Malvolio

Malvolio is Olivia’s steward (i.e. head servant). He’s obnoxious and uppity and never misses an opportunity to criticise others, putting down Feste’s fooling, Sir Toby’s partying, and basically anything even slightly fun. Because of this, pretty much everyone hates him. Maria describes him as “a kind of puritan,” which was a religious group known for opposing cross-dressing, theatre, rowdiness and most forms of entertainment. Although Malvolio is not actually identified as a Puritan, his alignment with them casts him as an easy villain to theatre-going audiences, and an embodiment of rules and social order. Thus, as he is humiliated by Sir Toby (our ‘Lord of Misrule’ figure), the social order that he symbolises is likewise turned over to “madness.”