Thomas Posthumous Hoby
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Sir Thomas Posthumus Hoby, also spelt Hobie, Hobbie and Hobby, Posthumous and Postumus, was an English gentleman and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1589 and 1629. A Puritan, he has been claimed as the inspiration for Shakespeare's character Malvolio in Twelfth Night.
Portrait of Hoby's mother Elizabeth Hoby, at Bisham Abbey
Hoby's brother Edward in 1583
Malvolio
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Malvolio is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night, or What You Will. His name means "ill will" in Italian, referencing his disagreeable nature. He is the vain, pompous, authoritarian steward of Olivia's household.
William Pleater Davidge as Malvolio in Twelfth Night at the Theatre Royal, Bath (c.1846). Painting by Henry Andrews