Madeline on Malvolio

Malvolio (Madeline Cripe)

(painting by Daniel Maclise 1806-1870).

The true problem of Malvolio is his arrogance. Although, it is hard to tell for sure if he is consciously aware of his ignorance or not. It is also safe to say that even though he is portrayed as a “bonehead” within the play the audience does eventually start to feel bad for him.

First of all, Malvolio is Olivia’s steward in the play not a servant. This means that in Elizabethan England he would be in charge of all the male servants on the estate. Which is ironic because this seems to be where he gets a large amount of his arrogance from, even-though just like the servants he still works for the lady of the house. It is also interesting to note how literate Malvolio is presented in the play, considering the fact he is a part of the working classes himself, which could also be an element to his arrogance. This also means that Malvolio was not in-charge or higher up than Maria, Sir Toby Belch, or Sir Andrew. Maria is noted to be of an equal to Malvolio in-charge of all the female servants on the estates, and it should also be noted that she seems to be just as literate as he. Also Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew are foolish noblemen/knights well above his ranking. It is humorous that Shakespeare gives Malvolio such an egotistical problem due to the fact that he is just a steward. It is also funny that the knights in the play are viewed as obnoxious men who earn little respect for their actions. “Nothing that is so, is so” (4.1, 7).

It is in-fact Malvolio’s pompousness that gets him into the troublesome scheme at the end of the play. Since Malvolio went out of his way to demand respect from his equals one too many times, they deceived a plan to bring him back down to reality. Malvolio thinks so much of himself that he actually believes he could have a chance at being with the lady of the house. Which is yet another example of Malvolio’s arrogance problem, the way he speaks of Olivia being in love with him makes it sound like he might be more in love with the idea of becoming Count Malvolio. “Having been three months married to her, sitting in my state/ Calling my officers about me, in my branched/ velvet gown, having come from a daybed where I have left Olivia sleeping/ and then to have the humor of state and, after a/ demure travel of regard, telling them I know my place as I/ would they should do theirs/” (2.5, 39-49). Surely he deserved to messed with a little bit, but no one deserves to have their heart crushed as he did when he saw Olivia was already married to Sebastian.