Question

In Act II, when Malvolio says, "All is fortune," he means that everything that happens to a character is based on circumstances that are out of the character's control. To what extent is Malvolio correct? In Twelfth Night, do the characters' fates depend more on outside circumstances or on their own traits and choices? Give examples from the text to support your answer.

Answer 1

In "The Twelfth Night", Malvolio's belief is very much true. Most of the characters' fates depend on their traits and actions. If Malvolio was not so open about his feelings for Olivia, Maria would have not been able to fool him. And if Viola did not choose to be a male, she would not have survived.