Malvolio is a fictional character in William Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night, or What You Will. He is the vain, pompous steward of Olivia’s household .
What is Malvolio’s job?
Malvolio is one of the main sources of humour in Twelfth Night. In the later part of the play a different side of him is exposed. Malvolio is Olivia’s steward and his job is to manage Olivia’s house ; he is her chief servant.
What Malvolio means?
Malvolio is a serious and sober character who has secret ambitions to become a nobleman . He is rude, overbearing and insults Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Maria and Feste. To get revenge they trick him with a forged letter, into believing that the Countess Olivia wants to marry him.
What is Twelfth Night’s alternate title?
Twelfth Night is about illusion, deception, disguises, madness, and the extraordinary things that love will cause us to do—and to see. Twelfth Night is the only one of Shakespeare’s plays to have an alternative title: the play is actually called Twelfth Night, or What You Will.
Who forged the letter that Malvolio thinks is from Olivia?
Maria, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew deceive Malvolio into believing that Olivia is in love with him by forging love letters from Olivia to Malvolio. Maria comes up with the idea of tricking uptight Malvolio after he threatens to tell Olivia about Sir Toby and Sir Andrew’s drunken fun.
Why does Malvolio marry Olivia?
Malvolio wants to marry Olivia in Twelfth Night primarily because this marriage would give him wealth and social status . Perhaps most importantly, it would make him the head of Olivia’s family, giving him power over Sir Toby Belch, Olivia’s uncle, with whom he has a long-running feud.
Why is Malvolio disliked?
In Twelfth Night, Malvolio is disliked because of his stiffness, priggishness, and insufferable self-regard . He is easily fooled by Maria’s “love letter” that he believes is from Olivia, giving in to his pride and vanity as he fantasizes about becoming Count Malvolio.
How is Malvolio arrogant?
In his arrogance, Malvolio overlooks the fact that it would be highly unlikely for a woman of Olivia’s social position to fall in love with a servant . The line also shows his ambition, and desire to rise to a higher station in life. ... Malvolio is not very self-aware and not good at noticing what is going on around him.
Is Malvolio selfish?
Malvolio’s first appearance is in Act I Scene 5. His humourless...show more content... So, from being rude and offensive earlier on in the scene to Feste, he is now obedient and loyal. ... Malvolio is then rude and selfish to Viola/Cesario because he obviously feels that he is more important than him.
Is Malvolio a man?
Malvolio is a character in Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night. Malvolio is the steward (chief of staff) of a wealthy lady, Olivia. ... Malvolio appears in most scenes and is characterised throughout as a puritanical, fun-spoiling, pompous, humourless man.
What does 12th night signify?
The title of Twelfth Night refers to the twelfth night of Christmas , also referred to as the eve of Epiphany, a day that commemorates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus and is often celebrated with a temporary suspension of rules and social orders.
Why does Twelfth Night have two titles?
Regardless of whether or not Shakespeare was being dismissive or flippant, the second title seems to invite the audience to make “what [we] will” of the play – what it means, why it matters (if it matters at all), and so forth.
Why Twelfth Night is named so?
Shakespeare titled his play Twelfth Night because it was written as a celebration of the twelfth night of Christmas . This was the last night of the Christmas season, sometimes called the Eve of Epiphany. ... Twelfth Night was, therefore, the end of the “party period” surrounding the birth of Christ.
Is Orsino in love with Cesario?
Orsino admits that he himself is very fond of Cesario , but it is more important that he have his revenge against Olivia. He accuses Olivia of being cruel and spiteful despite her beautiful appearance, comparing her to a raven hidden inside the appearance of a dove.
Why does Maria not like Malvolio?
Maria dislikes Malvolio for his pompous attitude . Because of his supervisor-level status as Olivia ‘s steward, he bosses the other servants around and believes he is better than them. He also acts like a “puritan,” which means that he disapproves of drinking and other forms of merrymaking.
Who is Orsino in love with?
Orsino is the first character to appear on stage. He is the Duke of Illyria and is hopelessly in love with Olivia . His opening line If music be the food of love play on introduces the main themes of the play and has become one of the most famous lines of Shakespeare.
