Shakespeare: The Comedies

by Ronald P. Draper

Shakespeare's comedies combine charm and wit with probing intelligence. Through detailed analysis of passages from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It and Twelfth Night this book explores the satire and sympathy, the linguistic variety, and the dramatic skill which make Shakespearean comedy both entertaining and profound. Part II suggests connections with the rest of Shakespeare's work, and concludes with a survey of comic theory and criticism devoted to the comedies.
Shakespeare's comedies combine charm and wit with probing intelligence. Through detailed analysis of passages from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It and Twelfth Night this book explores the satire and sympathy, the linguistic variety, and the dramatic skill which make Shakespearean comedy both entertaining and profound. Part II suggests connections with the rest of Shakespeare's work, and concludes with a survey of comic theory and criticism devoted to the comedies.

280 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 1999

Reviews

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a literary criticism of the four primary Shakespearean comedies: Much Ado, All's Well, Measure for Measure, and Twelfth Night. It is highly erudite for students of literature (including essay topics and discussion topics). Nonetheless, it did help me understand the structure of the Bard's comedies, the construction of his characters and the importance of the language he employs. If you are wanting a deep dive into the intertextual analysis of 4 Shakespeare plays, this is your book. However, if you are looking for a light and easy read, you may need to pass on it.

Fino's Reviews of Shakespeare and Shakespearean Criticism
Comedies
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
As You Like It (1599-1600)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
A Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Tempest (1611-1612)
Two Noble Kinsmen (1612-1613)

Histories
Henry VI Part I (1589-1590)
Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)
Richard III (1593-1594)
Richard II (1595-1596)
King John (1596-1597)
Edward III (1596-1597)
Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)
Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)
Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry VIII (1612-1612)

Tragedies
Titus Andronicus (1592-1593)
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
Othello (1604-1605)
King Lear (1605-1606)
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-1607)
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
Timon of Athens (1607-1608)
Pericles (1608-1609)

Shakespearean Criticism
The Wheel of Fire by Wilson Knight
A Natural Perspective by Northrop Frye
Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber
Shakespeare's Roman Plays and Their Background by M W MacCallum
Shakespearean Criticism 1919-1935 compiled by Anne Ridler
Shakespearean Tragedy by A.C. Bradley
Shakespeare's Sexual Comedy by Hugh M. Richmond
Shakespeare: The Comedies by R.P. Draper
Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro

Collections of Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis, the Rape of Lucrece and Other Poems
Shakespeare's Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint
The Complete Oxford Shakespeare