Twelfth Night teacher's guide - California Shakespeare Theater

NOT ON THE GUEST LIST: Malvolio
“M – M – why, that begins my name!”
-Malvolio, Act 2, Scene 5
Malvolio is one of the most popular characters Shakespeare created,
enduring the test of time to become the iconically repressive, badtempered,
righteous boss that no one likes. He is a puritanical, misguided
man who believes he should have power over others, although he is only a
head steward in Olivia’s household.
His very name means “ill-wisher,” and for his pains to make the world a
well-behaved and efficient place to live, he takes all the joy out of any
proceedings and any people. He is full of self-love, believing he is right
above all others. He consistently binds others to his will and finds himself
bound in the end, both in his cross-gartering (they do cause some
obstruction in the blood) and being kept in a small dark prison. These
circumstances reflect his own restricted world-view.
However, Malvolio does have a somewhat sympathetic, although silly, side.
He wants to marry Olivia, the countess whom he serves. He imagines this
will gain him a title (although he is mistaken in the idea that he would gain
the title of “count” by marrying a countess; she would have to relinquish
her title to marry beneath her social station). He daydreams with special
enjoyment of a “branched velvet gown,” meaning that it is of such fine material that only the very rich
and most important would be allowed to wear it. Malvolio falls in love with the idea of being Count
Malvolio, and his desperate attempts to smile and wear ridiculous clothes to please his lady make us
laugh at him as well as and sympathize with him—who among us has not wished to be so in love, even
if it is a delusion?
Try This:
In Malvolio’s Shoes (or Yellow Stockings)
Malvolio is the only character who actually is quite unhappy at the end of the play, even
though it is a comedy.
Ask yourself:
Do you think Malvolio deserved his punishment?
Do people take Malvolio seriously? Should they pay more attention to his feelings?
How do you think Malvolio should be treated by others?
See the Character Backstory on page 35 for an in-depth exercise into Malvolio’s mind.
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