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Comedy on the twelfth night
Comedy on the twelfth night
Dramatic irony in Shakespeare
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Recommended: Comedy on the twelfth night
Twelfth Night Comedy by Shakespeare and Its Effect on Other Writings
While Great Expectations and Gulliver’s Travels were not written as comedy, humor is seen in them. The comedy in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night can be related to the comedy in those writings, although Shakespeare used a variety of comedic techniques, not used in either Great Expectations or Gulliver’s Travels. The comedy in Twelfth Night varies greatly from the comedy in Great Expectations and Gulliver’s Travels at times. Irony is a common comedic element seen in all three works. Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is commonly known as a satire, therefore it uses improbable irony as a tool. The misfortune, ridiculousness and contradict of Gulliver’s adventures is funny. For instance, he, an almighty human, was tied down and restrained by people the size of his finger. In Twelfth Night irony is also used. For example, Olivia fell in love with the woman, viola, dressed as a man, Cesario, who was to woo Olivia, for the duke. It is an unexpected, contradicting turn, mostly because of the couple’s gender, but also because of the going-ons during which it happened. In the following Viola finds out of Olivia’s love:
“Viola: I left no ring with her. What means this lady?
Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her!
She made good view of me, indeed so much
That sure methought her eyes had lost her tongue,
For she did speak in starts distractedly.
She loves me, sure! The cunning of her passion
Invites me in this churlish messenger.”
(Shakespeare, Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 15 and 20)
The love triangle Shakespeare uses to twist the plot is ironic. In Great Expectations is the main comedic tool, although it is not a satire. It is ironic how Estella, who was out to break Pip’s heart at the beginning, has her own heart broken and seems to reconcile with him in the end, appearing to intend to never again part,
“I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place; and as the morning mists had risen long ago when I first left the forge, so the evening mists were rising now, and in all the broad expanse of tranquil light they showed to me, I saw no shadow of another parting form her.” (Dickens, 516)
Because common aspects from Shakespeare’s writing can be seen in Great Expectations and Gulliver’s Travels, and similar comedic techniques were used in the writings, the works’ comedy ...
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...he past and how doing that prevents future. This is also seen in Twelfth Night with Orsino dwelling on Olivia. Another idea Great Expectations has in common with Twelfth Night is the general plot. The book’s general theme can be seen as influence from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, when Malvolio was invoked by Maria’s letter, he expected Olivia to be interested in him.
“Olivia: God comfort thee! Why doust thou smile so, and kiss they hand so off?
Maria: How do you, Malvolio?
Malvolio: At your request! Yes, nightingales answer daws!
Maria: Why appear you with this ridiculousness before my lady?
Malvolio: ‘Be not afraid of greatness.’ ‘Twas well writ.
Olivia: what meanest thou by that, Malvolio?”
(Shakespeare, Act 3, Scene 4, Lines 25 and 30)
Clearly, Great Expectations uses irony and has traits influenced by Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night offers comedy in every scene. It has obviously influenced some of today’s literature and common comedic aspects can by seen in all three works. Each novel clearly has human insight to offer, all true is certain circumstances. Certainly, Great Expectations and Gulliver’s Travels has been influenced by Shakespeare’s writing.
William Shakespeare, the author of Romeo and Juliet used irony very well. Juliet wants to be with her new secret husband, where as many have told her she has to marry. She does not want to do so, she and the Friar decide that she will fake her death and send a letter to her husband, Romeo, to tell him to get her away from Verona, Italy. Ironically, Romeo does not get this letter and thinks that she really is dead. He then kills himself to be with her. When Juliet awakes from the forged demise, she establishes that Romeo is dead and ironica...
Shakespeare's comedies A Midsummers Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing have many parallels while Measure for Measure is a problem play with a completely different tone. Comparing and contrasting these three plays provides insights into the views of Shakespeare concerning comedy.
Orsino’s view of love is that he is in love with love itself and he
Andrew is funny, it is not intentional. His faults include a lack of wit, a
Tragedy, irony and modernism are only a few interpretations of the valued play The Taming of the Shrew by the respected writer William Shakespeare. However, one of the most intriguing and popular of these analyses is comedy. Shakespeare is recognized for writing several plays with comedic genres, a few of which include Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors. Comedy, being a complex genre, is composed of many different concepts. This particular play can be interpreted as a Shakespearian comedy, a screwball comedy, a farce, or slapstick.
make him think he is mad and they also make Olivia think he is mad
are even made in the same way and from the same fabrics that were used
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story about two lovers who are from two disputing families, and their eventual suicides. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony throughout the play to create tension for the audience and foreshadow the ending. Dramatic irony is when the words or actions of characters in a story have a different meaning to the reader than to the characters. This is because the reader knows something that the characters do not. Romeo and Juliet’s death could have been prevented if the characters in the story weren’t so ignorant of their situations, and often times the reader recognizes this.
William Shakespeare, poet and playwright, utilized humor and irony as he developed specific language for his plays, thereby influencing literature forever. “Shakespeare became popular in the eighteenth century” (Epstein 8). He was the best all around. “Shakespeare was a classic” (8). William Shakespeare is a very known and popular man that has many works, techniques and ways. Shakespeare is the writer of many famous works of literature. His comedies include humor while his plays and poems include irony. Shakespeare sets himself apart by using his own language and word choice. Shakespeare uses certain types of allusions that people always remember, as in the phrase from Romeo and Juliet, “star-crossed lovers”.
Across the Universe of Time: Shakespeare’s influence on 21st century society. It is harder to imagine a more universal writer than William Shakespeare. Rarely, if ever, is one of his many plays not being performed anywhere in the world and similarly rare is the tertiary English student who has not examined his work at length. His plays, sonnets and poems are common fodder for high school English departments across the globe.
“Charles Dickens: Great Expectations.” (2 Feb, 2006): 2. Online. World Wide Web. 2 Feb, 2006. Available http://www.uned.es/dpto-filologias-extranjeras/cursos/LenguaIglesaIII/TextosYComentarios/dickens.htm.
"Dark flat wilderness...intersected with dykes and mounds and gates, with cattle feeding on it, was the marshes; and that the low leaden line beyond was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing, was the sea" (Dickens 6)
to address Viola as if she were male, he says, "Boy, thou hast said to
In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare portrays several characters in a controversial way. Some witty characters are portrayed as foolish, and some foolish characters are portrayed as witty. In the beginning of the play, Sir Andrew and Malvolio are presented as smart people; however, as the play progresses, the audience is exposed to their foolish sides. On the other hand, Sir Toby and Feste are portrayed as fools, but as the plot develops the audience acknowledges their wisdom. Malvolio and Sir Andrew’s foolish sides are exposed because of their gullible nature, while Feste and Sir Toby’s wisdom is revealed through their insightful remarks and brilliant prank ideas.
William Shakespeare's plays come in many forms. There are histories, tragedies, comedies and tragic comedies. Among the most popular are the comedies which are full of laughter, irony, satire and wordplay. Many times the question is asked: what makes a play a comedy instead of a tragedy. Shakespeare's comedies often use puns, metaphors and insults to provoke 'thoughtful laughter'. The action is often strained by artificiality, especially elaborate and contrived endings. Disguises and mistaken identities are often very common. Opposed to that are the tragedies, where the reader would find death, heartbreak, and more serious plots and motives. The plot is very important in Shakespeare's comedies. It is often very convoluted, twisted and confusing, and extremely hard to follow. Other characteristics of Shakespearean comedy are the themes of love and friendship, played within a courtly society. Songs often sung by a jester or a fool, parallel the events of the plot. Minor characters, which add flavor to the plot, are often inserted into the storyline. Love provides the main ingredient. If the lovers are unmarried when the play opens, they either have not met or there is some obstacle to their relationship. Examples of these obstacles are familiar to every reader of Shakespeare: the slanderous tongues which nearly wreck love in "Much Ado About Nothing", the father insistent upon his daughter marrying his choice, as in "A Midsummer Nights Dream", or the confusion of husbands in "The Comedy of Errors".