Sir Toby and Maria

Greenblatt discusses how the revelation that Viola and Sebastian come from a noble family solves the issue of socially-mismatched couples so that social order is restored in end. Indeed, Malvolio, who sought to rise in the ranks by marrying Olivia, is cast aside and his aspirations ignored and refused. But Sir Toby and Maria marry even though the former is a nobleman and the latter, a servant. Even then, their marriage is only briefly touched upon when Fabian mentions it during his explanation of the Malvolio prank. Is their marriage acceptable because it’s not one of the main couples, or because Sir Toby does not behave like a noble, or because Maria somehow rises in status through her wit? It seems to me this marriage is the only one in which the two characters actually know each other for who they are, and it is the one that does not neatly fit into the social standards of the time.

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