Humour is a literary tool used for the entertainment of audiences and amusement. Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream utilises a multi formed humour to show many aspects such as the foolishness of the mechanicals, the clash of the fairy realm vs. human world and the romance of the lovers. Through an array of dramatic and literary techniques, Shakespeare creates a play with elaborate humour that is still understood by audiences of today. The Idiocy of the Mechanicals is used to create humour in Midsummer through literary and dramatic techniques. As the Mechanicals are gathered and are discussing their roles in the play Bottom says “You were best to call them generally, man by man...”, oxymoron is used to show Bottom/Mechanicals as foolish …show more content…
One of the first incidences between the fairy vs. human world is when Puck mistakenly places the love potion in Lysander's eyes by accident because of the order from Oberon “Thou shalt know the man by Athenian garments he hath on” this vague instruction which uses dramatic irony is humorous as we know that there are two men in Athenian garments which later on results in mistaken identity. It is when Bottom's head has been turned into a donkey Titania says “Mine ear much enamoured of thy note” the incongruity in this statement is humorous as we know that Titania is only saying this because she is under a love potion and that it is unlikely that she would fall in love with a donkey-headed man. Later in the play Titania and the fairies lavish Bottom she says “Come sit down, while I kiss those fair large ears” this use a foolish oxymoron as we still know that she is under a love potion and says that he has normal and large ears at the same time which is contradictory and comedic. Overall through the use of techniques like dramatic irony, oxymoron and incongruity humour is developed to show the contrast of the fairy realm and the human
Did you know that another name for Puck ( Oberon's right-hand man) was Robin Good-fellow but to some of the meaner fairies. He was known as a Hobgoblin because of his bizarre figure. Puck the mischievous, quick-witted fairy that makes many of the play’s events relevant to the modern world. Such as, the uncanny ability to cause mischief and mayhem with the common folk of Athens and especially the main characters of the story. However, there is also many issues and problems with the characters in Midsummer Night's Dream. For example, Puck arguably the most important character in Midsummer Night's Dream, has little character development and there is no true protagonist. Even though many people thought that Puck should be one of the main protagonists of this story.
In his comedic play, A Midsummers Night Dream (1595), William Shakespeare utilizes the enchanting adventures of young Athenian lovers and a group of low-class rudimentary actors and their shared experiences with supernatural creatures to portray the opportunity of being in command of their destiny. By presenting conflicts to these three diverse realms, Shakespeare allows these characters to connect despite their hierarchical distinctions to reveal their determination to conquer their adversity. He uses dramatic irony, metaphor, and symbolism to heighten the audience's awareness of their self-determination and their firm control on their future. Shakespeare inspires the public by instilling in them that despite their challenging circumstances, they can still be masters of their own fate, bestowing a feeling of newfound hope and freewill.
William Shakespeare wrote the play A Midsummer's Night’s Dream over four hundred years ago. There are three types of irony, dramatic irony, verbal irony, and situational irony. Verbal irony is is when the speaker says the opposite of what they mean. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more than the character. And situational irony is the opposite of what you think is going to happen happens.
One of William Shakespeare’s best remembered plays for its comical and ironic tone is A Midnight’s Summer Dream. There were characters designed to be humorous and that alone. Puck and Bottom behave very much alike, and have similar roles for different people. Both Puck and Bottom are comic relief characters in one way or the other. Both of them are needed for the play, because Puck’s spirits controls the whole story, which sets the tone for it, and Bottoms comic relief for the audience and play.
William Shakespeare is the author of the comedy play ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’. This play was written around 1595. In this essay I will be answering the question how does Shakespeare creates humour in act 5 scene 1. There are many reasons as to how the play was humorous; one of the main reasons was the staging you would have the real audience, the court on the stage and on the original stage you would have the mechanicals perform. The other reasons on how Shakespeare creates humour are with the characters (fairies, court and mechanicals) and the repetitive incorrect use of language and errors. An example of this could be when in act 5 scene 1
Shakespeare’s usage of metaphor and simile in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is best understood as an attempt to provide some useful context for relationships and emotions, most often love and friendship, or the lack thereof. One example of such a usage is in Act 3, Scene 2 of the play. Here, the two Athenian couples wake up in the forest and fall under the effects of the flower, thus confusing the romantic relationships between them. Hermia comes to find her Lysander has fallen for Helena. Hermia suspects that the two have both conspired against her in some cruel joke, and begins lashing out against Helena. She says “We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, / Have with our needles created both one flower, / Both one sampler sitting on one cushion, / Both warbling of one song, both in one key; / As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds, / Had been incorporate. So we grew together, / Like a double cherry, seeming parted; / But yet a union in partition / Two lovely berries moulded on one stem: / So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart; / Two of the first, like coats in heraldry, / Due but to one, and crowned with one crest.” (Shakespeare 2.3.206-13). Shakespeare writes this list of vibrant metaphors to establish the prior relationship between these two characters and to make it evident how affected Helena is by this unexpected turn of events, as well as to add a greater range of emotion to the comedy, thereby lending it more literary and popular appeal.
What is a comedy? According to a famous filmmaker, Woody Allen, thinks “Comedy is rather like a dessert, a bit like meringue.” A Midsummer Night’s Dream - a play written by William Shakespeare, is a comedy which talks about a love story between four lovers that live in Athens. Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena are all fighting for each other. The play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” written by Shakespeare, consisted of a lot of humorous situations, for example: When Titania fell in love with Bottom who had an ass; when Lysander suddenly fell in love with Helena, when Demetrius suddenly fell in love with Hermia. This essay is considered as a comedy, as it consists of exaggeration, irony, funny characters,
Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream is one of the most popular play. The comedy is famous with fancy weave motifs of ancient mythology, literature and English folklore. It gives the impression of a completely unique combination of real and fantastic, funny and serious, poetry and humor. In this play there are two main lines – real and fantastic. Classical ideals are valued above contemporary folk narratives.
In the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the plethora of comedic styles used by Shakespeare illustrate his intention to poke fun at love throughout the play. The play is notorious for its intricate and irrational plotline, mainly due to the constantly shifting love triangles. Once the powerful fairies become involved with the fate of the naive lovers – Demetrius, Helena, Lysander and Hermia – matters are further complicated. The complication inflicted by the fairies is credited to the powerful love potion that Oberon, King of the Fairies, hands over to Puck, a mischievous fairy, to use on his wife Titania, with intentions to embarrass and distract her. This spiteful attitude is due to Oberon and Titania’s argument over the custody of an
The rise of tension between characters is another characteristic of comedic plays. After Oberon sees the way that Helena has been treated by Demetrius, he orders Puck to apply the juice to the eyes of Demetrius. Puck accidentally applies the juice to Lysander’s eye, which causes him to fall in love with Helena. After the mistake had been caught, Oberon sends Puck to watch Helena and Oberon applies the juice to Demetrius’ eyes. This causes both men to fall for Helena and now the battle is for Helena and not Hermia. Helena is convinced that this is a joke or prank because neither of the two men loved her before. Now because of Puck’s mistakes the four decide to find a
In I Henry IV and II Henry IV, William Shakespeare brings together drama and comedy to create two of the most compelling history plays ever written. Many of Shakespeare's other works are nearly absolute in their adherence to either the comic or tragic traditions, but in the two Henry IV plays Shakespeare combines comedy and drama in ways that seem to bring a certain realism to his characters, and thus the plays. The present essay is an examination of the various and significant effects that Shakespeare's comedic scenes have on I Henry IV and II Henry IV. The Diversity of Society
at a wedding and is the tragedy of two lovers that are forced to speak
Comedy in Midsummer Night’s Dream Shakespeare displays wordplay regularly throughout Midsummer Night’s Dream. Wordplay is the witty usage of words and banter such as puns, irony, and oxymorons (Belknap, 2017). William Shakespeare uses wordplay to lighten up the scene and establish comedy. It helps tell a story by entertaining, amusing and providing satire.
In many of Shakespeare’s literary works one can find multiple themes that reflect or question our reality. He accomplishes this by using figurative language such as metaphors and similes. Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream encompasses many themes and apply them to certain characters or through communication between multiple characters. Helena portrays themes of love, betrayal, jealousy, and gender norms in Midsummer Night’s Dream presenting them through her speech and behavior. She depicts the challenges of a woman and also the flaws of human nature. In Act 2 scene 1 and Act 3 scene 2 Helena uses a metaphor twice which emulates these themes presenting us a broader understanding of her representation within the play and the play as a whole. Following are lines from Helena.
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play that utilises comedy to convey complex ideas that are seen throughout the play, concepts like the jealousy Helena has towards Hermia, Egeus’s strong hostility towards Hermia and Lysander’s relationship and unrequited love. He uses comical tools like unconscious irony and hyperbole to turn rather difficult topics into humorous representations of them. Events like how Puck thinks Titania had fallen in love with him, not knowing he was bearing the head of an ass, are portrayed in a humorous way so the viewer understands the meaning, but sees it as a light- hearted narrative. Shakespeare carefully uses comedy that does not overpower the meaning of the play, but puts a completely different perspective on some of the themes.