Examples Of Comedy In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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At the beginning of the development in drama and theatre in the Elizabethan era the first temporary stages were set at the end of the inn-yards. Those inn-yard theatres evolved into first outdoor theatres and what both of these have in common is that the plays performed on stages attracted many people from all social classes. Shakespeare as a playwright uses many different types of humor in his comedies in order to amuse all of the audience. Many examples of humouristic situations can be seen in ‘’A Midsummer Night’s Dream’’. One of the most popular ways to create comedy is by irony. Irony occurs when words, actions, or plot development contradict with what is intended or expected to happen and can be split into two main types: dramatic irony
For example, when Bottom says ‘‘I see their knavery. This is to make an ass of me, to fright me, if they could’’ (III.i.122-123), which is funny for the reason that Bottom accuses his friends of trying to "make an ass" of him, while the audience knows something that Bottom doesn't(which can also be another example of dramatic irony as well) — he literally has been made into an ass and his name, Bottom, has suddenly become very fitting. Helena’s fury after Hermia calls her a ‘’puppet’’ can be found funny as well. The woman says ‘’ Because I am so dwarfish and so low?/ How low am I, thou painted maypole? Speak!/ How low am I? I am not yet so low/ But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes’’(III.ii.310-314). There is something funny in this quote about Helena being so fierce after mentioning her short height. The very last lines said by Robin, ‘’ If we shadows have offended/ Think but this and all is mended/ That you have but slumbered here/ While these visions did appear/ And this weak and idle theme/ No more yielding but a dream’’(V.i.440-445), try to convince the spectator that if they didn’t like the play then it may have never happened, it could have been just a dream which is a clever and playful was to finish the

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