"Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare - Consider The Character Of Malvolio, What Is The Purpose Of The Development Of This Character?

Malvolio initially seems to be a minor character, and the trick played on him seems little more than an amusing subplot to the Viola-Orsino-Olivia love triangle. But he becomes more interesting as the play develops into one of the most complex characters in "Twelfth Night". When we first meet Malvolio, he seems to be a simple type--a puritan, a stiff and proper servant who likes to spoil other people's fun. It is this dour, fun-despising side that earns him the hate of the loopy Sir Toby and the clever Maria, who together create a trick to play on him. But they do so by playing on a side o…