Beginning of Essay
The roles of Malvolio and Sir Toby in Twelfth Night In Twelfth Night, the contrasting roles of Malvolio and Sir Toby Belch help the play develop to the fullest possible extent. In one respect, the two characters work as purely comedic players, bringing joy to the ....

Middle of Essay
.... out the play's comedic overtones. Malvolio brings a powerful presence to the play when he is forced to play the fool. He who at one point defined the word puritan now finds himself in a new role: that of a cross-gartered lover. In this way, he shows himself to be a hypocrite: he "lowers himself" to the level of Toby when he becomes a player himself. Maurice Charney describes the role of Malvolio quite well, saying: "The most obvious effect of this structure is to focus attention upon Malvolio and to make him a central figure at every stage."(Charney, 160) He tries to step into an entirely different realm, one of mastership over servantry. He is s ....