SHAKESPEAREAN COMEDY
The origin of Shakespearean comedy may be traced to the crude comic
situations of the mystery plays, but those situations contributed hardly anything towards
the shaping and gradual development of Shakespearean comedy , which had its own laws
and conventions. Undoubtedly Shakespeare was indebted to TERENCE and PLAUTUS, but
there again he fused his own the elements borrowed from them into a harmonious
dramatic scheme.
The reasonable feature of Shakespearean comedy is its underplots. In his
comedies Shakespeare had one or more underplots running parallel to the main plot, yet
forming integral part of it. These meanderings of underplots gave the main plot variety
and made it very enjoyable, so that there could be no room for monotony in
Shakespearean comedy.
For example, in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, there are three love affairs. But
they are on different planes. The sentimental love affair of Lorenzo and Jessica, and rather
homely love affair between Gratiano and Nerissa have nothing common with the romantic
love affair of Bassanio and Portia, yet the first two love affairs indirectly add grace to the
third one and keep it free from such satisty as which is the chief defect of most romances.
Shakespeare’s comedies are romantic comedies, for their chief motive is
romantic love. But here again Shakespeare had his distinction. Upto his time, romantic
comedies were confined to wooing, but he strode out of the confines.
The chief characteristic of romance is its escape, rather emancipation, from
the bonds of drudgery and monotony that the real life binds us with. And Shakespeare
knew that well. So he elevated his comedies from the real to imaginative plane. His
comedies mostly begin with some artificial seclusion segregation , and, as Professor
Gordon says, “the curtain goes up, and at once, or in a scene or two, the door is shut on
ordinary life”.
Shakespeare borrowed liberally from foreign sources. He ransacked the
Italian comedy. But he remoulded the plunder with the touch of his own genius. And so,
his fools are no more fools – they are full characters indeed, for he made them do some
job, in addition to buffoonery. Thus LAUNCELOT GOBBO in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
acted as a messenger between LORENZO and JESSICA and thereby became a useful
character. Shakespeare also borrowed the element of intrigue from the Italian comedy.
Unlike BEN JOHNSON, Shakespeare did not write his comedy in a satirical
vein. On the contrary, it was humour – innocent and healthy humour – what he aimed at.
And his humour was spontaneous. As the action moves on, humour makes its appearance,
as if by an accident, and yet spontaneously filling the auditorium with a tremendous roar
hearty laughter.
The origin of Shakespearean comedy may be traced to the crude comic
situations of the mystery plays, but those situations contributed hardly anything towards
the shaping and gradual development of Shakespearean comedy , which had its own laws
and conventions. Undoubtedly Shakespeare was indebted to TERENCE and PLAUTUS, but
there again he fused his own the elements borrowed from them into a harmonious
dramatic scheme.
The reasonable feature of Shakespearean comedy is its underplots. In his
comedies Shakespeare had one or more underplots running parallel to the main plot, yet
forming integral part of it. These meanderings of underplots gave the main plot variety
and made it very enjoyable, so that there could be no room for monotony in
Shakespearean comedy.
For example, in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, there are three love affairs. But
they are on different planes. The sentimental love affair of Lorenzo and Jessica, and rather
homely love affair between Gratiano and Nerissa have nothing common with the romantic
love affair of Bassanio and Portia, yet the first two love affairs indirectly add grace to the
third one and keep it free from such satisty as which is the chief defect of most romances.
Shakespeare’s comedies are romantic comedies, for their chief motive is
romantic love. But here again Shakespeare had his distinction. Upto his time, romantic
comedies were confined to wooing, but he strode out of the confines.
The chief characteristic of romance is its escape, rather emancipation, from
the bonds of drudgery and monotony that the real life binds us with. And Shakespeare
knew that well. So he elevated his comedies from the real to imaginative plane. His
comedies mostly begin with some artificial seclusion segregation , and, as Professor
Gordon says, “the curtain goes up, and at once, or in a scene or two, the door is shut on
ordinary life”.
Shakespeare borrowed liberally from foreign sources. He ransacked the
Italian comedy. But he remoulded the plunder with the touch of his own genius. And so,
his fools are no more fools – they are full characters indeed, for he made them do some
job, in addition to buffoonery. Thus LAUNCELOT GOBBO in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
acted as a messenger between LORENZO and JESSICA and thereby became a useful
character. Shakespeare also borrowed the element of intrigue from the Italian comedy.
Unlike BEN JOHNSON, Shakespeare did not write his comedy in a satirical
vein. On the contrary, it was humour – innocent and healthy humour – what he aimed at.
And his humour was spontaneous. As the action moves on, humour makes its appearance,
as if by an accident, and yet spontaneously filling the auditorium with a tremendous roar
hearty laughter.
