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Essay / Dark and disturbing characters in Twelfth Night
In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare creates a duality between the worlds of the nobility and their associates and the so-called “outsiders”. There is a large element of selfishness involved in the actions of characters considered "in fashion" as they wander around the room drunk on love or alcohol and immersed in their personal agendas. Whether it's Olivia, Orsino, Viola and Sebastian immersed in their love story or Sir Toby, Maria, Feste and Fabian hatching malicious plots, there's a sense that everyone is for themselves and that the Much of the humor comes from someone else's unfortunate spending. Characters who do not participate in the schemes developed by the influential figures end up being manipulated or played by these schemes. Due to the humorous qualities of Viola's disguise, Malvolio's presumption, and Sir Andrew's madness, much of the play's harsh connotations are lost in its complex and funny nature. Additionally, the brisk, fast-paced pace that facilitates Twelfth Night helps distract the audience's attention from the used and abused characters that haunt the plot. Fittingly, the play ends with great emphasis on the comic resolution of the love square of Olivia, Sebastian, Orsino, and Viola and little importance on those who have been dragged along the path. This neglect of showing the whole unpleasant picture is essentially what deems Twelfth Night a comedy. The play pays no attention to the outcome of the "outsiders" and assumes that the audience will forget them, as did any outside character. But as its alternate title (What You Will) indicates, this is a play that can be seen and judged from many different angles and perspectives. Therefore, when considering the roles of Malvolio, Antonio, and Sir Andrew, it becomes apparent that Twelfth Night is in fact a disturbing play that only finds humor through the sacrifice of others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Malvolio's case is one of teasing, which was initially deserved, gone wrong. He is presented from the start to the audience as an easy target, annoying and always tempting to make fun of. He is seen at the beginning of the play condemning Feste as a mere fool, but he really strikes a chord when he interrupts Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste's late-night racket. For there is something eternally annoying to the average person about someone who behaves out of their element and exceeds the authority of their status. "My masters, are you mad? Or what are you? Have you no wit, no manners, no honesty but to chatter like tinkers at this hour of the night? Are you running a tavern in my lady's house, to shout the catches of your comforters without softening or remorse of voice? Here, Malvolio condescendingly scolds Sir Toby and his companions for their drunken and noisy behavior. This scene sets up the disdain that will lead to Malvolio's demise because Malvolio is only a servant. His contribution is completely inappropriate and arouses hatred among noisy partygoers. As Malvolio immediately reveals himself to be cocky and self-righteous, the crowd is able to laugh and revel in the trick Maria and Sir Toby have come up with. This is perfectly fitting because it is Malvolio's own presumption that allows the trick to work and make him believe that Olivia actually loves him. But the situation becomes dark and unpleasant following his imprisonment and his flirtation with madness. The conspirators find themselves immersed in clashes with Viola-Cesario and Sebastian and forget the servant whose heart they have played and manipulated. Screamingin agony and plunged into darkness, Malvolio is further wronged by Feste who pretends to be Sir Topas and infuriates Malvolio beyond measure. Feste, whose character carries his own dark depths, questions reason and plays with words in an attempt to frustrate the abused servant and drive him crazy. This last measure is born out of sheer cruelty and is undoubtedly the point where even some viewers must consider the harshness of Malvolio's treatment and its injustice. Because when we remember the roots of this joke, it becomes clear that he committed no crime and harmed no one. Sir Toby and his fellow conspirators were simply angered by Malvolio's bold condemnation of their behavior and lashed out at him to alleviate this insecurity. Sir Toby uses it to facilitate his own entertainment. Likewise, he uses Sir Andrew to accommodate his lazy, alcoholic lifestyle. Sir Andrew is a unique character because although he is from the nobility, he remains an “outsider”. His stupidity and foolish nature place him somewhat outside the circle of conspirators and certainly outside the square of love. Sir Toby manipulates Sir Andrew in a manner comparable to Malvolio as he convinces Sir Andrew that he is capable of reaching Olivia's hand. He does this in order to keep Sir Andrew around, as Sir Toby is rather broke and wouldn't be able to enjoy his jobless, alcohol-inducing lifestyle without him. Sir Andrew is so stupid that he is very easily fooled into thinking he will be with Olivia. In fact, it's his craziness that makes this circumstance rather amusing and innocent on the surface. But his lack of intelligence does not take away his ability to have feelings. Sir Andrew's heart is coerced and deceived in the same way as Malvolio's. Just as it was cruel in Malvolio's case, so it is here for this noble idiot whose only crime was not being born with enough intelligence. Beyond that, there are several times where the audience's laughter comes solely at Sir Andrew's expense. He is dragged through the play without ever saying the right thing, sometimes being the butt of jokes and rarely receiving jokes directed at others ("His c's, his u's and his t's: why that?"). And again, it is difficult for the audience to consider the likely darkness of their emotions as the play's complex plot rapidly develops. Yet at times, such as in Act 1, Scene III, Sir Andrew alludes to the sadness he feels: “I was adored. once too." The fact that he behaves stupidly and is not too intelligent serves as an excuse for Sir Toby to manipulate him throughout the play. In the seemingly comical act 3, scene IV , Sir Toby puts Sir Andrew in a state of great fear by making him fight Viola and convincing him that Viola is a cunning fighter. This presents itself as a funny collaboration of events, especially since the audience knows that. Viola is harmless, but there is something undeniably cynical about Sir Toby's deliberate placement of his "friend" in a terrible situation. The realities of his opinion of Sir Andrew are finally revealed in Act 5 when Sir Andrew, seeking companionship in a time of mutual harm, is written off by Sir Toby as "a fool, a burly fellow, a gaunt-faced knave and rascal , a seagull". After declaring his desire to go to the doctor together to treat the injuries sustained as a result of Sir Toby's trick, Sir Andrew is harshly rejected as the true colors of Sir Toby's feelings are shown. These Sir Toby's final lines are very important in that they ensure the malevolence of his intentions throughout and force the audience to.