Shakespearean Comedy

Part A

Passage/Language Comparison Analysis

The following passage from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare contains language that has been manipulated to mean two different things; one meaning is literal, while the other meaning is a pun intended to make the individual appear dim-witted. Puns and verbal irony are characteristic of Shakespearean comedies.

"Nothing, good mounsieur, but to help Cavalery Cobweb
to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur; for
methinks I am marvellous hairy about the face; and I
am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me,
I must scratch" (4.1)

This quote is spoken by Bottom in Act 4 Scene 1 of the play, and it is used for comedic effect. Bottom and his fellow "actors" are planning a show in which Bottom has declared he will play every part simultaneously. Following many missteps and incorrect word choice, Bottom has elevated himself to superstar status, forcing those around him to do his bidding. At this point in the play, Bottom is wearing a donkey mask of sorts, signifying how much of an "ass" he is both literally and figuratively. Bottom believes he has become the character, as he does not realize that the reason he is "hairy about the face" is due to his absurd costume. He also declares he is a "tender ass", clearly a pun aimed at Bottom to exploit his self-centered tendencies.

Part B

Commentary on the Genre

"A Midsummer Night's Dream", "The Taming of the Shrew", and "The Tempest" are several of Shakespeare's comedies. The comedy genre is based on several ideas. Often love is the central idea and the problem. Lovers in Shakespearean comedies are often forced apart due to circumstances they cannot control, sometimes at the hands of family members, creating tension that needs to be overcome. One example of this idea is in "The Taming of the Shrew". Baptista Minola, father of Katherine and Bianca, controls their love lives by proclaiming that Bianca may not date until Katherine is ready to do the same. By interfering with their lives and keeping them from seeing men, Baptista is exerting control over their destinies, characteristic of a comedy. Another element of the comedy is the shortening of distance between characters; in "The Tempest", the main characters, Prospero and Gonzalo, for example, are far from one another for so long, but are reunited on an island following a horrible storm. Their separation turns to reuniting, another characteristic of the comedy. A third characteric of Shakespearean comedy is a multitude of plots that act separately but are not exclusive. In "A Midsummer Night's Dream", their are three plots: the plot in the fairy world with Oberon and Titania, the plot in the "real" world involving Demetrius, Lysander, and Hermia, and the plot involving Bottom and his absurd play. By taking varying plots and connecting them together, Shakespeare creates drama and comedy in three different ways and closes the play with a happy ending as comedies do.

Part C

Personal Reflection

As compared to the Histories, I had some trouble reading Shakespeare's comedies. I personally prefer stories that have some basis in fact like Shakespeare's accounts of the rulers of England in "Richard III" and "Henry V". Plays that invoke the use of fairies and magic do not register with me as other plays may. I will say, however, that some aspects of the plays intrigued me. In "A Midsummer Night's Dream", I enjoyed the frequent insulting of Bottom. The only thing funnier than a fool is a fool who has no idea he is being made fun of, and Bottom truly exemplifies that. In "The Tempest" I found the enslavement of Caliban by Prospero very interesting. Slavery, as we all know, came to a head centuries after Shakespeare, and it is interesting that slavery is being considered in literature years before its day of reckoning. Shakespeare seems to have been ahead of his time in that regard. One aspect of Shakeapearean comedy I enjoyed was the identity switching in "The Taming of the Shrew". The humor created when individuals switch identities to fool others and the challenge in remembering who is who within the play was a nice change. Overall, I found the happy endings in these plays to be a bit much for my taste, but, as with anything, there were parts I enjoyed and would read again.