Twelfth Night Malvolio Quotes

Have you no wit, manners, nor honesty, but to gabble like tinkers at this time of night?

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 3. When merrymakers Sir Toby and Sir Andrew get rowdy in Olivia’s house, her stewart Malvolio asks them if they are mad and admonishes them. And he compares them to tinkers, suggesting they are acting like bad-mannered commoners instead of noble men. Later Sir Toby turns the tables and gets revenge on Malvolio by making him appear mad in the company of Olivia.

FABIAN: I would exult, man. You know, he brought me out o’ favor with my lady about a bearbaiting here.
SIR TOBY: To anger him, we’ll have the bear again, and we will fool him black and blue, shall we not, Sir Andrew?

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 5. Fabian and Toby are talking about the cruel practical joke they and Maria prepare to play on Malvolio. A letter written by Maria to trick Malvolio into thinking Olivia is in love with him have been dropped in the garden path for Malvolio to find. Toby compares the prank to a bear-baiting contest.

But be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 5. Malvolio reads from the love letter he thinks is from Olivia. In reality it was written by one of Olivia’s servant’s Maria to trick the unpopular steward. As well as hinting that Olivia loves him, the letter also excites Malvolio’s ambition to become great and move up in the world. The only love that Malvolio is going to have is his own self-love.

Daylight and champaign discovers not more. This is open. I will be proud, I will read politic authors, I will baffle Sir Toby, I will wash off gross acquaintance, I will be point-device the very man. I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade me; for every reason excites to this, that my lady loves me. She did commend my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my leg, being cross-gartered, and in this she manifests herself to my love, and with a kind of injunction drives to these habits of her liking. I thank my stars, I am happy.

– William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 5. A puffed-up Malvolio, having read the fake love letter from his employer Olivia, seems to lose his puritanical reserve and throw caution to the wind to further his ambition. Which is to rise in the world from servant to nobleman and rid himself of lower-class acquaintances. He is convinced that he is not fooling himself that Olivia loves him! Oh it’s definitely love, but love of self, for the only one that loves Malvolvio is Malvolio. So much so that he cannot separate appearance from reality.
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