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Shakespearean Comedy

    Shakespeare wrote many plays during his lifetime.   Some of his
plays have similar comedic characteristics and   then other plays
are the exact opposite of comedy.   Shakespeare wrote tragedies,
romance, history, comedy and problem plays all with great success.
During the performance of these plays there was no scenery so great
time was taken when developing the characters and the plot so the
plays would be entertaining.   A Midsummers Night's Dream and Much
Ado About Nothing are just two of the comedies Shakespeare wrote.
These two plays have many things in common where as Measure for
Measure is a problem play with a totally different tone.   Comparing
and contrasting these three plays will help us to understand what
Shakespeare thought comedy was in the 1600's and to see if our
views on comedy are the same today.
    A Midsummer Night's Dream is a festive comedy.   The play takes
place in June and this is a bewitched time.   In the spring the
custom is to celebrate the return of fertility to the earth.
During   this time the young people spend the night in the woods to
celebrate.   Shakespeare uses the greenworld pattern in this play.
The play begins in the city, moves out to the country and then back
to the city.   Being in the country makes things better because
there is tranquility, freedom and people can become uncivilized
versus when they are in the city and have to follow customs and
laws and behave rationally.
    Comedies contain blocking figures and in this play it is
Egeus.   If he was not in the way, Hermia could marry Lysander.
Since he is causing problems in his daughters life by trying to
make her marry Demetrius, this begins the journey into the woods.
Egeus threatened Hermia with death if she were to marry Lysander so
she thinks the only way they can be together is to run away.
    One strange element is why Egeus was so set on Hermia marrying
Demetrius.   Lysander came from as good a family as Demetrius.   Both...