Toby Belch
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Sir Toby Belch is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, or What You Will. He is fat, crude, and is often drunk. However, Sir Toby is also witty and intelligent, making many jokes and puns. In character, he can be compared to an earlier Shakespearean character, Falstaff.
As Olivia's uncle, he lives in her household and thus is able to interact with the characters from the play's major plot. He marries Maria at the end of the play.
Although he possesses a festive personality, Sir Toby can be rather cruel in his pursuits of pleasure. He befriends a silly squire named Sir Andrew Aguecheek but takes advantage of him financially and encourages him to court Olivia, a hopeless pursuit. Sir Toby is most cruel to Olivia's head steward Malvolio. With help from Maria, he makes Malvolio believe the lady Olivia wishes to marry him. Sir Toby carries this prank quite far--eventually imprisoning Malvolio in a dark room.
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