Explore Shakespeare’s presentation of unhappiness in ‘Twelfth Night’.
In ‘Twelfth Night’, Shakespeare uses characters’ unhappiness to critique the
social expectations of the Elizabethan era; by taking advantage of the convention of
subverting norms during the Twelfth Night celebration and using his festive
atmosphere to allow socially taboo changes to take place, Shakespeare uses the
“Carnivalesque as…a multi-purpose tool of entertainment and social critique”
(Bishop-Hughes, 2018).
Shakespeare uses Malvolio’s mental torture and horrendous treatment when
he is “laid in hideous darkness” to critique widespread cruelty in society, specifically
when towards lower class characters or those too vulnerable to defend themselves.
Malvolio states that “never was man thus abused” when he is imprisoned, and his
hyperbolic cry for help creates pathos for him on behalf of the audience, who are
helpless. In the 2012 Tim Carroll production, Malvolio is set behind bars below the
stage, so only his eyes are visible, which emphasises how cruelly he is being
treated, but in every production of the play it is impossible to ignore his woeful words.
Hobgood, 2006, states that Malvolio’s state is even more pitiful because we see the
“clash between a public and private Malvolio, a concealment and subsequent
exposure of his character”, and while it is true that the audience may pity Malvolio
even more because of his emotional vulnerability, fault can be found with this; Olivia,
for example, is one of the many other characters to lay her soul bare in regards to
her romantic obsession when she declares that she “loves [Viola] so” and begs her
to “tell [her] what [she] thinkst of [her]” after she has been rejected. However, despite
her openness regarding her affection, Olivia is still not publicly humiliated in the
same way Malvolio is, suggesting that it is the pervading classism of the Elizabethan
era which criminalises Malvolio for his romantic transparency, when many characters
are even more honest and obsessive than he is and yet face no cruelty for it.
Shakespeare could be criticising this, as we do feel sympathy for Malvolio when he
exclaims he’ll “be revenged” on the “pack” of them, but his glorification of the band of
Merry Makers could also suggest that, while he disagrees with the classist treatment
In ‘Twelfth Night’, Shakespeare uses characters’ unhappiness to critique the
social expectations of the Elizabethan era; by taking advantage of the convention of
subverting norms during the Twelfth Night celebration and using his festive
atmosphere to allow socially taboo changes to take place, Shakespeare uses the
“Carnivalesque as…a multi-purpose tool of entertainment and social critique”
(Bishop-Hughes, 2018).
Shakespeare uses Malvolio’s mental torture and horrendous treatment when
he is “laid in hideous darkness” to critique widespread cruelty in society, specifically
when towards lower class characters or those too vulnerable to defend themselves.
Malvolio states that “never was man thus abused” when he is imprisoned, and his
hyperbolic cry for help creates pathos for him on behalf of the audience, who are
helpless. In the 2012 Tim Carroll production, Malvolio is set behind bars below the
stage, so only his eyes are visible, which emphasises how cruelly he is being
treated, but in every production of the play it is impossible to ignore his woeful words.
Hobgood, 2006, states that Malvolio’s state is even more pitiful because we see the
“clash between a public and private Malvolio, a concealment and subsequent
exposure of his character”, and while it is true that the audience may pity Malvolio
even more because of his emotional vulnerability, fault can be found with this; Olivia,
for example, is one of the many other characters to lay her soul bare in regards to
her romantic obsession when she declares that she “loves [Viola] so” and begs her
to “tell [her] what [she] thinkst of [her]” after she has been rejected. However, despite
her openness regarding her affection, Olivia is still not publicly humiliated in the
same way Malvolio is, suggesting that it is the pervading classism of the Elizabethan
era which criminalises Malvolio for his romantic transparency, when many characters
are even more honest and obsessive than he is and yet face no cruelty for it.
Shakespeare could be criticising this, as we do feel sympathy for Malvolio when he
exclaims he’ll “be revenged” on the “pack” of them, but his glorification of the band of
Merry Makers could also suggest that, while he disagrees with the classist treatment
