How is Malvolio presented in act 3, scene 4 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?

Twelfth Night's act 3, scene 4, has been set up in the "gulling of Malvolio" scene. As a result, it offers the audience comic satisfaction. Like the gulling scene, in which Malvolio finds the counterfeit letter, this scene offers a strong sense of why Malvolio is despised by the most comical characters in the play.

Here, having taken the bait, Malvolio comes to Olivia in yellow stockings with a ridiculous grin on his face. He misreads the situation entirely, crosses all sorts of boundaries with Olivia, and refuses to take correction. In this way, while we can sympathize with Malvolio for being yet another person in the play whose love is unrequited, his error comes from thinking far too highly of himself and far too scornfully of most everyone else. His lack of self-awareness and his lack of understanding of his presumed love object makes his role as a lover entirely comic.

One of Malvolio's distinct qualities is his lack of openness. Here, he largely parrots what he thinks is Olivia's language in the letter. In other scenes, he rarely advances an idea of his own. He seeks to shut down other's enjoyment and preens himself as a person of significance. In all ways, he lacks the spirit of comedy, which involves a bit of humility and an acceptance of folly. As a result, this scene is both Maria and Sir Toby's (but also the comic play's) revenge on the character who sought to deny a comic perspective.

The closing of the scene, when Malvolio again overtly insults Sir Toby and Maria, offers the satisfaction of revenge:

Go, hang yourselves all! you are idle shallow things: I am not of your element: you shall know more hereafter.

At this point, the plot against Malvolio turns crueler, but here in the middle of the play, this is sweet revenge for his having denied the spirit of revelry.

What role does Malvolio serve in Twelfth Night?

Let us remember that Malvolio is at the heart of one of the central conflicts in the play. Twelfth Night was actually an important festival in Elizabethan times, that celebrated one last final raucous celebration of excess before the Christmas season was over and long, dark and difficult January began. In this play, the party spirit is represented by Sir Toby Belch, whose antics and desire to celebrated is matched by the dour and serious demeanour of Malvolio, who represents Puritan sacrifice in all of its black and white seriousness. Consider their confrontation in Act II scene 3, when Malvolio is awakened by the noise that Sir Toby and his cronies are making. Sir Toby delivers a very important line in this scene:

Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?

The supposed virtue of Malvolio is matched against the die-hard party spirit of Sir Toby, which of course leads to Maria's stratagem to make Malvolio look ridiculous.

This leads us to the second function of Malvolio. The way he is made to believe that his mistress is in love with him is one of the most hilarious elements of the play. Malvolio's self-love and his arrogance in showing himself so easily persuaded that Olivia is in love with him shows the dangers of ambition and of thinking ourselves to be more than we are.

Lastly, I would also argue that the character of Malvolio is important in the way that his presence strikes a discordant note in this otherwise light-hearted comedy. There is a sense in which Act IV scene 2, in which Feste plays with Malvolio as he is locked up, presents a punishment that is more than is deserved. Making Malvolio doubt his own sanity is pitiful and makes us feel sympathy for him, in spite of his many sins. Malvolio's final line in the final scene of the play, "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you!", should make us question if this really is a comedy, and if it is, at what price the humour has been bought.

What role does Malvolio serve in Twelfth Night?

To some extent, Malvolio acts as the antagonist to many of the play's characters. He is extremely critical and judgmental of Maria, Sirs Toby and Andrew, and even Feste. But at the same time, many of the play's characters dislike and are critical of Malvolio, which turns him into just as much of a victim as he is an antagonist and creates the conflict of the play's subplot.

The first character we see Malvolio being critical of is Feste. In the first act, Olivia is angered because Feste has been away from her household for so long and demands that Feste be taken away when he shows up again, Feste soothes her by making a witticism about her prolonged grief over her brother. When Olivia asks Malvolio if he thinks Feste's foolery improves over time, Malvolio responds by insulting Feste, even stating he is surprised that Olivia finds Feste so amusing, as we see in Malvolio's lines:

I marvel your ladyship takes delight in such a barren rascal; I saw him put down the other day with an ordinary fool that has no more brain than a stone. (I.v.76-78)

Later, Malvolio further insults Maria and Sirs Andrew and Toby. Maria is trying to quiet down Sirs Andrew and Toby who are acting a bit wild late at night due to drunkenness, but Malvolio interprets her behavior as encouraging them, and he comes out to scold the lot of them, accusing them of being mad and having "no wit, manners, nor honesty" (II.iii.81-82). Malvolio's behavior angers Maria so much that he becomes not only the antagonist but also the victim of Maria's prank. In addition, Malvolio creates conflict between himself and the other characters, and that conflict culminates in Malvolio being victimized by Maria's prank and locked up in a dark room as a madman. Hence, we see that Malvolio's function is as the antagonist, which leads to the climax of the subplot.

What role does Malvolio serve in Twelfth Night?

Malviolio serves several functions. First of all, he is comic relief. He is arrogant and pompous and, in many ways, he gets his comeuppance when he is tricked into thinking Olivia loves him.

Also, Malvolio's character acts as a foil to Viola's. He is foolishly forward in his advances while she is cautious in hers. He is outspoken, and takes the letter he receives at face value, assuming it is "his lady's "c"s, "u"s and "p"s that he sees. The fact that he is so easily duped here suggests that, though he speaks much, he knows little about Olivia, so little that he can't even recognize her handwriting, never mind the content of what she says.

Viola, on the other hand, is not quick to presume she is loved. While Malvolio is forward, Viola is reticent. She hints at her feelings for Orsinio but does not share them with him (beyond the story she tells). In contrast to Malvolio, Viola has studied her love and knows everything there is to know about him.

By juxtaposing Viola's approach to love with Malvolio's, we see her virtue as plainly as we see Malvolio's vice.

In Twelfth Night, what role does Malvolio imagine for himself?

"You are sick of self-love", Olivia tells Malvolio, "and taste with a distempered appetite". And he is: he genuinely thinks he is fantastic. So before I tell you the things that Malvolio fancies himself as, I could just tell you that Malvolio fancies himself. He does.

Maria, in Act 1, Scene 5, gives a pretty good analysis of his character:

The devil a puritan that he is, or any thing constantly, but a time-pleaser; an affectioned ass, that cons state without book and utters it by great swarths: the best persuaded of himself, so crammed, as he thinks, with excellencies, that it is his grounds of faith that all that look on him love him; and on that vice in him will my revenge find notable cause to work.

Malvolio is not a puritan (it's not about religion), nor does he do anything constantly. But he changes his mind constantly, according to the fashion of the time. So he fancies himself fashionable.

He also fancies himself as an intellectual: he learns quotes from books by heart and quotes them back.

And lastly he also fancies himself as hugely attractive. He thinks that everyone loves him. And we all know people like that!

There's one more thing. When he comes into the gulling, Malvolio is dreaming aloud:

MALVOLIO
To be Count Malvolio!

Malvolio fancies himself as an aristocrat: as someone worthy of being a count. And that's key to why he wants to believe the letter so much: it'd bump him up a few rungs.

Hope it helps!

Who is Malvolio in Twelfth Night?

Malvolio is the steward of Olivia, a countess of Illyria, in Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night. Malvolio is certainly not the nicest person in the world. He is ambitious and self-centered, focused mostly on his own opinions and goals. For instance, when Malvolio fails to appreciate the wisdom and wit of Feste, Olivia tells her steward, “Oh, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio, and taste with a distempered appetite” (act 1, scene 5).

Maria drops a “love letter” supposedly from Olivia addressed to Malvolio, and the steward's dreams of grandeur soar to new heights as he reads it. He pictures himself in a position of great authority as Count Malvolio, haughtily scorning his enemies, especially Sir Toby, and insisting they follow his rules, or else. Malvolio wants Olivia herself only to a point. He wants the status she would give him even more. Again, he is ambitious.

Malvolio also stands as the enemy of all revelry throughout the play. He scolds and threatens Sir Toby and Sir Andrew for their carousing. He punishes Fabian for the latter's participation in bear-baiting by lowering his status in the household. Indeed, Malvolio is an annoyance to nearly everyone with his self-righteous rigidity.

That said, however, the prank Maria, Sir Toby, and their companions play on Malvolio turns from silliness to cruelty when the pranksters lock Malvolio up as a madman and nearly drive him mad in the process. When he is released in the end, the last we hear from Malvolio is a vow of revenge against everyone as he storms off the stage, and it becomes difficult to blame him for that. He might be a self-centered fool, but he's still a human being who has been badly mistreated.

What is Malvolio's dramatic function in Twelfth Night?

Twelfth Night is a comedy which takes place in a country called Illyria. This is important, since the name of the country implies illness.  This illness isn't physical but mental and emotional and seems to affect everybody to a greater or lesser degree.

The play was written during the rise of the Puritans and Malvolio is a wonderful example of Puritan ideas.  His name implies his nature. He a strict, no nonsense kind of man.  He doesn't seem to find any joy in life.  Secretly he desires Olivia but in reality knows this is not possible.  When he "finds" the letter, he drops his guard and begins to believe that life with Olivia is possible after all.  He becomes the source of humor for both Toby and company and the audience.

Malovilo can also be seen as the new whereas Feste is the old.  By this I mean that Feste was the jester of Olivia's father and represents the good old days.  Note the name again, Feste, festive, happy, etc.  Malvolio on the other hand is newer, probably never knew Olivia's father.  He represents the new order.  Also his name is important, mal, bad.

At the end of the play everybody seems to be happy except Malvolio who storms off stating that he will be revenged on the whole group. Since the Puritans eventually succeeded in taking over England, one could say Malvolio won in the end.