Social Class and Love in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
This paper analyzes Act II, Scene v of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, focusing on Malvolio's reaction to Maria's forged letter and what it reveals about social class, romantic aspiration, and upward mobility. The paper examines the three categories of "greatness" described in the letter — born, achieved, and thrust upon — and connects them to Elizabethan social hierarchies. It also draws parallels between the play's themes and contemporary experiences, including unrequited love across class lines, gender as a social barrier, gullibility, and the role of fate in rationalizing inequality. The analysis concludes that the scene's central message is that genuine love, rather than social ambition, is what ultimately finds fulfillment.
- Introduction: Malvolio's Monologue and Its Context: Malvolio reads Maria's forged letter, reveals ambitions
- Social Class in Elizabethan England and the Three Paths to Greatness: Three ways greatness is acquired in Elizabethan society
- Social Barriers to Love: Class, Gender, and Race: Class, gender, and race as barriers to relationships
- Personal Parallels: Practical Jokes and Unrequited Love: Real-life echoes of the play's key themes
- Fate, Gullibility, and the Desire to Rise: Fate, scams, and aspirations among lower classes
- Conclusion: The True Message of the Scene: Genuine love, not ambition, finds fulfillment
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its analysis in a specific, well-chosen passage, using direct quotation from the play to anchor each major argument about social class and romantic aspiration.
- It consistently moves between textual analysis and real-world application, making abstract themes accessible by connecting them to personal anecdotes and contemporary examples such as email scams and India's caste system.
- The three-part framework drawn from the letter ("born great," "achieve greatness," "greatness thrust upon 'em") provides a clear organizational spine that the paper returns to throughout.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates thematic close reading — selecting a single scene and unpacking its symbolic and thematic significance before expanding outward to the broader play and then to modern life. By tracing how Malvolio's delusion reflects systemic social structures, the writer shows how a single dramatic moment can illuminate major cultural and historical patterns.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with the quoted passage and immediate contextualization, then develops the theme of social class through Elizabethan history and the letter's three categories. It shifts to a broader thematic discussion of love across social barriers (class, gender, race), followed by two paragraphs of personal reflection. It then addresses the psychology of fate and gullibility before closing with a thematic synthesis. The conclusion reframes Malvolio's failure not as a condemnation of ambition but as a contrast with the honest love that succeeds elsewhere in the play.
Introduction: Malvolio's Monologue and Its Context
"… fall into thy hand, revolve. In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. Thy Fates open their hands; let thy blood and spirit embrace them; and, to inure thyself to what thou art like to be, cast thy humble slough and appear fresh."
(Twelfth Night, Act II, scene v, 1171)
This monologue of Malvolio's follows his having just been the victim of a practical joke played by Maria and the other servants. Malvolio has read Maria's letter, which he believes to be from Olivia. Malvolio harbors several delusions about himself and his ability to win over Olivia and thereby gain upward social mobility. While Malvolio might indeed have some affection and genuine caring for his lady, he also seems far more interested in her wealth and status than in her well-being. This scene reveals not only the farce of romantic love in situations like these, but also one of the minor themes in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: the immutability of social class status.
Social Class in Elizabethan England and the Three Paths to Greatness
Social class status is still relatively rigid in the 21st century, but it was probably more so during Elizabethan England when Shakespeare wrote his plays. Status is related to one's family of origin, but also to other issues such as gender. In this scene, Maria has crafted a letter that describes three ways people can change their social status: some are "born great," as with people who are born to wealthy or elite families. Others "achieve greatness," as with inventors, artists, or scientists who apply their talents and abilities to creating meaningful and lasting work. Finally, "some have greatness thrust upon 'em." It is to this latter category that Malvolio hopes to belong.
He views Olivia as belonging to the earliest category — those people born into greatness. Rather than working hard, Malvolio hopes to achieve a higher social status by marrying her. He believes that if he were to marry Olivia, he would leave behind his "humble" past and "appear fresh." The other servants chuckle when they see how excited Malvolio is at the prospect, particularly because it seems he actually believes it is possible that Olivia would love him and marry him.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. 1599. Digital copy retrieved from: http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/playmenu.php?WorkID=12night
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