Twelfth Night 2

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

now finds himself in a new role: that of a cross-gartered lover. In this way, he shows himself to be a hypocrite: he "lowers himself" to the level of Toby when he becomes a player himself. Maurice Charney describes the role of Malvolio quite well, saying: "The most obvious effect of this structure is to focus attention upon Malvolio and to make him a central figure at every stage."(Charney, 160) He tries to step into an entirely different realm, one of mastership over servantry. He is socially inferior to Olivia, causing his hopes to be looked at as mere presumptions. What Malvolio fails to see is that his marriage to Olivia should be dismissed as nothing more than a dream of power (Malcolmson, 36).
Sir Toby displays the characteristics of a comedic role as well. In some cases, he livens up the play with purely sophomoric phrases. He professes characteristics of what some may call "dumb wit". C.L. Barber makes the point very clear when she says: "Sir Toby is witty without being ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

regard to love and longing.
In terms of love, the sentiments of Malvolio and Sir Toby violently oppose each other, and in that right help the viewer of the play to understand the world of Shakespeare's fabrication. In the words of Maurice Charney, "Shakespeare's world doubles or mirrors our own world." (Charney, 161) In this respect, the figures of Malvolio and Sir Toby may represent the different sides of love as seen through the eyes of various characters; the vast degree of difference in views between the two characters aids in emphasizing the feelings and intentions of other characters. For example, Malvolio parallels Cesario because both are servants that would give their all to ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: