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The supporting characters in Twelfth Night are not mere background figures — they carry major themes, drive the subplot, and provide some of the play's most memorable moments. This lesson analyses Orsino, Malvolio, Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Feste, Maria, and Sebastian.
ORSINO
/ \
loves/ \sends
/ \
VIOLA ----loves--> ORSINO
(Cesario)
\
loved by\
\
OLIVIA ----marries---- SEBASTIAN
| |
household: |
/ | \ devoted to
/ | \ |
MARIA MALVOLIO FESTE ANTONIO
|
tricks |
v
MALVOLIO
^
mocked by |
/ | \
SIR TOBY FABIAN SIR ANDREW
|
marries
v
MARIA
Orsino is the Duke of Illyria and one of the play's most complex figures. He is consumed by love for Olivia — but Shakespeare presents his love as more about self-indulgence than genuine feeling.
| Trait | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Romantic / Poetic | His opening speech is one of Shakespeare's finest on love (1.1) |
| Self-absorbed | He enjoys the feeling of being in love more than he loves Olivia as a person |
| Changeable | Instantly transfers his love from Olivia to Viola in Act 5 |
| Possessive | Threatens to "kill what I love" when he thinks Cesario has betrayed him (5.1) |
| Emotionally immature | Uses Cesario as an emotional confidant but fails to see Viola's feelings |
"If music be the food of love, play on, / Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, / The appetite may sicken, and so die." (1.1.1--3)
The opening lines characterise Orsino: he wants love in excess so that he will become sick of it — a paradox that reveals his love is performative. "Surfeiting" and "sicken" link love to gluttony and disease.
"Enough, no more, / 'Tis not so sweet now as it was before." (1.1.7--8)
Just seven lines later, Orsino is already bored. His "love" is fickle and self-centred.
"Come hither, boy ... Thou know'st no less but all. I have unclasped / To thee the book even of my secret soul." (1.4.12--14)
Orsino's intimacy with Cesario is striking. He has shared his "secret soul" — yet he is blind to Cesario's true identity and feelings. This dramatic irony fuels the audience's awareness of how little Orsino truly sees.
Malvolio is Olivia's steward (head of household staff). His name means "ill will" in Italian. He is the target of the play's cruellest prank and one of its most debated characters — is he a villain or a victim?
| Trait | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Puritanical | Disapproves of Sir Toby's drinking and Feste's fooling |
| Ambitious | Dreams of marrying Olivia and becoming "Count Malvolio" (2.5) |
| Humourless | Olivia herself says he is "sick of self-love" (1.5.85) |
| Proud | Struts in yellow stockings believing Olivia loves him |
| Pathetic | His imprisonment in the dark room is genuinely distressing |
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." (2.5.135--136)
Malvolio reads this from the forged letter, believing it is from Olivia. The irony is devastating: he believes greatness is being "thrust upon" him, when in fact humiliation is. This line has become one of Shakespeare's most famous.
Olivia: "O, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio, and taste with a distempered appetite." (1.5.85--86)
Even Olivia, his employer, recognises his fundamental flaw: self-love. "Distempered" means both "unbalanced" and "diseased" — his self-regard distorts his judgement.
"I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you!" (5.1.365)
Malvolio's final line refuses the comic resolution. He exits the play unreformed and unforgiving. This line hangs over the "happy ending" like a threat.
Examiner's tip: Malvolio is one of the most rewarding characters to write about. The best answers explore the tension between his role as a comic butt (he is ridiculous) and a tragic victim (his imprisonment is cruel). Consider: does Shakespeare want us to laugh at Malvolio, pity him, or both?
Sir Toby is Olivia's uncle and the play's embodiment of festive excess. He drinks, sings, and schemes — he is the unofficial "Lord of Misrule" of Olivia's household.
"Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?" (2.3.106--107)
Sir Toby's most famous line is a direct challenge to Puritanism. "Cakes and ale" represent festive pleasure — the Twelfth Night spirit of revelry versus Malvolio's desire for sobriety and order.
"I hate a drunken rogue." (5.1.195)
By Act 5, even Sir Toby rejects Sir Andrew — his companion has served his purpose (funding Toby's drinking). This line reveals Toby's ruthlessness beneath the jolly exterior.
Sir Andrew is a wealthy but dim knight who has come to Illyria hoping to marry Olivia. Sir Toby flatters him to keep his money flowing.
"I was adored once too." (2.3.170)
One of the play's most unexpectedly poignant lines. In the middle of comic foolishness, Sir Andrew reveals a sadness and loneliness that makes him briefly sympathetic.
Feste is Olivia's professional fool (jester). He moves freely between Olivia's household and Orsino's court, commenting on the action with songs, wordplay, and philosophical observations.
| Trait | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Wise | Proves Olivia is the "fool" for mourning (1.5) |
| Philosophical | "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit" (1.5.33) |
| Musical | Sings key songs that comment on the play's themes |
| Melancholy | His songs and observations have an undertone of sadness |
| Cruel | His treatment of Malvolio as "Sir Topas" is ruthless |
"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit." (1.5.33)
Feste's paradox defines his role: the "fool" is wiser than the supposedly wise characters. Orsino, Olivia, and Malvolio are all "foolish wits" — intelligent people made foolish by love or self-love.
"Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun; it shines everywhere." (3.1.37--38)
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