Conventions of a Shakespearean Comedy

 a dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone

 usually ending happily with a peaceful resolution of the main conflict Shakespeare organized a plot in a way modern editors represent as a five-act structure:  Exposition: a situation with tensions (implicit conflict)  Rising Action: implicit conflict is developed  Turning Point: conflict reaches height; frequently an impasse  Falling Action: things begin to clear up  Conclusion: problem is resolved, knots untied  The main action is about love.  The would-be lovers must overcome obstacles and misunderstandings before being united in harmonious union.  obstacles are typically brought about by the parents or guardians of the lovers  The ending frequently involves a parade of couples to the altar and a festive mood or actual celebration  Frequently (but not always), it contains elements of the improbable, the fantastic, the supernatural, or the miraculous  unbelievable coincidences  Mistaken identity -improbable scenes of recognition/lack of recognition (form of mixed-up twins, a clever disguise, or Gender mix-ups  willful disregard of the social order (nobles marrying commoners, beggars changed to lords)  instantaneous conversions (the wicked repent)  enchanted or idealized settings  supernatural beings (witches, fairies, Gods and Goddesses). The happy ending may be brought about through supernatural or divine intervention  Clever plot twists: always involves multiple plot lines, cleverly intertwined to keep the audience guessing. These unexpected twists are always straightened out in a happy ending.  Sly/theatre performance  Kate and Petruchio  Bianca and her suitors  Play-within-a-play: Almost the whole of The Taming of the Shrew is a play-within-a-play, presented to convince Christopher Sly, a drunken tinker, that he is a nobleman watching a private performance, but the device has no relevance to the plot  Use of puns: Shakespeare was a master of wordplay, and his comedies are filled with puns and witty language games.  Example: from a fatally-stabbed Mercutio, who stops joking to explain that “tomorrow … you shall find me a grave man.”  Stock characters: Shakespeare relied heavily on stock characters; recognizable stereotypes  the young couple  the fool  the clever servant  the drunk  In the best of the mature comedies, there is frequently a philosophical aspect involving weightier issues and themes:  personal identity  the importance of love in human existence  the power of language to help or hinder communication  the transforming power of poetry and art  the disjunction between appearance and reality  the power of dreams and illusions  Characters appearing in the Induction:  Christopher Sly – a drunken tinker  A Lord – plays a prank on Sly  Bartholomew – a page  Hostess of an alehouse  Huntsman of the Lord  Players (troupe of actors)  Katherina (Kate) Minola – the "shrew"  Bianca – sister of Katherina; the ingénue (naive, innocent girl or young woman.)  Baptista Minola – father of Katherina and Bianca  Petruchio – suitor of  Gremio – elderly suitor of Katherina Bianca  Grumio – servant of  Lucentio – suitor of Petruchio Bianca  Curtis – servant of  Tranio – servant of Petruchio Lucentio  Nathaniel – servant of  Biondello – servant of Petruchio Lucentio  Joseph – servant of Petruchio  Peter – servant of  Hortensio – suitor of Petruchio Bianca and friend to Petruchio Schwartz, Debora B. California Polytechnic State University . Web. 2002.