A Note on Shakespeare As A Comedy Writer
It has been said by Dr. Johnson that with Shakespeare comedy is his instinct, and tragedy is his skill. Though this sweeping statement cannot be accepted as true, but there is no denying the fact that Shakespeare’s comic genius is great, and comedy underlies even his serious plays. He is capable of humour, fun, satire and hilarious farce. Humour is his greatest quality and this humour has given him a catholic generous attitude to life and the world.
Comedies of Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s comedies span almost the whole period of his dramatic career (1591-1611). He starts his dramatic career with the comedies. His comic plays can be classified as Early comedies, Middle comedies, Dark comedies and Last plays.
His early comedies are: Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
His Middle comedies are: The Merchant of Venice (1596), Much Ado About Nothing (1596), As You Like It (1600), Twelfth Night (1601). These last three plays are known as happy comedies. The plays are full of vitality, warmth and humanity.
Dark comedies include All’s Well that Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Troilus and Cressida. They reflect a cynical, disillusioned attitude to life. They are connected with his great tragedies which will follow. His last plays-Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. These plays have a tone of serenity and calm acceptance which link them more to the comedies than to other types of plays. The Tempest is regarded as Shakespeare’s last play. It was written in 1611.
Influence of Comedy in Shakespeare’s Tragic Plays
Comic elements occur even in Shakespeare’s tragedies as for example, The Porter’s Scene in Macbeth, The Grave-diggers’ Scene in Hamlet. Falstaff is a great comic creation in Henry IV. Shakespeare is the greatest humorist who is a cheerful spectator of life and who has a catholic and generous attitude.
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