This, to the audience, will seem ridiculous and unnecessary creating a subtle sense of humour. Nearing the end of Act 2 we learn about Viola’s plans for her disguise in order to appear less vulnerable. She then goes on to say ‘thou shalt present me as an Eunuch to him’ which will yet again appear an overdramatic act to the audience. In act 3, Sir Toby Belch is introduced into the play. Shakespeare’s wit and word play used even for simply just the names of the characters can build up laughter.
However, Friar Laurence isn’t very clever when he tried to marry Juliet and Romeo. The Friar should have known the consequences that could have occurred if their marriage was revealed. Even so, he wanted to bring together the Montague`s and Capulet`s, to finally create peace between them. Another quote the Friar states is; “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast” in the end of Act II Scene III.
Back in the 1600s Shakespeare wrote plays that would specifically please the Monarch, as there was more pressure to gain acceptance; his comical plays would restore Social Class in the form of marriage. Abigail's Party fails to follow this structure that is used even in modern plays and films, which is why I refer to it as a Social Tragedy, where the social class was broken. Like in Shakespeare's Tragedy 'Romeo and Juliet' the two lovers are married, then torn apart by death as a consequence of a conflicting social class, this can be loosely mirrored in Abigail's Party. A typical example within the play of an unhappy marriage would involve Beverly and Lawrence. Though they are married, which implies a certain amount of love and a strong relationship, they seem to fail at every part of the stereotypical marriage.
In the play Romeo and Juliet, the audience often leaves thinking “if only… then…” they remember back to the parts that could have easily been avoided which would have made the ending turn out differently, and perhaps Romeo and Juliet would not have suffered such a tragic end. Shakespeare purposely wrote the prologue, which clearly states the end, “[a] pair of star-crossed lovers take their life… Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife,” (Prologue 6, 8), to send a message to the audience. There is a common misconception that the prologue is a foreshadowing of the two lovers’ end because foreshadowing is when there is a hint, but the prologue declares the ending, so it is not a forshadow. Shakespeare’s purpose of the prologue is to
“Comedy exhibits the external or internal deception of the Individual who, however, must not proceed in his delusion to a serious ethical violation, nor transgress the limits of sanity.” In the light of this statement, how does Shakespeare present the deception (and treatment) of Malvolio within the comic subplot of Twelfth Night? Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ gains its name from the days commencing the christmas period which are famous for their fun and festivities. Pompous, puritanical Malvolio is so antagonistically against all varieties of ‘fun’ that, naturally, his deception and mockery provide the make-up for a hilarious sub plot. At face value, this provides some welcome light relief from the turbulent main story; however, under analysis it can be questioned whether the joke delves too deeply into the uncomfortable and in doing so destroys the comedy in the deception. Early on in the play (Act 2 Scene 3) the audience enjoys the jovial atmosphere alongside the characters until Malvolio abruptly ruins the mood.
DECEPTION IN TWELFTH NIGHT Twelfth night is a carnival on the twelfth day of Christmas where nothing is as it seems. A carnival in general is a disguise where comedic components are dominant and appearances are deceiving. Similar to a carnival is the play- in which everyone is confused. Deception is a powerful device, yet paradoxically purpose may serve unpredictable and undesirable outcomes. In Twelfth Night, this is demonstrated by the numerous complications caused by Viola's physical disguise, as well as Orsino’s self deception.
Othello and Desdemona: The Struggle of an Ill-Fated Marriage In William Shakespeare’s play entitled “The Tragedy of Othello”, Shakespeare really tests the audience’s notion as to what love is and where it can or cannot exist. Based on the relationship between Desdemona and Othello, the play seems to say that marriage --based on an innocent, romantic love or a sacrilegious one-- is doomed to fail. Shakespeare is quite pessimistic about the reality and persistence of a genuine type of love. There is a common strand of disloyalty and deceit, particularly among the female characters. Othello and Desdemona, as portrayed in the play, are the two greatest of innocent people there ever was.
Shakespeare created 2 star-crossed who struggle to find balance with their love without upsetting those around them who disapprove. The play focuses on their love along with others around them that affect their everyday lives. This issue leads to future problems that surface in the play such as their own deaths. Those around Romeo and Juliet are to blame for their suicides.
In the same way, Macbeth also uses imagery related to light and darkness as the play nears its end and the re-establishment of good becomes inevitable. This quotation serves as a good example: "Out, out, brief candle! / Life's but a walking shadow..." (Act V, scene v, lines 4-23) - surely one of the most world-weary speeches in all Shakespeare! So although so much of the play takes place in darkness, it ends in the light of day as Birnam Wood is seen to move towards Macbeth's castle. The light of goodness is re-established by the end of the play as the new king is
How well does Shakespeare incorporate the three elements of romance, tragedy and comedy? The Tempest is Shakespeare’s last flamboyant and shortest play. It is difficult to categorize this play as it has elements of romance, tragedy and comedy. The tragic elements arise from the usurpation of the play’s protagonist Prospero and his daughter, the vengeance of Prospero and the plotting of murder woven quite neatly into the play. Romantic elements come from the love shared between Miranda and Ferdinand.