Elements of Shakespearean Comedy

Introduction

We are going to dive deep into the Shakespearean Comedy but before that let us
understand What is Comedy? It will help us to understand the elements of Shakespearean
Comedy.
The general perception of a comedy is that it ends happily for the protagonist
and also have elements that may produce laughter. The main purpose of the comedy is to
entertain the audience and make them feel good. This perception is very close to
Shakespearean Comedy.
Shakespeare broke all the rules of the traditional comedy and wrote what
suited his style and fancy. Shakespeare mingled happy and sad theme, mixed comic
elements with tragic elements. This made his plays more realistic because no human life is
completely tragic or completely comic. It is a combination of both. His comedies are full of
creativity and imagination and his concern was to make his audience laugh and feel good.

Elements :-

1. Love and Marriage :- Shakespearean Comedy explores the theme of love and
marriage. Not only the hero and heroine but almost all the characters fall in love with
each other. Therefore, marriage is inevitable in the end. For example :- In
Shakespeare's one of the most famous play "As You Like It", almost all the
characters fall in love with each other and the play ends with the marriage of four
couples.
2. Disguise and Gender :- Another important features of the Shakespearean
Comedy is disguise and gender. Characters disguised as someone else, female
characters disguised as male and the male characters disguised as female. This
makes the play more entertaining and exciting. Disguise and Gender changing can
be seen in Shakespearean comedies such as As You Like It, in which Rosalind
impersonates a man in order to chase the man she secretly desires; or in Twelfth
Night, where a shipwrecked Viola washes up in a strange land and decides to dress
up as a man to enter into service of the nobility.
3. Idyllic Setting :- Shakespearean comedies are set in pleasant and peaceful places
where everything is perfect. The location are like paradise, which doesn't exist in
reality and is created by the imagination of the writer. For example "As You Like It" is
set in the Forest of Arden. Another example of idyllic Setting is " Twelfth Night", which
is set in a mystical island named Island of Illyria.
4. Fool or Clown :- Fool and Clowns enhances the pleasure of Shakespearean
Comedy. They only act like fools, but they are really wise men. In fact they teach
wisdom and intelligence under the grab of foolery. In "As You Like It", there is a clown
named Touchstone, who produces laughter among the audience with his foolish
 behaviour. Similarly in "Twelfth Night", a character named Feste is a clown who
makes the play entertaining with his pranks.
5. Blending of Pathos and Joy :- Shakespeare mingled happy and sad theme,
mixed comic elements with tragic elements. This made his plays more realistic
because no human life is completely tragic or completely comic. It is a combination of
both. Tragic element is introduced but it ends with a note of joy.
6. Music and Songs :- Music and song is an essential feature of Shakespearean
Comedy. Shakespeare says that music is the food of love. It is of various kinds. "As
You Like It" abounds in several songs which makes it more entertaining.
7. Happy Ending :- Lastly, but perhaps most crucially, one of the most notable
elements of a Shakespearean comedy is a happy ending. Shakespeare’s comedies
ended in a celebratory manner, often with love and marriage as the biggest focal
points. Examples of happy ending are "As You Like It" and "Twelfth Night". Both plays
end with the marriage of several characters and all the confusion gets resolved and
everything is clear.

Famous Shakespearean Comedies :-

1. All's Well that Ends Well

2. As You Like It
3. The Comedy of Errors
4. The Merchant of Venice
5. Twelfth Night
6. The Midsummer Night's Dream

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