Elizabethan Social Standards

Rather than dictating social standards by occupation or position, South Korea has a distinct traditional social system based off of age. For example, if two people go out to eat, the older person usually pays for the meal. Also, in a conversation with people of different ages, the young use formalities while the old speak casually. Traditional South Korean culture echoes the strict beliefs of the Renaissance times in regards to social standings. The Chain of Being defines the hierarchy of all things in the universe according to the Elizabethans. These beliefs contain individual links, essentially starting from nature and ascending towards God, the ultimate being (Fuhrman 58). William Shakespeare implements elements of the Chain of Being into
many of his plays. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, shipwrecked twins journey through Illyria and encounter many different people such as Feste the Fool who entertains everyone with his witty jokes, insults, and songs. Lady Olivia’s steward, Malvolio, suffers through an amusing prank caused by his own arrogance and aspiration in classifying himself as nobility. In Shakespeare’s comedy, Twelfth Night, he utilizes Feste’s and Malvolio’s deviant actions as a means of expressing his conviction that true hierarchy does not exist. Among the many lower class people in the play, Feste the Fool stands out because his occupation allows him to challenge people of higher class such as Olivia and Orsino. Feste displays his ability of ridiculing aristocrats without consequence when he speaks to Olivia about her excessive mourning for her dead brother: “I think his soul is in Hell, Madonna” (Shakespeare 1.5.66). Olivia responds by insisting that she knows her brother remains in heaven. The Fool counters with, “The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother’s soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen” (Shakespeare 1.5.68-70). The fact that Feste has the audacity in saying, “Take away the fool” to Olivia defies the normalities of hierarchy. Although he lies at the lowest of the lower class, his craft as a jester gives him permission to insult and belittle someone of a much higher status as a joke. These actions symbolize his ability to challenge the Chain of Being which states that everything in the universe has its place (Fuhrman 58). He surpasses the boundaries of his position on the social hierarchy and does things, such as insulting an aristocrat, that no other lower class person can do during the Elizabethan times. Feste also insults Orsino, the Duke of Illyria, regarding his inconsistency with love: “thy mind is very opal” (Shakespeare 2.4.82). When Feste speaks of Orsino’s mind as being “opal”, he compares a body part to an inanimate object. According to the Chain of Being, any inanimate object stands below the human body in hierarchy and the head is at the very top (Fuhrman 58). Therefore, Feste degrades Orsino’s mind by lending comparison to a stone, the opal. Furthermore, an opal gemstone changes colors when seen from different angles and by referencing this stone, Feste the Fool characterizes Orsino as fickle. Feste’s witty words exemplify how he has the ability to communicate with aristocrats differently in comparison to any other servant. Feste indulges in his occupation and opposes the standards of hierarchy as he speaks to people of higher status in any manner.
When one thinks of a jester during the Renaissance, the image of a powerless fool comes to mind, yet Feste the Fool’s defiance of hierarchical standards stems from his occupation.
He once again shows his disregard for the social class boundaries by acting as a priest to help prank Malvolio. Olivia’s maid, Maria, assists Feste in speaking with the believed-to-be-possessed Malvolio about his supposed madness: “Madman, thou errest. I say there is no darkness but ignorance, in which thou art more puzzled than the Egyptians in their fog” (Shakespeare 4.2.44-46). His occupation as a jester gives him the opportunity to mimic a priest who is of higher class than Malvolio. Feste alludes to the Bible when the Pharaoh would not let the people of Israel leave, so God surrounded Egypt with darkness for three days. He ridicules Malvolio by comparing him to those Egyptians, lost in their darkness, in that they both have a strong sense of ignorance to their surroundings. Feste insults Malvolio, without consequence, due to his counterfeit as if he surpasses Malvolio in social standing. The Fool disguises himself as a person of higher status and Feste’s action expresses his normalcy for disturbing social
order.
Malvolio’s character invites an aura of arrogance and ambition to the play when he reprimands nobles for drinking.
Shakespeare includes Malvolio as a way of getting revenge on the Puritans in his time because Puritanism opposes everything represented by the Twelfth Night celebration (Randall 1971). This celebration includes drinking and partying, which Malvolio also opposes. He interrupts Sir Toby, Olivia’s uncle, and Sir Andrew, Sir Toby’s friend, in the middle of their drinking and scolds them: “My masters, are you mad? Or what are you? Have you no wit, manners, nor honesty but to gabble like tinkers at this time of night?” (Shakespeare 2.3.87-89). Malvolio suggests that they act like unruly commoners instead of noblemen, and his arrogance shines as he admonishes the noblemen for their drinking. Malvolio’s scolding showcases his disrespect for these noblemen despite his own career as a steward. He calls Sir Andrew and Sir Toby “masters” sarcastically as if he only says that to provoke them and to challenge their authority. He disregards the fact that his social position remains below Sir Toby and Andrew, calling them “tinkers.” He calls them this because tinkers fall far from nobles on the hierarchical scale and Sir Toby’s and Andrew’s behavior falls far from the social standards of nobles. His pretentiousness obscures his understanding of where he remains in society which emphasizes the essence of a non hierarchical system that Shakespeare believes
in.
Malvolio’s pompous personality clouds the reality of the Elizabethan society as his desires contrast the Elizabethan culture. As a prank, Maria decides to write a love letter to Malvolio as Olivia. Even before reading the fake letter, Malvolio dreams of marrying Olivia and gaining a higher social standing: “Having been three months married to her, sitting in my state—” (Shakespeare 2.5. 43-44). His desire for Olivia roots from his desire climb up to the aristocratic position in society. The culture surrounding Malvolio opposes all of his desires as marriage can solely happen between two people of equal status; therefore Olivia can never marry Malvolio. Shakespeare uses Malvolio’s character in a mostly comical way because of his ridiculous ambition to marry the aristocrat he serves. Despite this fact, Malvolio feels severely wronged after reading Maria’s fake letter and realizing that the writer is not Olivia: MALVOLIO You must not now deny it is your hand
Write from it if you can, in hand or phrase,
Or say ‘tis not your seal, not your invention.
You can say none of this. Well, grant it then, (Shakespeare 5.1.353-356)
Malvolio persists that the letter contains Olivia’s calligraphy and seal because confessing the true origin of the love letter will diminish his pride. Olivia denies writing the letter and Malvolio demands revenge. He denies the fact that Olivia has not fallen for him and that the fake letter comes from Maria. His non acceptance of the immobility on the social pyramid roots from his arrogance. Malvolio’s belief that he can climb the hierarchy deeply contrasts with the Chain of Being because it states that everything in the universe has a specific place and can not change positions (Fuhrman 58). Shakespeare uses Malvolio’s arrogant beliefs and desires for comical purposes which show how outliers of the hierarchy system stand.
Feste, with his occupation, and Malvolio, with his arrogance, lie outside of the norms compared to normal people of their class throughout the entire play. Due to the world’s cultural advances, the separation of traditional hierarchies constantly occur. In modern South Korea, many millennials do not understand the traditional formalities as mentioned in the beginning, especially if they immigrated from the United States because of America’s culture. In America today, many people are anxious because of the new president taking office. During these times, Americans should put their guards down and recognize that they must come together to establish a community built upon good communication rather than focusing on one’s differences in society.