‘Comedy involves men of middling estate; its perils are small scale, its outcomes peaceful’. To what extent do you agree with this definition of comedy in relation to Much Ado about Nothing*? Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing is one of the most popular comedies in history, selling out Shakespearean theatres until their closure in 1642. The comedy is thought to be written in 1598 and is often described as a ‘problem play’ meaning it shares tendencies with that of a tragedy. Of course MAAN follows Shakespeare’s traditional comedy structure but modern critics have their own agenda that a comedy, being such a complex genre, should conform to.
Additionally Shakespeare explores gender roles through a series of ‘lewd jokes’ and ‘cartoonish pratfalls’ which typically follow ‘the basic formula for comedy’ and also support the audience’s ‘expectation of plot’. Simultaneously Shakespeare subverts the audience’s ‘expectation of plot and character’ when exploring gender roles through the characters, as it creates tension and becomes less comedic. Following the ‘basic formula for comedy’ ‘A Midsummer Night Dream’ begins with the preparations for a royal wedding which is portrayed as a joyous occasion, Theseus is looking forward to the wedding and wishes to celebrate “With triumph, and with revelling” (Act 1: Line: 19) Shakespeare then removes the feeling of happiness and replaces it with a sense of tension when Egeus enters furiously with his daughter Hermia. It appears that Shakespeare has chosen to place these two events next to each other in order to sustain the audiences ‘expectation of plot’ as it
At the end of a comedy, marriage is often used to symbolise the restoration of equilibrium and harmony after the chaos and confusion of the drama. To what extent is this true of The Taming of the Shrew? The Taming of the Shrew is a Shakespearean comedy play where it explored the theme of marriage. Marriage may be crucial to any comedies as it is the repair to disputes and conflicts; however The Taming of the Shrew only supported this statement to a certain extent. Marriage is reaffirming the traditional social order after chaos and confusion of the comedy.
Devices that are used by Benedick and Beatrice are Bawdy language, word play and puns, which are very different compared to Dogberry’s According to Aristotle the idea of comedy comes from speculation concerning men dancing, signing and cavorting around the image of a phallus. True or not this idea of high-spirited celebration of sexuality and love, tragedies happen on the battle field more than likely comedy would be staged in the bedroom. Although not all literary works must involve crude humor, simply a happy ending is enough, with expectations and conventions of plot and characters. The language of prose has a particularly prominent place in Much Ado About Nothing; nearly three quarters of the play is written in prose. The pragmatic and realistic views of central characters like Benedick suit the prose style that Shakespeare uses in Much Ado About Nothing, much of the humor that is generated by Benedick and Beatrice’s ‘merry war’ is delivered in prose.
Topic: In some of Shakespeare’s plays fate is the unseen motivator of mortals. Which character acts as fate or the motivator in ‘A Midsummer’s Nights Dream? Shakespeare’s known for many of his plays, such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. One of his favourite themes for his plays is fate, but to activate that theme/idea he requires a character to act out as an unseen motivator of fate. The play Midsummer’s Night Dream is no exception.
The seriousness of their love results from the lovers’ disrepudance (?) of artificial language of ‘love’ and superficial code they had tired by at the beginning of the play. This is seen through the development of language form beginning with rhyme (Levin- “Comedy set the pattern of courtship embodied in dance (rhyme)) heavily used in the first act to its replacement of Blank verse which representative of a for more logical and realistic tone. This also reflects a common Shakespearean comment on Appearance versus Reality which is often a deeper theme discussed in tragedy. Tragedy is said to be further represented in Shakespeare’s use of opposites or antithesis.
To belong or not to belong, that is the question An insightful article on what it means to belong, through Shakespeare’s, ‘As you like it’ and 2 related texts. Written by Alice Sherwood As John Donne once said, ‘No man is an Island’. It is the nature of human’s to belong, and by having connections to people, places and family, individuals can flourish in their true identities as they find a sense of security, comfort and contentment from this indelible need. Shakespeare is a curious character. He writes a pastoral comedy, which oversteps the boundaries of many social rules, with fantastical places and magical transformations.
Moliere was a french play writer and actor who was considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Moliere wrote two types of plays: the farcical comedies and high comedies, it is very clear that Tartuffe falls into the comedy of character. Commedia Dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked types which began in Italy in the 16th century and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios and is the craft of improvisation. The characters that Moliere created seemed ridiculous because they deviate from decorum and the rules of Neoclassicism. The characters IL Capitano and Tartuffe both display similar characteristics in terms of them both being pretenious, cowardly liars that are very hypocritical.
“[T]he course of true love never did run smooth” (I, i, 34) Love has been a topic for poets throughout centuries. In William Shakespeare’s (A Midsummer's Night Dream) love “did [not] run smoothly.” (I, i, 134) A discussion of loves difficulties in reality, the magical influence on the real world, and the fact that the magical world, of fairies able to resolve barriers of love, will show that Shakespeare believes love is magical. Often true love runs into obstacles. Theseus characterizes love as an “antique fable and continues to compare “lovers [to] madmen” who” shape [] fantasies [that] cool reason [n]ever comprehend” (V, i, 27) Theseus is therefore solidly part of reality. In this world of reality the two lovers, Lysander and Hermia have a problem.
“Well-known definitions of the Commedia Dell’ Arte are that it was a semi-literary form of theatrical performance based primarily upon effective gestures and lazzi, and involving a limited number of generally accepted types who in their contrasting relation provide the setting for a light and flimsy action linked somehow by the eternal theme of love”( 704). His showing of the art form can be seen through his three most famous plays Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and The Imaginary Invalid. As Lanson stated, “From soiling the noble and pure conception of comic genius given to us by The Misanthrope and Tartuffe” (Lanson, 134). With the progression from an earlier play to his final play, we can see where Moliere used aspects of Commedia Dell’ Arte and where he veered away to fit his own personal tastes and that of France’s. Moliere was born Jean-Baptise Poquelin in 1622 to a father who was an upholsterer for the King and spent most of his life at court.