How Shakespear Creats Humor in A Midsummer
To create humor in drama, one must either make witty wordplay, create an amusing situation, or use physical comedy. Often jokes may be incorporated into a play, or a comic situation may result in a series of complicated antics. The tradition for some of these comic devices has been carried over for hundreds of years, dating back to Shakespeare in the 1600's. In his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare creates humor through three diverse devices: oxymoron's, malapropisms and mistaken identities. All result in a farcical mix of comic situations. Wordplay, such as the use of oxymorons, is an abundant source of humor in Shakespeare. The word oxymoron comes from the Greek meaning "pointedly foolish." Pointedly foolish certainly applies to the mechanicals, whose ignorance provides the root of all their comedy in the play. For example, Quince refers to the play of Pyramus and Thisbe as "the most lamentable comedy." (Iii 9) This does not make much sense, since we would hardly express sorrow over a comedy. However, as it turns out, the pathetic production they eventually put on is so bad it actually is lamentable. When Bottom says: "I'll speak in a monstrous little voice,"
reversal of situations are comic and the complexity of one these devices creates one of the classic and brilliant instead of too little. There is also dramatic irony because Wordplay is not the only type of humor generated in engaged to wed against Hermia's will. They all end up exasperation is ironic, because now she has too much love
Some common words found in the essay are:
Bottom I'll, Lysander Demetrius, Hermia Demetrious, Dream Shakespeare, , Bottom Titania's, Hermia Hermia, Pyramus Thisbe, Nights Dream, Helena Helena, lysander loves, loves hermia, monstrous little, fall love, mistaken identities, hermia loves lysander, love instead, little voice, pointedly foolish, helena loves, hermia loves,
Approximate Word count = 908
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|