What kind of play is Twelfth Night? This question has probably been raised by many readers of Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night and has moreover become a central aspect of discussion for numerous critics. It is thus not surprising to find several approaches of defining the tone, style or genre of the play in annotated editions, essays and study books. (cf. Cambridge School Shakespeare, Longman Study Texts) Although there are many ways of interpreting Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night I want to spotlight one distinctive perspective, as it somewhat resembles the initial platform for this essay.
“A very amusing and charming play, sunny and always enjoyable. Filled with innocent laughter and preposterous situations, it has a happy ending which restores harmony […]. All the characters are likeable and funny […] even Malvolio has his comic appeal, especially when he gets what he deserves at the play’s end. The whole play is simply a delightful entertainment which must never be taken seriously.” (Gibson 1993, 156)
Following this interpretation of Twelfth Night however, the reader will miss much of the content that lies behind the comic apparel. Twelfth Night is not always enjoyable, as it often manages to shift the attention from the light play of love and illusion towards the more serious and worrying fate of characters like Malvolio. At yet another point in his review Gibson offers a more suitable angle to Twelfth Night: “An upsetting play which seems light and amusing on the surface yet has dark and harsh depths. It is an uneasy play about outsiders who lose” (157). According to this quote, I argue that Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is more than just a pure comedy and even has tragic elements to it. Malvolio’s function is not simply to serve as the embodiment of a self-centred and self-loving man, who needs to be taught a lesson, but he is the victim of a cruel prank, which eventually leads to his collapse in person as well as in reputation.
Thus it will be the main focus of this paper to rethink Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night as a play beyond comedy. It shall be discussed whether a classification as the one quoted earlier, grasps the whole meaning of the play or whether there are more layers to it – even underlying tragedies. With regard to David Willbern and his essay Malvolio’s Fall (1978) emphasis will be put on the character of Malvolio and the question, if there is anything like a tragic fall in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Comedy and Tragedy in Shakespeare and Twelfth Night
2.1. Shakespeare’s Literary Work
2.2. Tragedy Versus Comedy
2.3. Twelfth Night
3. Malvolio’s Fall?!
3.1 The Character of Malvolio
3.2 The Play Within the Play
3.3. Cruel Punishment
4. Conclusion
5. References
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper examines William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" beyond its traditional classification as a light-hearted comedy. By focusing on the character arc of Malvolio, the author explores the play's deeper, underlying tragic elements and the severe, often cruel, nature of the humiliation he suffers at the hands of the other characters.
- The intersection and blurring of boundaries between comedy and tragedy in Shakespearean drama.
- Malvolio’s complex role as both a target of mockery and a tragic figure of social displacement.
- The impact of Puritanism, social ambition, and the "mystery of identity" within the plot.
- The critical analysis of the "prank" as a mechanism of exclusion rather than mere festive entertainment.
- The unresolved nature of the play's conclusion regarding justice and social harmony.
Extract from the Book
3.2. The Play Within the Play
Whether the reader or audience feels sympathy with Malvolio or not, he is anyhow generally agreed to be an utmost egoist, mainly characterized by his enormous ambitions to rise in social class and rank. Maria uses these exact ambitions to trick him into a prank, where she fakes a letter from Olivia in order to make Malvolio believe that his lady is in love and wishes to marry him. Sir Toby as well as Andrew and probably the audience of the time as well find this imagination of Malvolio hilarious not only because of his deserving unpleasant personality but also because this fantasy goes against the laws of the contemporary class systems, as an aristocratic woman would not usually marry beneath her rank.
Referring to his fall, Inge Leimberg states that it surely must have been because of a woman, when a man so in control of his feelings and emotions, suddenly starts stumbling and falls into someone’s trap:
“Love is blind, and self-love in love, or rather infatuation with a woman (who, necessarily, has to be a great lady) is doubly blind. […] . And it is largely due to the self-lover’s complete lack of self-knowledge that we are moved to pity and terror in Twelfth Night 2.5..” (Leimberg 1991, 81)
Moreover, in this quotation Leimberg already hints at the emotional extent of the trick that is played on Malvolio. To the terror that we feel over Malvolio’s greenness adds the pity we have for him when he is being displayed in front of all the others. Palmer aptly states that “Malvolio is betrayed by his own self-conceit when he suspects no trickery in the outrageous invitations of the letter” (Palmer 1967, 214). He rather believes in fate, when he says “I do not fool myself, to let imagination jade me, for every reason excites to this, that my lady loves me” (II.5.164-166).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The chapter introduces the central research question by questioning the standard classification of Twelfth Night as purely comic, suggesting it contains deeper tragic layers.
2. Comedy and Tragedy in Shakespeare and Twelfth Night: This section provides a theoretical framework for Shakespeare's literary work and the historical genre definitions, arguing against strict separations between comedy and tragedy.
2.1. Shakespeare’s Literary Work: This chapter contextualizes Shakespeare's career, noting the influence of his upbringing, education, and the socio-political climate of Elizabethan England.
2.2. Tragedy Versus Comedy: The chapter explores the ambiguity of genre classification, highlighting how Shakespeare intentionally blends tragic and comic elements to create more complex, realistic narratives.
2.3. Twelfth Night: This chapter applies the previous theoretical considerations to the play, questioning why it is labeled a comedy despite its troubling undertones and the tragic arc of its antagonist.
3. Malvolio’s Fall?!: The chapter centers on Malvolio, exploring themes of identity, social status, and whether his downfall signifies a tragic end or a deserved consequence of his personality.
3.1. The Character of Malvolio: An analysis of Malvolio’s role as the household steward, his puritanical nature, and his internal conflict between duty and personal ambition.
3.2. The Play Within the Play: This section details the psychological manipulation involved in the forged letter prank and how Malvolio’s ambition blinds him to the reality of his social position.
3.3. Cruel Punishment: The chapter discusses the intensity of Malvolio’s humiliation and imprisonment, framing it as a shift from a "comic" prank to a serious, potentially tragic mental torture.
4. Conclusion: The paper concludes that while the play contains comedic elements, the unresolved suffering of Malvolio forces a reading that acknowledges an underlying tragic tone.
5. References: A bibliography of the primary and secondary sources used in the analysis.
Keywords
Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare, Malvolio, Tragicomedy, Identity, Puritanism, Social Mobility, Tragedy, Comedy, Literary Criticism, Humiliation, Ambition, Theatricality, Drama Analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core argument of this work regarding Twelfth Night?
The work argues that Twelfth Night is more than a simple comedy and that it contains deep tragic elements, particularly centered on the character of Malvolio.
What are the primary themes discussed in the paper?
The central themes include social ambition, the construction of identity, the blurred lines between comedy and tragedy, and the moral implications of cruel humor.
What is the author's primary research goal?
The goal is to rethink the genre of the play and to analyze whether the humiliation of Malvolio suggests a tragic fall rather than just a comedic incident.
Which methodology does the author employ?
The author uses a literary analysis approach, drawing upon historical context, genre theory, and the specific critical interpretations of previous scholars like Inge Leimberg and Cedric Watts.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body systematically analyzes Shakespeare’s genre mixing, the specific personality traits of Malvolio, the nature of the "play-within-a-play" prank, and the severity of his eventual punishment.
What are the characterizing keywords for this study?
Key terms include Twelfth Night, Malvolio, Tragicomedy, Identity, Social Mobility, and Literary Criticism.
How does the author interpret Malvolio’s "fall"?
The author suggests that Malvolio's fall is not merely an incident of comic comeuppance, but a severe emotional and social destruction that reveals the darker, less "happy" nature of the play’s society.
Why is the "play-within-a-play" significant?
It is significant because it highlights how other characters manipulate Malvolio's ambition and egotism, transforming him from a figure of authority into a social outcast.
Does the author conclude that the play is a tragedy?
No, the author concludes that while it is not a tragedy, it is not a pure comedy either; it exists in a complex space between both, leaving the viewer with an "unresolved" and melancholic feeling.
- Quote paper
- Nadja Grebe (Author), 2012, Beyond Comedy - The Tragic Fall of Malvolio in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/205660
