Donald J. Richardson

The Complete Twelfth Night: an Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play Donald J. Richardson

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night presents a character who is a literary descendant of Sir John Falstaff: Sir Toby Belch. Like Falstaff, Sir Toby is bombastic, mendacious, and pusillanimous. As in Falstaff's case, these character traits might be offset by the humor of the presentation; however, in this reader's eyes, the humor does not redeem him or make him lovable. Malvolio is another person worthy of close consideration. As a near archetypical Puritan, Malvolio excites reader and audience antipathy. His treatment at the hands of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Maria is highly questionable, however. Such bullying as he receives is, at least in 2013, detestable. Additionally, his deserved revenge is given only lip service. However, the love stories of Twelfth Night probably ought to be our primary consideration. These and the confusion of characters offer a satisfying dramatic experience.