Andrew Aguecheek tormenting Malvolio with drinking, joking, and singing.
What does Malvolio vow to do after reading the letter?
Malvolio is exultant after reading the letter. He vows, as he was "commended," to be proud and to baffle Sir Toby. To him, there can be no doubt that Olivia wrote the love letter, and if she desires him to wear "yellow stockings . . . cross-gartered," then yellow stockinged and cross-gartered he shall be.
What does Malvolio think of Olivia?
The thought of Malvolio's being " Count Malvolio" overwhelms him. He conjures up visions of himself — married to Olivia for three months and lovingly letting her sleep in the morning while he, robed in a "velvet gown," rises from the bed and calls his officers to him. He imagines himself reminding his officers to remember their place. Then he would call for his "Cousin Toby," and while he is waiting, he would "frown the while," and toy with his watch or with "some rich jewel." He envisions Sir Toby approaching, curtsying and quaking, as Malvolio reminds him that because "fortune" has given Malvolio "this prerogative of speech," he will austerely command his "kinsman" to "amend [his] drunkenness." He will also inform Sir Toby that he "wastes the treasure of . . . time with a foolish knight" — a contemptuous slur at Sir Andrew.
Why did Malvolio report Fabian?
As a moral puritan, Malvolio had reported Fabian for "bear baiting" because Olivia disapproved of this cruel sport. Now, however, they hope that this "niggardly rascally sheep-biter" will soon come along, and they will make Malvolio into the "bear" and will "bait" (tease) him. They intend to fool him "black and blue.".
What is Malvolio instructed to do in the letter?
Malvolio is instructed to be surly and distant to the servants, and especially to Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby.
What is Fabian's quarrel with Malvolio?
Like Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, Fabian has his own quarrel with the prudish, sharp-tongued Malvolio. It seems that Malvolio reported to Olivia that Fabian was "bear-baiting," a popular (if cruel) Elizabethan sport and one which Fabian enjoys. Sir Toby predicts that very soon Malvolio will be the "bear," for the bait will soon be set.
What does Sir Toby say about Maria?
As a final note, the duping is so perfect that Sir Toby says of Maria: "I could marry this wench for this device" — that is, because of her plan for the duping. When Maria returns, she tells the others to wait until Malvolio first appears before Olivia.
What does Malvolio say in the letter?
All through the scene, as Malvolio tries to decipher the letter, the characters in the box-elder hedge continue to make humorous and derogatory remarks. When Malvolio reads in the letter, "If this fall into thy hand, revolve," he turns around on the stage, evoking roars of laughter from those in the box-hedge.
What is the 12th night?
Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola (who is disguised as Cesario) falls in love with Duke Orsino, ...
What is the play called at the feast?
At our feast we had a play called "Twelve Night, or What You Will", much like " The Comedy of Errors " or " Menaechmi " in Plautus, but most like and near to that in Italian called " Inganni ". A good practice in it to make the steward believe his lady-widow was in love with him, by counterfeiting a letter as from his lady, in general terms telling him what she liked best in him and prescribing his gesture in smiling, his apparel, etc. and then, when he came to practice, making him believe they took him for mad.
What is the subtitle of the play "Twelfth Night"?
Subtitles for plays were fashionable in the Elizabethan era, and though some editors place The Merchant of Venice ' s alternative title, The Jew of Venice, as a subtitle, this is the only Shakespeare play to bear one when first published.
What was the actual Elizabethan festival of the 12th night?
The actual Elizabethan festival of Twelfth Night would involve the antics of a Lord of Misrule, who before leaving his temporary position of authority, would call for entertainment, songs, and mummery; the play has been regarded as preserving this festive and traditional atmosphere of licensed disorder.
Why is the 12th Night a gender issue?
Some modern scholars believe that Twelfth Night, with the added confusion of male actors and Viola's deception, addresses gender issues "with particular immediacy". They also accept that the depiction of gender in Twelfth Night stems from the era's prevalent scientific theory that females are simply imperfect males.
Who played Malvolio in Twelfth Night?
In March 2017, the Royal National Theatre 's production of Twelfth Night changed some of the roles from male to female, including Feste, Fabian (which became Fabia), and most notably, Malvolio – which became Malvolia – played by Tamsin Greig to largely positive reviews.
When was the original Shakespearean text of Twelfth Night adapted?
After holding the stage only in the adaptations in the late 17th century and early 18th century, the original Shakespearean text of Twelfth Night was revived in 1741, in a production at Drury Lane.
What is the comic subplot in Shakespeare's Tempest?
To address one aspect of why it was included in the play; the comic subplot is a contextual device and was a common occurrence in Renaissance plays ( Renaissance Culture in Context: Theory and Practice, by Jean R. Brink, William F. Gentrup, p.54); it can be seen in some of Shakespeare's other plays, The Tempest, with Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano, Measure for Measure, Falstaff in Henry IV Part 1, two subplots (Oberon and Titania's quarrel and Bottom turned into a donkey) in A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as Wagner and the Three Scholars in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Also contextually, Shakespeare's theatres were often rowdy and attracted all social classes, and some only attended the theatre for straightforward entertainment (as oppose to the serious, thought-provoking love stories between the other characters); hence the need for the drama (the main plot is somewhat slow-burning and so the subplot maintains action) and comic, slapstick buffoonery of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Maria.
What does "help" mean in a sentence?
Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
What does Malvolio's constant reprimands to the other characters' drinking and feasting symbol?
Malvolio's constant reprimands to the other characters' drinking and feasting symbolises the Puritans' disapproving view on the twelfth night of Christmas' festivities and the other characters' treatment of him mirrors the Elizabethans' view of Puritanism ; Yes, it could be seen as cruelty and the audience may sympathise with Malvolio, but this is mainly an individual decision.
