To any readers coming to this blog for the first or second time, Welcome, gentles all! In it you will be able to follow a regular ABC based on Shakespeare's plays, characters, places mentioned and all manner of relevant information. If you wish to copy any of this, please feel free to do so. Just let me know. Thank you.
Classic Modern Sir Toby Belch
Sir Toby Belch is one of the central characters in WS's comedy, Twelfth Night. He is Olivia (a wealthy lady of Illyria)'s drunken uncle and he seems to be a permanent part of her household. He first appears on stage in the third scene and is seen to be the mentor for the rich and gullible knight, Sir Andrew Aguecheek. The latter sees Sir Toby as an ideal gentleman. Sir Toby fools his protege into thinking that Olivia loves him and then makes the witless knight challenge 'Cesario,' his supposed rival, for Olivia's hand.
Later, this duo, together with Olivia's maidservant, Maria, work out a plot to humiliate Olivia's pompous steward, Malvolio. Without giving the whole plot away, they succeed and by the end of the play, Sir Toby has gained two thousand pounds and a wife, Maria, who he doesn't love. He describes her in Act II, iii as "a beagle, true-bred."
Sir Toby is the centre of this play's comedy who, like most of WS's major characters has several sides to him. On the one hand he is a jolly, witty drunken rogue, but on the other, he doesn't think twice about taking Sir Andrew's money or humiliating Malvolio. However, he doesn't get off Scot-free as
in the end he is badly beaten over the head in a fight.
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, modern-day Laurel & Hardy!
Sir Toby Belch (note his surname) first appears in the play when he appears in the third scene complaining about the heavy atmosphere in his niece, Olivia's house. He brings an air of Revels Night to the play and acts as the Lord of Misrule. He is always surrounded by laughter, drink and song and reminds us in many ways of another favourite WS comic character, Sir John Falstaff.
However there is a difference between the two. Whereas Sir Toby is usually lightheartedly jolly (even though he pulls a fast one on his alleged friend, Sir Andrew), he is not the type of corrupt plotter, a major aspect of the multi-faceted Falstaff. In fact when he, Sir Toby, sees that he has gone too far in tormenting Malvolio he feels uneasy and says that"we were well rid of this knavery."
Next time: Cleopatra.
Comments to be sent to: wsdavidyoung@gmail.com
Sir Toby Belch is one of the central characters in WS's comedy, Twelfth Night. He is Olivia (a wealthy lady of Illyria)'s drunken uncle and he seems to be a permanent part of her household. He first appears on stage in the third scene and is seen to be the mentor for the rich and gullible knight, Sir Andrew Aguecheek. The latter sees Sir Toby as an ideal gentleman. Sir Toby fools his protege into thinking that Olivia loves him and then makes the witless knight challenge 'Cesario,' his supposed rival, for Olivia's hand.
Later, this duo, together with Olivia's maidservant, Maria, work out a plot to humiliate Olivia's pompous steward, Malvolio. Without giving the whole plot away, they succeed and by the end of the play, Sir Toby has gained two thousand pounds and a wife, Maria, who he doesn't love. He describes her in Act II, iii as "a beagle, true-bred."
Sir Toby is the centre of this play's comedy who, like most of WS's major characters has several sides to him. On the one hand he is a jolly, witty drunken rogue, but on the other, he doesn't think twice about taking Sir Andrew's money or humiliating Malvolio. However, he doesn't get off Scot-free as
in the end he is badly beaten over the head in a fight.
Sir Toby Belch (note his surname) first appears in the play when he appears in the third scene complaining about the heavy atmosphere in his niece, Olivia's house. He brings an air of Revels Night to the play and acts as the Lord of Misrule. He is always surrounded by laughter, drink and song and reminds us in many ways of another favourite WS comic character, Sir John Falstaff.
However there is a difference between the two. Whereas Sir Toby is usually lightheartedly jolly (even though he pulls a fast one on his alleged friend, Sir Andrew), he is not the type of corrupt plotter, a major aspect of the multi-faceted Falstaff. In fact when he, Sir Toby, sees that he has gone too far in tormenting Malvolio he feels uneasy and says that"we were well rid of this knavery."
Next time: Cleopatra.
Comments to be sent to: wsdavidyoung@gmail.com
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