In 'Twelfth Night', what is the name of the foolish knight who seeks Olivia's hand?
Answer
Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Answer
Sir Andrew Aguecheek
In Twelfth Night, Sir Andrew Aguecheek is the foolish knight who seeks Olivia’s hand.
Sir Andrew is Sir Toby Belch’s wealthy but gullible companion. Sir Toby encourages him to court Olivia, partly because Andrew’s money helps support their extravagant lifestyle. Andrew repeatedly boasts about his talents, including his supposed skill with languages, dancing and swordsmanship, but his behavior reveals insecurity and limited intelligence.
Olivia does not genuinely return his affection. She is mourning her brother and later falls in love with Cesario, who is actually Viola in disguise. Sir Andrew becomes jealous and considers leaving, but Sir Toby persuades him to remain and challenge Cesario to a duel. The comic duel exposes Andrew’s cowardice, since both men fear the confrontation.
Sir Toby is Andrew’s drinking companion, not Olivia’s suitor. Malvolio serves Olivia and is involved in the subplot involving the forged letter, while Orsino is the Duke who loves Olivia at the beginning of the play. These overlapping courtships make the character relationships easy to confuse.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026