Sir Andrew Aguecheek

Play

Twelfth Night

Summary

Sir Andrew Aguecheek is the gullible, empty-headed knight whom Sir Toby Belch has brought to Olivia's household under the pretense of wooing her — while extracting money from him all along. Comically thin, vain about his hair and dancing, and cheerfully slow-witted, Sir Andrew is an endearing study in amiable foolishness. He agrees to challenge Cesario to a duel (terrified all the while), and his dim good nature makes him more pitiable than contemptible. He is one of Shakespeare's most purely comic creations.

Notable Quotations

"I was adored once too." *(II.iii)*

"Methinks sometimes I have no more wit than a Christian or an ordinary man has." *(I.iii)*

Cross-references

• Twelfth Night — the play
• Comedies — genre
• character_sir_toby — who exploits his gullibility and his purse
• character_olivia — the countess he futilely aspires to court
• character_viola — Cesario, whom he is tricked into challenging