e aid of the priest “sir Topaz” (an impersonation by Feste). At this point Malvolio has lost all sense of human dignity and basic pride while at the hands of such malignant torment, and it is clear that the joke has lost its mere foolery, becoming something more sinister and torturous. Sir Toby himself has this realisation, that such maltreatment of a person is beyond mere revelry, “I cannot pursue with any safety this sport to the upshot”.Malvolio suffers a great injustice at the hands of his tormentors and is “notoriously abused” beyond the brink of mere teasing. He does not deserve his latter treatment, as his only crime is his undesirable character and the fact that he wronged his peers with words alone. Ironically, after having been released from his cell it becomes clear that his ways have not improved in the slightest and that he is now filled with resentment for his abusers, as well as for Olivia. He departs at the end, promising to be “revenged on the whole pack of [them]”. No rewards are gained and no lessons learnt from his great, unnecessary suffering....
