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Draft:Fabian (Twelfth Night character)

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Fabian
Twelfth Night character
Fabian, far left, with Viola, Sir Andrew and Sir Toby during the third act
Created byWilliam Shakespeare
In-universe information
AffiliationSir Toby Belch, Olivia

Fabian is a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.[1] He is a member of Olivia's household.[2]

Character

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Fabian is a member of Olivia's household who has fallen out of favour with his mistress over a bear baiting, for which he blames Olivia's steward Malvolio. In revenge, he becomes a willing accomplice in Sir Toby Belch and Maria's plot to trick Malvolio into believing that Olivia is in love with him. As Malvolio reads aloud from a forged letter in the garden, Fabian, along with with Sir Toby and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, hides in a nearby box tree, laughing and hurling insults at the unwitting Malvolio. He is so delighted to be involved in Malvolio's downfall that he states "I would not give my part in this sport for a pension of thousands to be paid from the Sophy."[3]

When Malvolio, smiling and dressed in yellow stockings, later propositions Olivia, Fabian, Maria and Sir Toby arrive and pretend that he has been possessed by a demon. After performing an exorcism on Malvolio, Fabian delivers the famous metatextual line "if this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction".[4][5]

Fabian is also complicit in taking advantage of Sir Andrew Aguecheek's naive and foolish nature. When Sir Andrew threatens to leave Illyria after witnessing Olivia flirting with Cesario, Fabian eloquently convinces Sir Andrew to stay,[6] and encourages him to challenge Cesario to a duel, despite knowing that neither of them know how to fight. The prank goes too far, however, when Antonio and Sebastian become involved in the fighting.

Fabian later demands from Feste to see the letter Malvolio has written to Olivia, in which he complains about his imprisonment and unfair treatment at the hands of Sir Toby. Although Feste initially refuses Fabian's request, Olivia commands Fabian to read it out loud to the assembled characters, then to fetch Malvolio from the prison.[7] Once Malvolio is released, Fabian confesses the entire plot to Olivia, explaining that it was "sportful malice" that "may rather pluck on laughter than revenge," and suggesting that both parties were as bad as each other ("if that the injuries be justly weighed that have on both sides passed.")[8] Fabian also reveals that Maria and Sir Toby have married each other. The play ends with Olivia warning that Malvolio "hath been most notoriously abused".[9]

Analysis and Criticism

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Unlike the other major and supporting characters in the play, Fabian is not given any formal introduction to the audience in order to establish who he is and what he does. Instead, he simply appears at the end of Act Two, becoming an immediate and willing accomplice in Sir Toby's pranks. He is then present in most of the subsequent comedic scenes, providing exposition and witty asides, as well as allowing Sir Toby to confide in him that he is extorting Sir Andrew.[10] In spite of this, he is given little space to develop as a character, and his function in Olivia's household is never revealed. Fabian is therefore often cited as a challenging character to portray, as audiences are not as familiar with him as they are with the other characters by the time he is introduced in Act Two.[11]

Some productions attempt to establish Fabian in the earlier scenes of the play in order to familiarise their audience with him. He often appears alongside Malvolio in Olivia's scenes, or as a silent member of Sir Toby's party in Act Two, scene three.[12] Some directors, however, decide to remove Fabian entirely from the play, allocating his lines to other characters such as Maria, Toby or Feste.[13] This is often as a result of the difficulty of introducing a new character relatively late into the play, especially after Maria specifically names Feste, not Fabian, to be the third onlooker during the gulling of Malvolio.[14]

Nevertheless, Fabian remains an important character in the secondary plots of the play, further fooling Sir Andrew out of credibility, and confessing to Olivia about the plot against Malvolio.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Elam, Keir (2008). Twelfth Night: The Critical Edition of Shakespeare. London: Arden Shakespeare. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-1-903436-99-8. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009.
  2. ^ "Twelfth Night (Modern) :: Internet Shakespeare Editions". internetshakespeare.uvic.ca. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  3. ^ "An Improbable Fiction: Discovering Fabian in the Text of Twelfth Night". 25 July 2023.
  4. ^ Righter, Anne. Shakespeare and the Idea of the Play. Chatto & Windus, 1962, p. 136.
  5. ^ "Famous quotes | Twelfth Night | Royal Shakespeare Company".
  6. ^ Shakespeare. Twelfth Night. p. A3s4. Fabian: ...you are now sailed into the north of my lady's opinion where you will hang like an icicle on a Dutchman's beard.
  7. ^ "Feste and Fabian: Plots and Complots".
  8. ^ Elam, Keir (2008). Twelfth Night: The Critical Edition of Shakespeare. London: Arden Shakespeare. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-1-903436-99-8. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009.
  9. ^ Shakespeare. Twelfth Night. p. A5s1. Olivia: He hath been most notoriously abused
  10. ^ "Character Analysis: Sir Toby Belch". Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Feste and Fabian: Plots and Complots".
  12. ^ Shakespeare. Twelfth Night. p. A2s3.
  13. ^ "Feste and Fabian: Plots and Complots".
  14. ^ Shakespeare. Twelfth Night. p. A2s3. Maria: I will plant you two, and let the fool make a third...
  15. ^ "An Improbable Fiction: Discovering Fabian in the Text of Twelfth Night". 25 July 2023.
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