1 / 13

Shakespeare’s Comedies

Shakespeare’s Comedies. Shakespeare’s Comedies. Whereas Tragedy focuses on the nobility of man, comedy focuses on human limitations and weaknesses in order to poke fun. As Puck said in Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”. Shakespeare’s Comic Devices.

mairi
Download Presentation

Shakespeare’s Comedies

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Shakespeare’s Comedies

  2. Shakespeare’s Comedies Whereas Tragedy focuses on the nobility of man, comedy focuses on human limitations and weaknesses in order to poke fun. As Puck said in Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”

  3. Shakespeare’s Comic Devices Women are equal to men.

  4. Plays always end “happily ever after,” often with weddings.

  5. Physical Humor and slapstick

  6. Mistaken identity and disguises

  7. Puns and Word Play What do you get when you cross . . . • A dog with a cantaloupe? • A melon-collie baby. • A dove with a high chair? • A stool pigeon. • A policeman with a telegram? • Copper wire. • A vampire with a snowman? • Frostbite.

  8. Stock Characters • Fool / Jester: • Ironically, he is the most intelligent person in the play. He is able to tell the truth because everyone thinks he is a simpleton.

  9. Stuffy, pompous character: Malvolio is satirized as an arrogant Puritan.

  10. What is Twelfth Night? • January 5: Twelve days after Christmas • Epiphany: Magi visit the Christ Child • Combine pagan holiday, Winter’s Festival celebrating the Roman god Saturn and Celtic gods, with Christian holiday. • Lord of Misrule: symbolized world turning upside down. • King and noblemen became peasants • Peasants treated like kings.

  11. Twelfth Night, or What You Will • Make of the play what you want it to be. • Audience has a responsibility. • We become uncomfortable with some of the action of the play.

  12. What is a motif? • Motif: a reoccurring image, symbol that unifies a work. • Twelfth Night motif: Excess, too much of a good thing

  13. Five Forms of Love • 1. Romantic love, almost “sick with love” – often unattainable. • 2. Mature, unselfish love • 3. Love between friends • 4. Love between family members • 5. Self-love or vanity

More Related