Character Analysis of Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare´s Twelfth Night

“And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.”

"I protested I was not a warrior. Verily I made all the excuses and pleadings that I could imagine might have effect upon this rude company of beings. I demanded that the interpreter convey my words to Buliwyf, and yet he turned away and left the hall, saying this last speech: ‘Prepare yourself as you think best. You shall leave on the morning light.'"

Malvolio’s easy acceptance of this and quick transformation from stiff servant to yellow stocking wearing “puritan” heightens his foolishness, as it was unheard of in Victorian times for Mistresses of the house to marry stewards and vice versa. This would immediately create comic effect for Victorian audiences as they would view his ambition as futile. “To for my kinsman Toby.” The extent of Malvolio’s fantasy is illustrated here by his unwanted familiarity with Sir Toby. The lack of punctuation in this quick declaration, creates a rushed tone of glee reminiscent of an adolescent and uncharacteristic of Malvolio who had previously been depicted as conservative and stiff. The use of repetition in addressing Sir Toby as family is again shown when he calls him “Cousin Toby” this cycle of familiarity shows the desperate tone that Malvolio adopts in trying to marry Olivia as he has completely deluded himself into thinking that he has already transcended social hierachy, and the repetition serves to illustrate how fast Malvolio falls into his fantasies. This transformation succeeds in creating confusion as to Malvolio’s true nature as he had previously been described as “puritan” however, seems to be displaying none of the typical

Immediately as the speech begins, Henry’s tone manifests itself and remains unwavering. Henry begins, “It is natural for a man to indulge in the illustration of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth” (1). This sheds insight on his message and portrays him as a well versed individual. He then strengthens his tone when he says

In spite of the promise of three weddings to be celebrated, the play concludes on a sour note when Feste, the clown, depicts life as grim, "for the rain it raineth every day" (Act V Scene i). They play’s primary central theme is that of the comic relationships between men and women. Furthermore, it illustrates the traditional, societal notions of “interdependence, and the newly emerging attitudes towards individual choice and personal desire, or as the play puts it, ‘will’” (Malcolmson 163). Although Twelfth Night is a story of love and courtship, nevertheless, it is also a “comedy of gender,” because of its ability to override the traditional Elizabethan notions of the female role through the characters of Viola and Olivia.

his life from that point on. Basil and Lord Henry are floored and laugh at

Henry starts his speech by establishing his purpose and the urgency of the matter, he is speaking on “This is no

The nobleman’s eyebrow shot higher into his hairline, and murmurs- verbal and mental- broke out across the crowd. Charles ignored them, and went on. “If you’ll spare him for the night- and I think you can, as we’ve all had our show,” he said. “I plan to seek the general in the morning.”

Richard is speaking about how he came into this world an unfinished person and for that he hates God and his creations. Even though he hates God, he still uses him to gain leverage on people like the Mayor and the Citizens. He fakes praying and has Buckingham tell the people he is:

when the narrator remarks to himself, “He went on talking. He evidently took it for granted that I was on

Malvolio is a social climber, he feels that if Olivia would love him his status would be higher. But because of

Sir Toby then tells Malvolio to go hang himself. From this example we can see that Malvolio’s adherence to the rules makes him a target for Sir Toby to poke fun at. It is this adherence to the rules that makes Malvolio a perfect character for members of the audience to either sympathize with or to join Sir Toby in poking fun at him.

Malvolio?s conceitedness was broken and then he sees that he did not truly love Olivia, but was only flattered that he had been loved by someone so beautiful and young.

After the Danish coast-guard meets and talks to Beowulf, the guard then begins his next speech with a brief maxim or aphorism:

Comedies and tragedies also differ in their audience appeal. Hazlitt tells us when watching comedy "we laugh at what disappoints our expectations in trifles." But Henri Bergson warns us to expect laughter without feeling. Bergson also believes that a group is necessary for comedy to work. George Meredith says that comedy is dependent on a society where there is social freedom and common sense. This may be why Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard is seen by some as a comedy but not by others. Since it comments on social change, the humor would be a strain for Russian audiences who lack the social freedom necessary to laugh at such ideas. Tragedy, on the other hand, evokes fear and pity according