One could argue that the love Maria is shown to feel for Sir Toby could cause her sudden rebellion, but her actions as a mother figure and how she is continuously being separated from Sir Toby and Sir Andrew even when Maria is added into scenes she was not originally present for conflict with this statement because Maria is put into a serving position that could explain her actions instead of love. After walking around with Malvolio, Maria has to go outside to collect a drunk Sir Toby, and when they re-enter the home, they are meet by Sir Andrew.
Sir Toby quickly moves up the stairs to be with Sir Andrew while Maria stays on the landing looking up at the two. This disconnects the three who will later plot together against Malvolio. Maria is also distanced from her cohort during Feste’s song (Marshall 218-19). Feste’s song is an event that Maria was not originally present for, and her addition adds to the story’s meaning with Maria and Sir Toby’s love story. Despite this addition, she is still seen being separated from the men.
There are also several added scenes that show Maria as a more obedient character who follows the rules and other’s instructions unlike her more independent persona in the play; she is always willing to serve. When she first sees Feste outside the window, she instantly moves to take care of him (Marshall 219). Instead of Maria coming to join Feste, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew after hearing the music, Maria is summoned to come and give them drinks.
This was presented as a romantic gestor in the film (183), but these added elements move Maria away from the personality of being strong-willed and independent that Shakespeare originally presents her with, and this representation makes Maria into a character who will do anything to please those superior to her. Because of this, Maria only tricks Malvolio because this is what one of her superior desires for her to do. Maria also experiences some line cuts in Nunn’s rendition that take away from her character and relationship with other characters in the play.
During part of the film, Maria is meant to have a conversation with Feste where she presents her intelligence and humor, but multiple lines from this scene is cut for the film. Because their lines are missing, there are important details about the two that are lost like how Maria will possibly stand up for Feste against Olivia if he has a good reason (1. 5. 1-4). These lack of lines and Maria actions later after the “take away the fool” speech make Maria seem like a timid character. When she appears to inform Olivia that someone wishes to speak with her, Olivia asks who is delaying the visitor.
Maria looks at the ground and appears uncomfortable when she speaks her answer of “Sir Toby. ” This show of insecurity with herself and her love interest causes friction with the director and actors claim that Maria will be “desperate to catch Sir Toby” (Marshall 220). Because the character does not follow the original intent, this interpretation of Maria becomes a problem that cannot be explained like Carroll’s Maria. In the two renditions, Maria’s attitude about taunting Malvolio changes. In Carroll’s version, Maria is happy about the project during the whole ordeal.
Even when she decides to taunt Malvolio using Feste, she is still relatively excited. In Nunn’s rendition, Maria seems very displeased. At the beginning, she was very excited about her project, but when she is dressing up Feste and watches him act out his part, she looks like she disapproves. This disapproval takes away from the revenge aspect of Maria that we see in Carroll because in his rendition, Maria seems to desire to both engage with Sir Toby and torment Malvolio, but in Nunn’s version, Maria is solely focused on being with Sir Toby.
Because of her displeasure, Maria appears to only be taunting Malvolio for Sir Toby instead of trying to get revenge herself; this adds to Maria being more of a server than an independent character. Taking this part of her character away destroys Maria’s reason for trying to trick Malvolio in the first place. The idea that Maria only taunts Malvolio in Nunn’s rendition for Sir Toby can be justified by the added inter-cutting scene presented in the film. During the inter-cutting scene, viewers are able to see four different scenes during Feste’s song that appear to be happening simultaneously.
One of these scenes includes where Feste is actually doing the singing in Olivia’s kitchen. In the original play, only Sir Andrew and Sir Toby are present for the performance, and Maria appears at the end of the song because she was woken by Feste’s singing (Sheppard 183). In Nunn’s reinvention, Maria is present for the song. This is because, as previously mentioned, the men threw rocks at Maria’s window and then demanded that she get them wine. Maria’s participation in this scene is crucial because part f the relationship between Maria and Sir Toby is defined.
First, Maria is surprised that Sir Toby picks a love song. This shows conflict in the representation of Maria that Nunn presents. If she is meant to be love sick, why would she react in a negative way to her love interest choosing a love song. This question is later answered by Maria joining in the singing. Maria joins Feste on the line “Youth’s stuff will not endure” (2. 3. 48). This implies that Maria is planning to be with Sir Toby possibly because she has no other choice.
Maria’s older age is something both renditions share, but there are other versions that depict Maria as young, so this line would not have significant meaning for a younger Maria. If the older Maria is worried that she is too old to find love, so she must settle for being with Sir Toby, and she knows to do this, she must join him in his antics. These representation of Maria also takes away from Maria’s vengeful side because at this point, she is not going after Malvolio, who I have earlier stated she is very similar to, out of spite but so she can be with Sir Toby.
The ultimate conclusion of the two productions are very different. While Carroll favors sticking closely to the original ending where Viola is not seen in women’s clothing when she and Orsino discuss their love and Malvolio vows vengeance and leaves. By adding Maria and Sir Toby to the final scene, the two are able to walk together into the estate with the twins and their partners. This implies that, in this instance, their positions in society do not matter. Sebastian is one left out in the ‘yard,’ so homosexuality is arguably being excluded in Carroll’s rendition even though Viola has yet to change her clothing.
Nunn presents almost everyone leaving except the two twins, their partners, and a group of important looking guests. This could be seen as “the lifestyle of the beautiful rich remains unchallenged as the threats to their complacency – dissoluteness, homosexuality, Puritanism – are expelled…” (Schafer 73). This argument is strengthened by the fact that viewers are able to see Viola in her women’s clothing, and everyone is dancing together in the final scene while all those not invited are seen leaving.
In regards to Maria, this is one of the moments that both characters in Carroll and Nunn’s renditions seem to be in tune. Neither of them seem very happy about being with Sir Toby even though this is what Nunn’s Maria wanted the whole play. This could be explained by the fact that Carroll’s Maria gets to stay with Lady Olivia, but she is not pleased about being married to Sir Toby while Maria desires to be with Sir Toby in Nunn’s version, but she is shown leaving her home with him.
Along with this theory, Maria and Sir Toby’s actions imply that they are part of the problem for the rich. Sir Toby marries a woman below his statues, so he has to leave the house hold, and Maria, as being married to Sir Toby, would no longer be able to act as Lady Olivia’s maid. This could also be the two of them being punished for their actions against Malvolio, but Sebastian would not have to leave because of this; he never harmed Malvolio, but he is still seen leaving in a melancholy fashion were he looks back at Olivia’s estate.
Because of this, I must conclude that Maria and Sir Toby’s relationship is not viewed in a positive light by the rest of the characters as they are in Carroll’s rendition. Nunn’s additions are significant for many reasons. By changing Maria’s character, Nunn removes one of the strong independent characters from the story, and by having everyone who is undesirable leave at the end of the play, Nunn is creating a homogeneous world that is not present in the play version.
By doing this, Nunn can change the many meanings of the play to one singular one – everything will always work out the way it is “supposed to. ” The world will have the rich and poor separated, and all couples will be heterosexual. While there are similar adaptations that also follow this ending conclusion, this does not justify the ending of the film. Then again, this is based on interpretation, and even though scholars can find flaws in Nunn’s reasoning, he still believes his interpretation to be correct.
Despite the film’s destruction of Maria’s character and questionable conclusion, the film has many redeeming qualities. The play utilizes the spacing of scenes to insure that there is a build in Viola and Orsino’s relationship. The inter-cutting also allows the audience to quickly learn information about the characters and their story; inter-cutting also allows for connections between the couples Viola and Orsino and the couple Maria and Sir Toby even if this particular scene does not do well for Maria’s character.
In the cinema, Shakespeare’s play presents a better sense of time that cannot be reached on the stage (Osborne 95). For example, Nunn chooses not to include the line about Viola becoming Orsino’s favorite in three days, but while rearranging pieces to make this depth in main characters, some pieces of the minor characters can become lost, but to present the piece to a more modern audience, some pieces have to be cut, and some of the pieces cut include Maria’s develop.
Despite this, Nunn’s production presents great potential for Shakespeare plays in the film industry. Once more, Maria can be viewed as a relatively minor character. As long as she takes part in tricking Malvolio, she has served her purpose in the play, but deviating from Shakespeare’s original characteristics can cause her actions to seem random.
Carroll’s production still presents Maria as a loyal, vengeful, and yet humorous character, but because of Nunn’s additions, his Maria appears as a simple handmaiden whose actions appear random and conflict with her character. Nunn arguably did this to focus on other aspects of the play, but there is possibly a way he could have done this without taking away from Maria’s character. Nunn is not the only director to only play on one aspect of Maria’s character, but he is one of the directors who takes away from her humorous and strong-minded side.