“Contemplation makes a rare turkey-cock of him...”
Why it's great
Calling him a turkey-cock turns daydreaming into a visual punchline about vanity.
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Informal
Use it yourself
One lucky deal made a rare peacock of him.
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Malvolio Dreams of Marrying Olivia, Explained
Twelfth Night · 2012
Chapter 12 of 25 · 3'33"
Malvolio, alone, imagines being Count Malvolio and ruling Olivia's household, while Toby's crew hides and watches. "Contemplation makes a rare turkey-cock of him," they sneer, and Toby warns them to wait: "Now is the woodcock near the gin." The prig is walking into their trap.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:26–1:02
❝ Monologue · 7 lines Malvolio's Fantasy and the Mocking Watchers
36s - 2:21–3:26
Malvolio Walks Toward the Trap
65s
Malvolio Dreams of Marrying Olivia, explained
What happens
Alone in Olivia's garden, Malvolio daydreams about becoming Count Malvolio: married to Olivia, ordering servants around, and dressing like a nobleman. Hidden nearby, Sir Toby, Fabian and Sir Andrew watch and mock him, calling him a 'turkey-cock' puffed up by imagination. Toby keeps them quiet because they must not spoil the trick. Then Malvolio finds the planted letter and reads it aloud.
What's really going on
The scene is an anatomy of a man who mistakes his own fantasy for fact. Nothing has happened — Maria only 'told him' once that she liked him — yet Malvolio builds a whole future on it, right down to his nobleman's clothes. The watchers supply the running commentary: he is a 'turkey-cock,' swelled by 'imagination,' ready to insult his betters. The comedy works because Malvolio's dream is not just silly; it is cruel and class-conscious, imagining him lording it over Sir Toby. Toby's line, 'Now is the woodcock near the gin,' tells us he sees the trap closing, and he holds the others back so the prig walks in on his own. The audience laughs at him and, uncomfortably, recognizes the wish underneath: everyone would like to be Count Malvolio for a day.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Contemplation makes a rare turkey-cock of him...”
- Being lost in thought has turned Malvolio into a strutting, self-satisfied bird. It's the watchers' sneer at his vanity.
- “how he jets under his advanced plumes.”
- He struts about as if wearing fine feathers, showing off a dignity he does not have.
- “Now is the woodcock near the gin.”
- The trap is about to spring: like a witless bird, Malvolio is walking toward the snare the others have set.
- “There is example for it.”
- Malvolio justifies his fantasy by pointing to precedent — an earlier case of a servant marrying above himself.
- “You must amend your drunkenness.”
- Part of his imagined speech to Sir Toby: once in power he would order him to reform. It shows the fantasy's revenge at work.
Theme
- Ambition — Malvolio's fantasy is pure social climbing, imagining himself ordering around the very men watching him.
- Satire — The watchers mock a puritan's self-love, turning his daydream into an on-stage comedy of vanity.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
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A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“how he jets under his advanced plumes.”
Why it's great
The plumed strut turns vanity into pure movement, so the whole man is visible in one posture.
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Informal
Use it yourself
After one award he jets under his advanced plumes for a week.
“Now is the woodcock near the gin.”
Why it's great
The woodcock and the gin image tells us the fool is about to walk into the trap by himself.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Now is the woodcock near the gin; just wait for him to sign it.
“There is example for it.”
Why it's great
Five words that make a wild ambition sound documented: self-persuasion at its funniest.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
There is example for it, plenty of people have switched careers late.
“You must amend your drunkenness.”
Why it's great
Amend dresses up a scolding as self-improvement: a rebuke that half-jokes.
Register
literary
Use it yourself
You must amend your late-night snacking.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Malvolio's count fantasy
Having been three months married to her sitting in my state... Oh, for a stone bow to hit him in the eye! ...Calling my officers about me in my branched velvet gowns, having come from a day bed where I have left Olivia sleeping. Fire and brimstone! Oh, peace, peace! And then to have the humour of state.
He furnishes the fantasy down to the officers and the gowns, and detail is what makes the fall funny.
Up next · 13have greatness thrust upon themThe scene: Malvolio Reads Maria's LetterTakeaways
What you walk away with- Malvolio furnishes his fantasy down to the officers.
- The watchers' asides make the dream a trap.
- Turkeys and woodcocks carry the whole insult.
- Vanity is funniest when it is detailed.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Malvolio think Olivia loves him?
Maria once said she liked him, and he reads her polite respect as romantic interest. He builds a marriage out of two small hints and his own wish.
Who is watching Malvolio, and why?
Sir Toby, Fabian and Sir Andrew hide and watch him find the letter Maria planted. They set the trick to punish his arrogance and make him a fool.
What does "the woodcock near the gin" mean?
It means a foolish bird is close to the trap. A woodcock is a witless game bird and a gin is a snare, so Toby is saying Malvolio is about to be caught.
What does Malvolio imagine doing as Count?
He imagines marrying Olivia, calling his officers, wearing a branched velvet gown, and telling Sir Toby to mend his drunken ways. His fantasy is really about lording it over others.
Why does Toby stop the others from interrupting?
Because their plan depends on Malvolio reading the letter and believing it. If they break out laughing now, the trick will collapse before he takes the bait.