Twelfth Night, what was Shakespeare thinking
One of the more interesting passages in Twelfth Night occurs when Malvolio reads the letter that is supposedly from Olivia. It shows what a man is willing to put himself through to impress a woman. When a man is faced with the possibility of having a relationship with a desirable woman all thought and reason is meaningless. Malvolio is a prime example, wearing yellow stockings cross-gartered, treating an associate with complete disrespect, and acting almost insanely cheerful when in Olivia's presence. The letter was written in a manner that makes it easy for Malvolio to ignore the obvious fact that Olivia doesn't like him, and believe all that is written. In writing the letter Toby, Fabian and Andrew were sure to play on all of Malvolio's emotions; instead of trying to fool Malvolio; they let Malvolio fool himself. The letter was written, in Malvolio's mind, as if it was written to him. That was the intent of the three fools, but Malvolio exaggerated every sentence with his own inflated ego. As he reads on, his head fills with more crazy ideas and he lends himself better to be fooled. Anything could have been written at the end of the letter and it is certain that Malvolio would, in his mind, alter it to make it refer t
The "Letter scene" was used to prove several different points, all of which fit into the larger scheme of the play. Malvolio's overconfidence and self-infatuation make him more vulnerable to be tricked than many of the other characters; it is difficult to think realistically about a situation if you are unable to think realistically about your own greatness. Malvolio should have realized that if he were truly as great as he thought that he was, Olivia wouldn't have requested that he make so many changes. He should have been clued into the fraudulence of the letter when changes were first suggested to him. Malvolio is a typical male; when he is told that a desirable woman likes him, he forgets about everything else and begins to think unrealistically. No one wants to think that something good happening to him isn't real, but lying to yourself will only bring about more trouble. No one should ever disguise himself to make someone else happy, nor should they to make some one else look foolish. It is easy to tell what Malvolio is feeling while he reads the fraudulent letter; some parts affect him in a greater, more obvious way than others. The phrase, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them;" has the greatest impact on Malvolio. When he reads this he begins to believe
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Approximate Word count = 896
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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