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What is an example of malapropism in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?
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An example of malapropism in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night occurs in Act 1, Scene 3, when Sir Toby Belch mistakenly uses "subtractors" instead of "detractors," and in Act 1, Scene 5, when he misinterprets "lethargy" as "lechery." These mix-ups contribute to the comedic portrayal of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew as foolish characters. Malapropisms are used for humor by substituting similar-sounding words with different meanings, highlighting the characters' lack of understanding.
A malapropism is a comic substitution of one word for another or a word mixup that is meant to raise laughs. An example of a malapropism occurs in Twelfth Night in the first act, scene three, when Sir Toby Belch mixes up the words subtractors and detractors. After Maria puts down his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Sir Toby responds:
They are scoundrels and subtractors
That say so of him.
The "s" in subtractors makes for better alliteration but, in fact, people who put other people down are called detractors. Sir Toby drinks too much (Belch is an apt surname) and people who drink tend to mix up their words.
Sir Andrew also engages in malapropisms: he mistakes Sir Toby's meaning when Sir Toby tells his to "accost" Maria, thinking accost is her name. Sir Andrew greets her as "Good Mistress Accost." Of course, what Sir Toby means is that Andrew should make...
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sexual advances towards Maria. When Maria corrects Sir Andrew by saying her name is Mary, her repeats the mistake, this time calling her Good Mistress Mary Accost.
These malapropisms help characterize Sir Andrew and Sir Toby as the comic fools they are in the play.
Malapropism happens when a speaker mistakes a word to
create comedy. Usually the words have multiple syllables and sound alike but
are different in meaning. Dr. Wheeler gives the example of when a maid falls
into the river in Tarzan of the Apes and exclaims, "I sho'nuff don't want to be
eaten by no river allegories, no sir!" (Dr. Wheeler, "Literary Terms and
Definitions").
One example of malapropism in Twelfth Night can be
found in Act 1, Scene 5. Sir Toby has come to
report that there is a messenger at the door, and Olivia is absolutely repulsed
to find that he is already drunk so early in the day, as we see in her line,
"Cousin, cousin, how have you come so early by this lethargy" (115-16). By
"lethargy," she is referring to the drowsiness or dullness that's a symptom of
drunkenness; however, Sir Toby mistakes it, either
intentionally or unintentionally, for the word "lechery,"
meaning "lewdness," or excessive sexual desires, as we see him state in his
declaration, "Lechery! I defy lechery" (eNotes, 117).
References