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SCMP Reporter

Arrogant Malvolio

Malvolio's coming down this walk; he has been yonder i' the sun practising behaviour to his own shadow this half hour: observe him, for the love of mockery; for I know this letter will make a contemplative idiot of him.

- Act II, scene v, line 15

In love with himself

This is a play about people falling in love with one another. The Duke is in love with Olivia. Olivia herself is in love with Viola who is disguised as the boy Cesario. Sebastian marries Olivia in the end. Shakespeare is showing us all the madness and passion that comes with falling in love.

Malvolio gives depth and richness to the romantic theme. His  character  is in love in quite a different way: he is self-loving and vain. He cares for no one as much as he cares for himself.

Olivia's steward

Malvolio is Olivia's steward. That means he  looks after her estate - her house and its grounds. This is a responsible job. He has risen to a position of trust. Nevertheless, he is still her employee - more of a servant than an equal. We need to understand this in order to fully appreciate the trick played on him by Maria, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. In Elizabethan times, social status was very important. Malvolio should have realised immediately that it was impossible for a lady such as Olivia to even remotely consider marrying him.

Rude and vain

It is Malvolio's vanity - his love of himself - which leads him so readily into the trap that has been set for him. Maria captures this vanity memorably in her phrase that he is 'practising behaviour to his own shadow'. It shows  Malvolio cares more about his own opinion of himself than what others think of him.  He is happier interacting with himself than with others. We can also see this vanity in his rudeness towards others. He is so absorbed with himself that he does not consider the feelings of other people. We can see an example of his vanity when he is sent to return the ring to Cesario:

She returns this ring to you, sir: you might have saved me my pains, to have taken it away yourself. - Act II, scene ii, line 4

His sentences are short and to the point. He shows no sympathy or understanding for Cesario's disappointment. Instead he is brusque and rude, concerned only about the fact that he has wasted time and effort in chasing after Cesario with the ring. In other words, he is more concerned about the effects on himself than others' feelings.

Contrast with Sir Andrew and Sir Toby

Sir Andrew and Sir Toby are both anarchic forces in the play. They are concerned only with drunkenness and pleasure. This is  destructive behaviour in that it undermines the smooth running of society. We would get nowhere if everyone was like Andrew and Toby. However, they are also funny and humorous characters who gain the sympathy of the audience when they are on stage.

Malvolio is a complete opposite.  He tries to discipline them and persuade them to behave (Act II, scene iii, line 86). His  self-discipline  is a lot less attractive to an audience than the riotous behaviour  of the others. That is why he looks so absurd in his cross-gartered, yellow stockings: they are so totally out of character for him.

Love is madness

Love is a kind of madness. We lose all sense of reason when gripped by the powerful emotion of love. It is therefore appropriate that Malvolio is treated like a madman and confined to a dark cell. Madness comes when you don't interpret the signals from the world around you in the same way as everyone else. Separating you from those signals is one way of trying to cure that madness. It is difficult not to feel  sorry for Malvolio in this situation.

A bitter presence

He is never fully embraced  by good humour. At the end of the play, the other characters find resolution and happiness. But Malvolio is left outside this circle of charm, leaving the stage with the words: 'I'll be revenged on the pack of you!' (Act V, scene i, line 375).

Shakespeare never falsifies his endings. Malvolio remains a character who does not understand the virtues of love and respect for others. It is right that he remains a bitter presence who is never included in the happiness achieved by the others.

Twelfth Night

By William Shakespeare(HKCEE)



Malvolio has little to smile about