COMEDIES:

Adrian Escobar

A midsummer night´s dream:

A Midsummer Night's Dream was written in a highly creative period in

Shakespeare's career, when he was moving away from the shallow plots that
characterized his earlier drama and discovering his more mature style. Most critics
believe the play was written for and performed at an aristocratic wedding, with
Queen Elizabeth I in attendance. Scholars estimate the play was written in 1595 or
1596 (when Shakespeare was 31 or 32 years old), at approximately the same time
as Romeo and Juliet and Richard II.

The play opens up in Theseus' palace in Athens. It is four days before his wedding
to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons, and Theseus is impatient with how
slowly time is moving. Hippolyta assures him that the wedding day will soon arrive.

As Theseus and Hippolyta plan their wedding festivities, Egeus and his daughter,
Hermia, arrive on the scene with Lysander and Demetrius. Egeus is angry because
his daughter refuses to marry Demetrius, the man of his choice, but is instead in
love with Lysander. Egeus accuses Lysander of bewitching his daughter and
stealing her love by underhanded means. Agreeing with Egeus, Theseus declares
that it is a daughter's duty to obey her father. Hermia demands to know the worst
punishment she will receive for disobedience. Death or spending her life in a
nunnery comprise Hermia's choices. Lysander joins the argument, arguing that he
is Demetrius' equal in everything and is, indeed, more constant in his affection than
Demetrius, who was recently in love with Helena. These proceedings upset
Hippolyta, because the prospect of Hermia's death upsets her plans for a happy,
festive wedding day. Finally, everyone except Lysander and Hermia leave the
stage. Lysander reminds Hermia that the course of true love has never run
smoothly, so they must view their difficulties as typical for lovers. He has a plan for
eluding Athenian law: The two lovers will run away from Athens and live with his
childless widow aunt to whom he has always been a surrogate son. Living with her,
they will be outside of Athenian jurisdiction so that Hermia can avoid Theseus'
death sentence and can marry. Having few other options, Hermia is enthusiastic
about Lysander's idea and declares her undying love for him. Just as the lovers
have completed their plan for escape, Helena enters the scene. What charms does
Hermia possess, Helena wonders, that have so completely captivated Demetrius?
Hermia swears that she has no interest in Demetrius, that he actually seems to
thrive on her hatred of him. Hermia and Lysander confess their intention of fleeing
Athens, and Helena decides to tell Demetrius about it in a final attempt to win his
love.

Important Characters:

Theseus Duke of Athens, who is marrying Hippolyta as the play begins. He

decrees that Hermia must marry Demetrius or be sentenced either to death or to
life in a convent.
Hippolyta Queen of the Amazons, she is betrothed to Theseus.
Lysander Hermia's beloved. Egeus does not approve of Lysander, though we
don't know why. Lysander claims to be Demetrius' equal, and the play supports this
claim.
Demetrius He is in love with Hermia, and her father's choice of a husband for her.
Similar to Lysander in most ways, Demetrius' only distinguishing characteristic is
his fickleness in love.
Hermia Although she loves Lysander, her father insists she marry Demetrius or be
put to death for disobedience of his wishes.
Helena She is the cruelly abused lover of Demetrius. Before the play begins, he
has abandoned her in favor of Hermia.
Oberon The King of the Fairies, Oberon is fighting with Titania when the play
begins because he wants custody of an Indian boy she is raising.
Titania Oberon's wife, she is Queen of the Fairies. Because of Titania's argument
with Oberon, the entire human and natural world is in chaos.
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow Oberon's jester, Puck is responsible for mistakenly
anointing Lysander with the love juice intended for Demetrius.

Twelfth night:

Various critics divide Twelfth Night into various types of plots and/or subplots.
Regardless of the exact number of plots and subplots, however, the main thing is
that they are all woven together with immense skill to ultimately compose a single
pattern or tapestry. There is, first, the group centering around the ducal nobility of
Illyria: this group consists of Duke Orsino and his attendants, who open the play,
and the Countess Olivia, who is the main topic of discussion of the opening scene.
Then there is the group of shipwrecked personages centering on Viola and
Sebastian, the twins, and their friends, Viola's sea captain who fades from the
action, and, more important, Antonio, who plays a significant role later in the
comedy. Both Viola and Sebastian are, of course, later absorbed into the nobility of
Illyria. Then there is the merry group of pranksters, gullers, and tricksters, led by
Sir Toby Belch and Maria; this group also includes Sir Andrew Aguecheek (who is
included because his income supports the other members of this group), Fabian,
and Feste, the Clown. Through Feste, all of the groups are connected by his free
movement from one group to another as he is equally at home singing for Duke
Orsino, or proving Lady Olivia to be a fool for so excessively mourning for her
brother, or in planning a trick with Sir Toby. Then outside of all of these groups
stands Malvolio, Lady Olivia's puritanical steward. His colossal vanity and egotism
get between him and everything that he sees and does. Thus, he has already
gotten on the wrong side of Maria, Feste, and Sir Toby, and the plot involving their
determination to take their revenge upon him provides the best humor of the play.

Twelfth Night has always been one of Shakespeare's most popular plays on the
stage. So much of the delight of the play comes from viewing the play. One must
imagine the opening of the play with musicians entering and playing lovely music of
a languid and melancholy nature to match the mood and personality of Duke
Orsino's mood.

Important Characters:
Orsino: The Duke of Illyria and its ruler. At the opening of the comedy, he is
desperately in love with Lady Olivia, who spurns his romantic overtures in spite of
the fact that he is a perfect and ideal gentleman.
Viola/Cesario :After being shipwrecked, she disguises herself as a young boy,
takes the name of Cesario, and attains a position in Duke Orsino's household
because of her wit and charm.
Lady Olivia: She is a rich countess who, at first, plans to mourn her brother's
recent death for seven years
Sebastian: The twin brother to Viola who is mistaken for Cesario when he
(Sebastian) arrives in town. He meets Olivia and enters immediately into a
marriage with her.
Antonio: A sea captain who aids and protects Sebastian; his pleas for help are
ignored by Viola, who in her disguise looks exactly like her twin brother.
Sir Toby Belch: Lady Olivia's uncle who lives with her and who is given to
constant drinking bouts; he delights in playing tricks on others.
Malvolio: Lady Olivia's steward who also has fantasies that Lady Olivia might
someday marry him. He is opposed to Sir Toby's drinking bouts, and, thus, he
becomes the object of one of Sir Toby's elaborate tricks.
Maria: Lady Olivia's waiting woman; she is clever and arranges a superlative trick
to be played on Malvolio.

As you like it:

This first scene establishes several conflicts. The two major conflicts are between
the two pairs of brothers: Oliver and Orlando, and Duke Frederick and Duke
Senior. In each case, a brother is wronged, , he is wronged because he is well-
liked and morally good. It is interesting to note that in the case of Duke Frederick
and Duke Senior, it is the younger brother who is usurping the rights of
the elder brother, whereas with Oliver and Orlando it is just the opposite. In his
dialogue with Oliver, Orlando explains the villainy of Duke Frederick: it is the right
of the first-born male child to inherit his father's properties. Therefore, when Duke
Frederick usurped the dukedom from his elder brother, he committed an unnatural
act, according to the mores of the Elizabethan era.
Oliver's own villainy is explained in Orlando's opening speech, in which he relates
Oliver's failure to execute their father's will. Clearly, both Duke Frederick and Oliver
violate the natural laws of ascendancy. Oliver's villainy is even further evident when
he coldly and abruptly tells Adam, the old and faithful family servant, to leave the
room. But Oliver's cruel nature is made absolutely clear when he lies to Charles, a
professional wrestler, and encourages him to at least maim, if he cannot kill,
Orlando. Thus the laws governing the family are being horribly violated. Biblically,
fratricide is the oldest crime of all.

Important Characters:

Orlando de Boys: This young Englishman is noble and pure of heart. His constant
concern and care for Adam, the old family servant, immediately makes the
audience esteem him.
Oliver de Boys: He is supposed to teach his younger brother Orlando to be a
gentleman, but he does not do so; he is a treacherous youth and tries to have
Orlando killed.
Jaques de Boys: Like Oliver and Orlando, he is one of the sons of the late Sir
Roland de Boys. He is favored by Oliver over Orlando, and he is sent away to
school to learn how to be a proper gentleman.
Duke Frederick: The "villain" of this comedy, he banishes his elder brother, and
eventually he also exiles his brother's daughter, Rosalind, from the ducal palace.
Rosalind: She is the most realistic and sympathetic character in the play. She falls
in love with Orlando and shortly thereafter is exiled from the ducal court by
Frederick.
Celia: She is Rosalind's cousin and closest friend. When Rosalind is exiled by
Celia's father, Celia accompanies Rosalind to the Forest of Arden.
Touchstone: The court clown, he accompanies Rosalind and Celia to the Forest
of Arden. There he falls in love with Audrey, a country woman.
The Tempest:

With The Tempest, Shakespeare turns to fantasy and magic as a way to explore
romantic love, sibling hatred, and the love of a father for his child. In addition, The
Tempest examines many of the topics that Shakespeare had focused on in his
earlier plays, topics such as the attempts to overthrow a king. The Tempest opens
in the midst of a storm, as a ship containing the king of Naples and his party
struggles to stay afloat. On land, Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, watch the
storm envelop the ship. Prospero has created the storm with magic, and he
explains that his enemies are on board the ship. The story Prospero relates is that
he is the rightful Duke of Milan and that his younger brother, Antonio, betrayed him,
seizing his title and property. Twelve years earlier, Prospero and Miranda were put
out to sea in little more than a raft. Miraculously, they both survived and arrived
safely on this island, where Prospero learned to control the magic that he now uses
to manipulate everyone on the island. Upon his arrival, Prospero rescued a sprite,
Ariel, who had been imprisoned by the witch Sycorax. Ariel wishes to be free and
his freedom has been promised within two days. The last inhabitant of the island is
the child of Sycorax and the devil: Caliban, whom Prospero has enslaved. Caliban
is a natural man, uncivilized and wishing only to have his island returned to him to
that he can live alone in peace. Soon the royal party from the ship is cast ashore
and separated into three groups. The king's son, Ferdinand, is brought to
Prospero, where he sees Miranda, and the two fall instantly in love. Meanwhile,
Alonso, the king of Naples, and the rest of his party have come ashore on another
part of the island. Alonso fears that Ferdinand is dead and grieves for the loss of
his son. Antonio, Prospero's younger brother, has also been washed ashore with
the king's younger brother, Sebastian. Antonio easily convinces Sebastian that
Sebastian should murder his brother and seize the throne for himself. This plot to
murder Alonso is similar to Antonio's plot against his own brother, Prospero, 12
years earlier. Another part of the royal party — the court jester and the butler has
also come ashore. Trinculo and Stefano each stumble upon Caliban, and each
immediately sees a way to make money by exhibiting Caliban as a monster
recovered from this uninhabited island. Stefano has come ashore in a wine cask,
and soon Caliban, Trinculo, and Stefano are drunk. While drinking, Caliban
hatches a plot to murder Prospero and enrolls his two new acquaintances as
accomplices. Ariel is listening, however, and reports the plot to Prospero.

Important Characters:

Prospero: The rightful duke of Milan. After his brother, Antonio, seized his title and
property, Prospero was exiled with his daughter and eventually found refuge on an
island.
Miranda: Prospero's daughter. She has been on the island with her father for 12
years, since she was 3 years old.
Antonio: Prospero's younger brother, who is now the duke of Milan. He had
plotted against Prospero years earlier and now convinces Sebastian to murder his
brother, the king of Naples.
Ariel: A spirit of the air, he assists Prospero in seeking retribution over his
enemies.
Caliban: The offspring of the witch Sycorax and the devil. Prospero has made
Caliban his servant or slave, and in response, Caliban plots to murder Prospero.
Ferdinand: The son of the king of Naples. During the storm, he was separated
from the rest of the king's party, met Miranda, and fell in love with her.
Boatswain: The ship's petty officer.
Francisco and Adrian: Two of the king's lords. They try to offer hope and
protection to Alonso.
Alonso The king of Naples. He believes his son has died and is overjoyed to later
find him.