How Shakespeare utilises comedy and the construct of love to examine
society
Comedy
Comedy perhaps acts as a threat - those who don’t comply with the comedy of the play and
refuse to indulge it are punished. Malvolio believes himself too good for revelry and music
(music is a key convention in comedy) and is punished through becoming the victim of the
comedy itself. Feste refuses to indulge foolery consistently (irony of the fool being the least
foolish person - “I wear not motley in my brain”) and it could be argued he’s punished
through his awareness of reality (“the rain it raineth everyday”) - unlike the other characters,
he can’t escape from the painful monotony of life and is subjected to melancholy.
Satire Orsino, Feste, “Give me excess of it… Satirises erratic upper class who have so
includes Olivia by Enough, no more/’Tis not so much that they can’t decide what they want -
extension sweet now” overindulges his melancholy, his desire for
love.
“The passion of my love”
Parody of the Courtly Lover convention,
“Thy mind is a very opal” - F
where Shakespeare suggests than men enjoy
the performance of lovesickness more than
they’re actually in love. Hyperbolic language
and excessive soliloquies convey his self
obsession - romance is an opportunity for him
to indulge his self-love.
AO5: “His excessive speeches betray his
desire not for Olivia, but for love itself”
Feste satirises Orsino by commentating on
his changeability in a way he won’t
understand - includes the audience and Feste
in a joke against Orsino, and suggests he’s
so obsessed with himself and love that he
can’t focus on anything else.
AO3: Subverts genre - Feste is lower class
character but engages in wordplay comedy,
reflection of 12N festival.
Satire Olivia’s “Till seven years heat, shall This could be interpreted as Olivia taking
disengagement from not behold her face” drastic steps to avoid Orsino’s harassment, or
Orsino’s advances could be interpreted that she’s playing the
“All this to season/a
role of the courtly lover’s desire excessively
brother’s dead love”
well. So obsessed with maintaining facade of
, desirability but achievability that she will exile
herself from society.
AO5: “Olivia, too, had seemed an unlikely
candidate for affectation” - suggests even
aristocracy who seem most well adjusted are
still performative, satirises upper class.
Parody of Malvolio’s fun-ruining, “Have you no wit, manners, Portrayed to be ruining the other characters’
Puritanism yet he’s also a nor honesty” fun, and he attempts to assume superiority
hypocrite through the repeated rhetorical questions -
“Is there no respect of place,
tries to force merry men into guilt. This
persons, nor time in you?”
attempt to chastise them infuriates them
“To be Count Malvolio!” because they’re being lectured by “a
steward”.
His obsession with order is emphasised in
syndetic lists - show what he prioritises over
fun.
His secret desire to ascend rank mocks
Puritans - suggests they're all hypocrites and
actually have no strong morals because
they’re willing to give them up if offered
class/money.
AO5: “His efforts to reform his image lead to
disgrace” - not necessarily, his entire
character is a parody of Puritanism, so by his
very nature he’s in disgrace for the entirety of
the play.
This mocking seems less good natured than
that of Olivia and Orsino (they achieve happy
ending while he doesn’t) - AO3, Puritans were
incredibly hated and audience would like to
see him punished (schadenfreude)
Mistaken Viola and Sebastian “Why do you speak to me? I Dramatic irony - only audience is aware of the
identity/farce confused by everyone never hurt you” truth.
“No, my lord, not I” Seems improbable but is mainly for
audience’s enjoyment, rather than to convey
a social message.
Intertwined with 12N festival, which involved
costumes and masks - V and S take this to a
higher level by actively pretending to be
someone else.
Its improbability gives it the opportunity to
commentate on gender and sexuality norms -
audience is aware this would never happen,
therefore doesn’t present an active threat to
status quo.
Irony Feste’s wisdom when “her corrupter of words” His rejection of the title of “fool” initially seems
society
Comedy
Comedy perhaps acts as a threat - those who don’t comply with the comedy of the play and
refuse to indulge it are punished. Malvolio believes himself too good for revelry and music
(music is a key convention in comedy) and is punished through becoming the victim of the
comedy itself. Feste refuses to indulge foolery consistently (irony of the fool being the least
foolish person - “I wear not motley in my brain”) and it could be argued he’s punished
through his awareness of reality (“the rain it raineth everyday”) - unlike the other characters,
he can’t escape from the painful monotony of life and is subjected to melancholy.
Satire Orsino, Feste, “Give me excess of it… Satirises erratic upper class who have so
includes Olivia by Enough, no more/’Tis not so much that they can’t decide what they want -
extension sweet now” overindulges his melancholy, his desire for
love.
“The passion of my love”
Parody of the Courtly Lover convention,
“Thy mind is a very opal” - F
where Shakespeare suggests than men enjoy
the performance of lovesickness more than
they’re actually in love. Hyperbolic language
and excessive soliloquies convey his self
obsession - romance is an opportunity for him
to indulge his self-love.
AO5: “His excessive speeches betray his
desire not for Olivia, but for love itself”
Feste satirises Orsino by commentating on
his changeability in a way he won’t
understand - includes the audience and Feste
in a joke against Orsino, and suggests he’s
so obsessed with himself and love that he
can’t focus on anything else.
AO3: Subverts genre - Feste is lower class
character but engages in wordplay comedy,
reflection of 12N festival.
Satire Olivia’s “Till seven years heat, shall This could be interpreted as Olivia taking
disengagement from not behold her face” drastic steps to avoid Orsino’s harassment, or
Orsino’s advances could be interpreted that she’s playing the
“All this to season/a
role of the courtly lover’s desire excessively
brother’s dead love”
well. So obsessed with maintaining facade of
, desirability but achievability that she will exile
herself from society.
AO5: “Olivia, too, had seemed an unlikely
candidate for affectation” - suggests even
aristocracy who seem most well adjusted are
still performative, satirises upper class.
Parody of Malvolio’s fun-ruining, “Have you no wit, manners, Portrayed to be ruining the other characters’
Puritanism yet he’s also a nor honesty” fun, and he attempts to assume superiority
hypocrite through the repeated rhetorical questions -
“Is there no respect of place,
tries to force merry men into guilt. This
persons, nor time in you?”
attempt to chastise them infuriates them
“To be Count Malvolio!” because they’re being lectured by “a
steward”.
His obsession with order is emphasised in
syndetic lists - show what he prioritises over
fun.
His secret desire to ascend rank mocks
Puritans - suggests they're all hypocrites and
actually have no strong morals because
they’re willing to give them up if offered
class/money.
AO5: “His efforts to reform his image lead to
disgrace” - not necessarily, his entire
character is a parody of Puritanism, so by his
very nature he’s in disgrace for the entirety of
the play.
This mocking seems less good natured than
that of Olivia and Orsino (they achieve happy
ending while he doesn’t) - AO3, Puritans were
incredibly hated and audience would like to
see him punished (schadenfreude)
Mistaken Viola and Sebastian “Why do you speak to me? I Dramatic irony - only audience is aware of the
identity/farce confused by everyone never hurt you” truth.
“No, my lord, not I” Seems improbable but is mainly for
audience’s enjoyment, rather than to convey
a social message.
Intertwined with 12N festival, which involved
costumes and masks - V and S take this to a
higher level by actively pretending to be
someone else.
Its improbability gives it the opportunity to
commentate on gender and sexuality norms -
audience is aware this would never happen,
therefore doesn’t present an active threat to
status quo.
Irony Feste’s wisdom when “her corrupter of words” His rejection of the title of “fool” initially seems
