Other than being generally gullible,
Malvolio's and Sir Andrew's characters are generally
very different. To be gullible
is to be easily tricked into trusting or believing someone. However, more importantly,
it's really two different character traits they possess
that make them gullible, or feed into their
gullibility.
For Malvolio, his
arrogance feeds his gullibility. Arrogance is an excessive
feeling of "self-importance" or "pride" in one's self (Random House Dictionary).
Malvolio sees himself being admired by others, especially
Olivia, which makes him believe he is superior to others
around him, especially the other servants. We especially see Olivia displaying
admiration or appreciation for Malvolio in the very first act when she asks his advice
as to whether or not she should continue appreciating Feste as a fool. Malvolio feels
himself to be so superior and at such an equal level with Olivia that he actually dares
to insult Feste's abilities as a fool. It is this same sense of superiority that leads
to Malvolio's downfall, making him able to believe so easily that Olivia is in love with
him and wants to raise him to her social status through marriage. We first see his
gullibility as a result of his arrogance when we learn in Act 2, Scene 5 that Maria
planted verbal seeds to make Malvolio begin to believe Olivia is in love with before
actually planting the letter. It is his arrogance that makes him so
quickly believe Maria, as we see in his
lines:
'Tis but fortune; all is fortune. Maria
once told me she [Olivia] did affect me: and I have heard herself come thus near, that,
should she fancy, it should be one of my complexion.
(II.v.21-24)
In
contrast, Sir Andrew is actually not
arrogant. In fact, he is really one of the only humble characters in the
play. Literary critics have pointed out that he shows his humility in the very first act
when he declares he wishes he was more intelligent and educated than he is now. We
especially see him expressing this wish in the line, "Oh, had I but followed the arts!,"
rather than becoming a knight, which is basically to say he wishes he had pursued more
studies, like the study of foreign languages (I.iii.87-88). He further shows his
humility when, in contrast to Malvolio, he expresses his wish to be admired by
reflecting that in the past, he was once admired, as we see in his line, "I was adored
once too" (II.iii.166). Hence, in contrast to Malvolio, it is not Sir
Andrew's arrogance and ready belief in being admired that makes him
gullible. Instead, as he states in Ac 1, Scene 2, it is really simply the fact that he
is not very smart. He is not as educated nor as clever as
Sir Toby, plus he has a natural sense of trust in his
friends, which combined make him very gullible and
susceptible to pranks.
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