Twelfth Night · Chapter
Scene III explained
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew carouse late into the night with Feste, singing catches and drinking.
What happens
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew carouse late into the night with Feste, singing catches and drinking. Malvolio scolds them for their disorderly conduct, but they mock him. Maria reveals her plan to gull Malvolio by forging a love letter from Olivia, making him believe she is in love with him. The scene ends with Sir Toby and Sir Andrew heading to bed, with Sir Toby urging Sir Andrew to send for more money.
Themes in this chapter
Revelry and Disorder
The scene is dominated by Sir Toby's insistence on drinking, singing, and staying up late, directly opposing Malvolio's calls for order and respect.
Disguise and Deception
Maria's plan to forge a letter in Olivia's handwriting to deceive Malvolio exemplifies the theme of deception.
Social Class and Ambition
Malvolio's status as a steward is mocked by Sir Toby, and Maria's plot exploits Malvolio's social ambition to make him believe Olivia loves him.
Characters to notice
- Sir Toby Belch
Leads the late-night revelry, singing and drinking with Sir Andrew and Feste; mocks Malvolio and encourages Maria's plot against him.
- Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Participates in the carousing, praises Feste's singing, and agrees to challenge Malvolio; is urged by Sir Toby to send for more money.
- Feste
Sings songs including 'O mistress mine' and joins in the catches; engages in witty banter with Sir Toby and Sir Andrew.
- Maria
Reprimands the revelers for their noise; devises the scheme to trick Malvolio by forging a love letter from Olivia.
- Malvolio
Confronts Sir Toby and the others for their disorderly behavior, threatening to report them to Olivia; becomes the target of Maria's revenge plot.
Key passages
“Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
Do you believe that just because you are moral, we should stop having fun?
Sir Toby mocks Malvolio's puritanical attitude, asserting that virtue should not prevent enjoyment.
“I will drop in his way some obscure epistles of love; wherein, by the colour of his beard, the shape of his leg, the manner of his gait, the expressure of his eye, forehead, and complexion, he shall find himself most feelingly personated.”
I will leave some mysterious love letters for him to find, describing his beard, leg, walk, eyes, forehead, and face so clearly that he will recognize himself.
Maria outlines her plan to trick Malvolio into thinking Olivia is in love with him by writing a letter that matches his appearance.
“Journeys end in lovers meeting, Every wise man's son doth know.”
Travels conclude when lovers reunite, as every sensible person knows.
Feste's song reflects the theme of love and the inevitability of lovers finding each other.