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A friend of Sir Toby’s who arrives in Illyria to pursue Olivia’s heart, Sir Andrew Aguecheek functions as one of the most comedic characters in the play. He and Sir Toby share many characteristics, such as a fondness for drinking and merriment, but Sir Andrew proves himself to be far more foolish. The stark contrast between his self-image and his actual character leads to many humorous moments for both the audience and the other characters on stage. Sir Andrew presents himself as a wealthy nobleman well-versed in world languages, dancing, and sword fighting. If his name is any indication of his personality, however, the audience can infer that he lacks this idealized persona before he even appears on stage. “Ague” refers to a fever or fit of shivering, so incorporating it into Sir Andrew’s name suggests that something is off about him. When he does finally appear for the first time in Act I, Scene 3, Sir Andrew’s incompetencies become abundantly clear. He fails to understand Toby and Maria’s jokes and wordplay, for example, and he allows Toby to convince him that he has a serious chance at winning Olivia over. Sir Andrew’s most revealing moment, however, comes when Toby persuades him to challenge Cesario to a duel. In addition to the fact that his proposal makes no logical sense, he cannot bring himself to fight Cesario, who is really Viola, when they encounter each other in Act III, Scene 4. The fact that he is afraid of a character whom the audience knows is a woman works to emphasize just how distorted his self-image truly is.
