Malvolio has few obvious characteristics to recommend for sympathy. Many of the other characters seem dedicated to getting fun out of life. Malvolio—his very name means "ill will"—seems determined to stop them from enjoying themselves. He is vain, and so assumes that an elegant lady will love him rather than other men.
The scene in which Maria and Sir Toby plan to make him an object of ridicule is directly related to Malvolio's actions. Not only did he not join in the fun while Sir Toby and Sir Andrew were drinking and singing with the Clown, but he also criticized their activities as unworthy. Maria had chided them for being loud, so the objection is not the real problem. Malvolio questions their honesty, and accuses them of having no respect for place or persons, then says he speaks on Olivia's behalf, threatening to throw them out.
But what follows...
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sets up the beginnings of sympathy for Malvolio and a hint that it is what Shakespeare intended. Nobility, for Shakespeare, is both birthright and behavior. While Sir Toby could be loud and bawdy, he should not be unkind. Malvolio is Olivia's steward, and thus a commoner. Sir Toby goes out of his way to remind him of this.
[...] Art any more than a
steward? Dost thou think, because thou art
virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?
While Malvolio does have an exaggerated opinion of his own virtue, he believes he is doing his job. His behavior does not seem enough to merit the complicated plot that Maria concocts, writing a fake letter that will mislead him into believing himself beloved. The subsequent scenes when he presents himself as looking ridiculous, cross-gartered in yellow stockings, serve to cement the modern audiences' sympathies and to suggest that Shakespeare did intend him to be at least somewhat sympathetic.
Many critics agree that Malvolio, and more specifically how his character develops through the treatment of him by other characters, makes him one of the most complex and profound characters in the play. Certainly, as the play begins and we are introduced to Malvolio, he is a figure to poke fun at with his serious, "Puritan" attitudes to service and life. Certainly Feste, who could be said to be the force of chaos in the play, thinks so, with his confrontation with Malvolio. This feeling of amusement continues as Malvolio is gulled and with the famous "yellow stocking" scene, which is a sure crowd-pleaser. However, what becomes definitely more dubious is the treatment of Malvolio when he is locked up and Feste, disguised as Sir Topas, tries to convince him he is mad. This is where the audience begins to feel sympathy for him and we begin to feel the joke has gone on too far. Certainly his last explosive line in the play suggests that he is not re-admitted into the "happy ending" of this comedy, leaving us with the impression that, in spite of his faults and arrogance, he is a character who has suffered in a manner that is disproportionate to his crimes.