'The Fool is more important to the play than he may at first seem.' By considering the dramatic presentation of the Fool, evaluate this view. The Fool is more than just a jester who is present to provide some comic relief in the tragedy of King Lear; like many of Shakespeare’s fools, he is shown as a highly intelligent character who the audience likes not just for his entertainment, but his insightfulness. Therefore, he is central both to the plot, as he criticises and advises Lear, potentially setting his later clarity into the motion, and to the audience’s understanding of the characters in the play. The first impression most have of the Fool is that his presence serves as form of comic relief, in order to set a lighter tone to the play; however, because of this, his death is crucial to the bleak ending of the play.
His name even means “the fool”. A Shakespearian audience would traditionally be accustomed to Fetse being known as the fool. However a modern day audience wouldn’t agree. Feste “liked to expose the vain, mock the pompous and deliver a few home truths”. Through this depiction it is clear that Feste is not a fool all but rather a character who is clever, witty and insightful.
"As a protagonist, Hamlet has many flaws that contribute to his downfall." In what ways is Hamlet an antihero? An antihero is the 'hero' or 'heroine' of a play or novel that has negative qualities that separates him or her from a typical hero such as Superman. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist, Hamlet is depicted as an anti hero. He has the good traits and flaws of a typical hero such as loyalty and intelligence.
It is suggested by this then that the play holds no deeper meaning or message of morality; it is simply designed to fulfill a purpose through usage of traditional comedic techniques. However, some have interpretated themes of sexuality and a gentle mocking of Victorian customs ultimately leaving the play open to assumption. The Importance of being Earnest certainly maintains many traits of a great comedy of manners, "A comedy that satirizes behaviour in a particular social group"(dictionary.com). In fact many people have hailed it as "the greatest stage comedy of all time", this triumph supports the viewpoint that Wilde merely succeeded in entertaining his audience rather than channeling a deeper understanding. The use of slapstick by Wilde produces a contrived and absurd plotline that is in every way unrealistic.
When he talks about Rosaline it seems as though he is acting the part of an unrequited lover. We notice this, along with Benvolio, which makes his love almost comical as we know that it is not serious. Also he often says “O” with a sign. This makes the audience feel that he is being melodramatic. This expression of anguish seems over the top.
Guildenstern’s sympathetic needs are often confused with his sense of anger and wickedness. He appears to be on the good side of Hamlet, but only because he is plotting with former friend, Rosencrantz.
Quince’s pun, ‘for it is nothing but roaring’ (when in conversation with Snug) alludes quick-witted humour. Quince’s double-entendres are also amusing, ‘some of your French crowns have no hair at all…’ Quince’s repartee particularly displays the typical features of a comedy. Thirdly, the use of sarcasm and insults also enforce my expectations of the play being a dramatic comedy. ‘You have your father’s love, Demetrius’ is one example of sarcasm, as said by Lysander. His comment comes across as sarcastic as he is mindful, and perhaps jealous, of the fact that his lover’s father wishes her to marry another man - Demetrius.
Shakespeare was a magician. You may think this is preposterous, however the way in which Shakespeare manages to bring his characters to life is simply stunning. He uses a vast range of techniques to bewilder, overwhelm and to encourage further study into the various connotations used. Some of his best literary pieces are his portrayals of disturbed characters; from solitary soliloquies to psychological torture, his use of the English language is phenomenal. Even the most esteemed of critics stand speechless when analysing his works of art.
Many audience members could interpret this in a slightly mocking way, scorning at Romeo’s exaggerative behaviour and perceiving it to be somewhat sardonic humour. On the contrary, some members of the audience may in fact feel sympathetic towards Romeo, connecting the oxymorons with his lovesick mind. However the audience choose to interpret Romeo’s oxymorons today, a 17th century audience would have in fact admired him. The idea of unrequited Petrarchan love, in which the male lusts poetically over the female, was very fashionable at the time in which the
Marlowe uses the comedy scenes to highlight a spiteful side to Faustus as well as a trivial side to him, where he priorities trivial things such as wealth and pranks over the things he prioritised at the beginning of the play. One could even go as far as to argue that Marlowe presents a completely opposite side to the ambitious, knowledge-driven Faustus portrayed at the beginning of the play. Another function of the comedy scenes is that they provide entertainment for the groundlings, by presenting political satire as well as slapstick jokes, dirty jokes and Victimising jokes. The comedy scenes emphasise the theme of pride, by illustrating the degradation of Faustus’s ambition and drive due to his exhibitions of Pride at the beginning of the play and finally the comedy scenes reflect gothic elements that sustain the scary aspect to the play while also making it an interesting visual experience for an Elizabethan