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Shakespeare And Comedy: Arden Critical Companions
Comedy was at the centre of a fierce controversy that raged from the opening of the first purpose-built playhouse in 1576 to the closure of the theatres in 1742. Shakespeare's plays made capital of this controversy. In them he repeatedly invokes the case made against comedy by the theatre-haters: that it perverts the young and incites the old to gross political and social misconduct. His plays are filled with jokes that go too far, laughter that hurts its victims, wordplay that turns to swordplay, and acts of comic rebellion and revenge that threaten destruction to individuals, families and even states. His comedy is unsettling, and this is part of what makes it pleasurable.Shakespeare and Comedy traces Shakespeare's exploration of the precarious status of the comic and the question of comic timing through close examination of eleven of his plays. This illuminating study succeeds in recapturing the sense of danger as well as delight that attached itself to theatrical laughter in Shakespeare's lifetime.
- GenresShakespeare
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
September 22, 2026
*4.5 stars
Written with the context of Shakespeare's time in mind, particularly including the perspective of the 'theatre-haters' of the day and how his plays toyed with and challenged them, this book grew my respect for Shakespeare, in particular with regards to how he wrote for women, played with gender, and blurred the boundaries of class in his plays (specifically those included in the book, of course). The chapters about the plays that I already know (even if just a little) were easier to read and understand - I struggled a bit with a couple of the chapters about plays I know nothing about - and I even gained more perspective on my favourite, Much Ado About Nothing, a play I know like the back of my hand and have studied a lot. I am looking forward to continuing to read about and watch more of Shakespeare's plays, especially the comedies, so while it would probably have been best to come to this book after having watched/read them all, it's served as an interesting introduction.
Written with the context of Shakespeare's time in mind, particularly including the perspective of the 'theatre-haters' of the day and how his plays toyed with and challenged them, this book grew my respect for Shakespeare, in particular with regards to how he wrote for women, played with gender, and blurred the boundaries of class in his plays (specifically those included in the book, of course). The chapters about the plays that I already know (even if just a little) were easier to read and understand - I struggled a bit with a couple of the chapters about plays I know nothing about - and I even gained more perspective on my favourite, Much Ado About Nothing, a play I know like the back of my hand and have studied a lot. I am looking forward to continuing to read about and watch more of Shakespeare's plays, especially the comedies, so while it would probably have been best to come to this book after having watched/read them all, it's served as an interesting introduction.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review