Humor in A Midsummer Night’s Dream “The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter.” -George Meredith Introduction to Comedy: In comedy the appeals are made to the head, not to the heart. As audience members, the writer expects us to see the incongruity of an action. Comedy is based on the principle that no man knows who he is and that he cannot see his real mirror image but only what he wants to see. Irony* and incongruity* are the triggers of laughter. Reversal of roles, exaggerations, and understatement all surprise our mental expectations and make us see things differently.
In another instance, it is used as defense against greater harm, as in Othello. And of course, let’s not forget the instances when deception takes the form of well-planned tactics in the hands of evil characters, as in Julius Caesar. In comparing any two plays, such as Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for example, one can easily list many dualities– tragedy and comedy, an unhappy and happy ending and seriousness and mockery. But when it comes to similarities, the repeating patterns of deceit should be the first to come to one’s mind. A short essay cannot investigate all instances of this occurrence in all works of the author, but could provide the reader with the major categories.
Excess is a recurring idea in comic works that is portrayed through the various actions and interactions of the characters. Excess is essentially the idea of taking something to an extreme, in some cases to the point where it begins to stretch the realistic credibility of what is occurring. Comedy attempts to be realistic, using characters that seem human, and, to an extent, the audience can relate to these fictional beings. But excess is the flip side, where the actions of the characters seem artificial and exaggeration. Is excess really an exaggeration at which the audience is supposed to laugh but not think to be credible?
Stoppard uses his play to mock the conventions of cosy crime fiction as some believe theatrical whodunits are inevitably shallow and dull thus Stoppard only delineates the obvious. Stoppard focuses on the melodramatic style of The Mousetrap that involves the audience in clues and suspense with complications and revelations at the end of each act through his notion of absurdist theatre. He exaggerates the conventions of the crime fiction genre through combining elements of British comedy in his play where the audience is aware of such humour. By utilizing the audiences’ knowledge of detective fiction as an iconic British genre he henceforth creates a parody and pastiche in The Real Inspector
“How far would you agree that the characters’ susceptibility to deception is what drives the plot in this dramatic comedy?” Much Ado About Nothing is a dramatic comedy written by William Shakespeare. Its main themes include deception, social grace, honour, marriage and gender- with characters falling in love, falling out of love, being disgraced and being accepted once more; but what really drives the plot in this dramatic comedy? Many would argue that it is the characters’ susceptibility to deception as deceit is one of its main themes. I am going to argue for and against this and come to a conclusion of how far I’d agree that it is what drives the main plot. Much Ado is a play based around the theme of deliberate deception- sometimes this deception is malevolent and sometimes benevolent but much of the play hinges around them and their effect on the characters.
Benedick and Beatrice argue with delightful wit, and Shakespeare develops their journey from antagonism to sincere love and affection with a rich sense of humour and compassion. Since Beatrice and Benedick have a history behind them that adds weight to their relationship, they are older and more mature than the typical lovers in Shakespeare’s comedies, though their unhealthy competitiveness reveals them to be childish novices when it comes to love. The play can also be perceived as a comedy of manners through the humorous bickering between Beatrice and Benedick. At the beginning of the play Beatrice interrupts the men speaking to make a smart remark on Benedick; “I pray you, is Signor Mountanto returned from the wars or no?” The fact that she interrupts questions her manners as a woman of that time, where there were great expectations of women to be submissive to men, however we soon unravel that Beatrice isn’t just an ordinary woman of that century, she’s greatly independent which is also seen in the continuous bickering between her and Benedick. This, however, also makes it funny because of the reactions received from other characters, for example the uneasiness of the Messenger after Beatrice’s very forward statement.
Hamlet and Claudius contradict one another in a variety of ways making them enemies throughout the play. Prince Hamlet is perceived as the protagonist in the play for many reasons, one of them being because he displays an elegant intensity in everything he does, making him very amiable to the audience. When Hamlet is truly indecisive, brutal, revengeful, and hateful. When Hamlet speaks to others, his words are thought out to be hurtful to whomever he is speaking to. “You should not have believ'd me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it.
What people might not expect or catch on to is that the entire of the play is full of dramatic irony! What Shakespeare has done is given the audience a false sense of security, (pause), he does this by making it look as if there is going to be a good ending, by having make the Friars plan seem so fool proof that it deceives the audience, into thinking that there is going to be a good outcome,(Pause)that is until he turns it on to its head and has it so that both Romeo and Juliet die, this is caused by the actions of some of the other characters in the play, for example: when Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge. If Tybalts act of killing Mercutio had not happened, then Romeo would not have been banished for slaying Tybalt, and the letter would have made its way to Romeo. This is what
Much Ado About Nothing Genre Much Ado is typically classified as a comedy as the play is written with the intention of being funny. The contrast of characters throughout the play highlights the comedic side of initially serious situations. The first contrast is the difference between Claudio and Hero’s relationship and Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship. Claudio’s love for Hero is very superficial and stereotypical whereby he is merely attracted to Hero’s beauty, however their relationship doesn’t end as planned even though many may not view their relationship as proper at all, in fact some may laugh at the fact that it was taken so seriously. Whereas Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship is filled with ‘banterous’ wit and exchanges and highlights the comedic side of love, whereby their relationship consists of two strong personalities, however Beatrice’s personality and opinions are far more prominent than Benedick’s.
187-8.) This pretense of madness Shakespeare borrowed from the earlier versions of the story. The fact that he has made it appear like real madness to many critics today only goes to show the wideness of his knowledge and the greatness of his dramatic skill. In the play the only persons who regard Hamlet as really mad are the king and his henchmen, and even these are troubled with many doubts. Polonius is the first to declare him mad, and he thinks it is because Ophelia has repelled his love.