Twelfth Night | Malvolio (Character Analysis)

Malvolio is Olivia's steward. Just as there is a downside to Sir Toby, there is an upside to Malvolio. To be sure, Olivia's steward is a self-inflated, pompous man, and it is precisely these character traits that make him vulnerable to the joke set up by Toby, Maria and the other light-hearted figures of the play and amplifies the humor when the plot reaches its climax. Malvolio wishes that the riot of Christmas would stop altogether. That being so, he is essentially a blocking figure who stands in the way of passion and is, in his own mind, an obstacle to the union of Olivia with any...

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