Shakespeare A to Z | Malvolio
Malvolio is the main object of ridicule in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and the focus of the play’s comic subplot. He is the ill-tempered steward, or guardian, of the heroine Olivia, who is herself the object of Duke Orsino’s affection. Like Orsino, Malvolio wishes to marry Olivia—not because he loves her, however, but because the marriage would make him a nobleman. In contrast to most of the other characters, many of whom are fun-loving, high-spirited members of the duke’s court, Malvolio is pompous, prudish, and conceited, with no tolerance for what he regards as frivolous...
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