Imagination at Work in Shakespeare's 12th Night

When Feste disguises himself as Sir Topas in order to fool an imprisoned Malvolio, the humor of the play takes a darker turn. One may wonder why Feste bothers with a disguise if Malvolio cannot see him. Often, Shakespeare emphasizes how characters depend on what they perceive through their eyes, which influences what they think or believe. Disguises come in handy for most characters to change character and fool others. However, Malvolio is void of sight, yet Feste is still able to make him believe that he is Sir Topas the priest. Characters are aware of how words and the eye can mislead and stir up imagination of the mind. Imagination becomes the mind’s eye. In Twelfth Night, imagination is often affected by the illusiveness and unpredictability of language, the sense of sight and the act of disguise.

Viola tells the Captain, “I believe thou hast a mind that suits with this thy fair and outward character (1.2.46-47). She is trusting that the Captain is as true on the inside as he appears on the outside, but she cannot be certain of this. When Malvolio reads the fake love letter, Fabian remarks, “Look how imagination / blows him” (2.5.37-38). Ironically, Malvolio says to himself, “I do not fool myself, to let imagination / jade me” (2.5.143-44). Characters speak of imagination as being unreliable and deceptive.

Sight is important in feeding the imagination, and characters find the benefit of using disguise to change their outward appearance. As if a forewarning, Feste makes mention that “nothing that is so, is so”, illustrating the illusive nature of the play and the tricks that can be played on the mind (4.1.7). Even Sebastian beseeches the mind’s eye to work its power: “Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep” (4.1.58). In Sebastian’s situation, he has never seen Olivia before, yet she continues to make romantic advances toward him, because she thinks he is Cesario. Sebastian thinks to himself that this must all be a part of his fancy or imagination, and if it is, he secretly wishes that it will last forever. Sebastian’s statement proves that imagination can have a strong influence over what a character is lead to believe, even though in this case events end happily.

In Act 5, when Feste disguises himself as Sir Topas, the lack of sight puts a darker spin on imagination at work. Malvolio is locked in complete darkness and cannot see Feste’s disguise at all. Feste asks Malvolio, “Alas, sir, how fell you besides your five wits?,” to which Malvolio responds, “Fool, there was never man so notoriously abused” (4.2.79-80). The footnotes mention that the five wits include imagination. So the emphasis is no longer on sight, but on the variability of language and behavior to influence the imagination. Feste must put on a perfect act, as both a priest and a fool, to a totally blind spectator. This act shows that imagination can still be deceived without sight or the benefit of disguise. Malvolio only imagines that there is a fool and a priest outside his room. He relies on his hearing instead, so the lack of sight here proves that even a good disguise is nothing without the ability to use language to fool the mind and stir imaginations.