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Comic Fools

To create humor in drama, one must either make witty

wordplay, create an amusing situation, or use physical

comedy. Often jokes may be incorporated into a play, or a

comic situation may result in a series of complicated

antics. The tradition for some of these comic devices has

been carried over for hundreds of years, dating back to

Shakespeare in the 1600's. In his play, A Midsummer Night's

Dream, Shakespeare creates humor through three diverse

devices: oxymoron's, malapropisms and mistaken identities.

All result in a farcical mix of comic situations.

Wordplay, such as the use of oxymorons, is an abundant

source of humor in Shakespeare. The word oxymoron comes

from the Greek meaning "pointedly foolish." Pointedly

foolish certainly applies to the mechanicals, whose

ignorance provides the root of all their comedy in the play.

For example, Quince refers to the play of Pyramus and Thisbe

as "the most lamentable comedy." (Iii 9) This does not make

much sense, since we would hardly express sorrow over a

comedy. However, as it turns out, the pathetic production

they eventually put on is so bad it actually is lamentable.

When Bottom says: "I'll speak in a monstrous little voice,"

(Iii 43) he surely does not mean a voice which is both

monstrous and little, for something cannot be both monstrous

and little. What Bottom is trying to say is that he will

speak in a "very" little voice. Bottom does not realize

what he has said and creates amusing confusion for the

reader. One of Helena's oxymorons is in Act 3, scene 2,

line 129: "oh devilish- holy fray!" Obviously something

cannot be devilish and...