Elements of Comedy in As You Like It and Twelfth Night Essay

Traditionally, the plays of William Shakespeare have been classified into three categories: tragedies, comedies, and histories. Comedy in Shakespeare has a very different meaning from comedy today. Shakespearean comedy includes irony, ignorance, self-delusion, and human weakness with a tone and style that is more lighthearted than Shakespeare's other plays. As You Like It and Twelfth Night are two comedies that clearly portray these elements

William Shakespeare creates a plot that revolves around mistaken identity and deception in both plays. Many characters in Twelfth Night assume disguises. Violas decision to "conceal what I am" and disguise herself as Cesario is the main action of the play and provides much opportunity for humor and double entendres. Other deceptions include Maria, who writes a letter to Malvolio as Olivia, and the mix-up between Sebastian and Viola.

In As You Like It, Rosalind first uses her disguise for safety and protection while walking in the Forest of Arden. However, her intentions change when she stumbles upon Orlando and uses her appearance as a way to withdraw information and to deceive him.

The idea of illusion and deception lead to a second comic device, irony. In As You Like It, much of the humor of the scenes of Orlando wooing Rosalind as Ganymede-playing-Rosalind comes from the audiences knowledge of Rosalind's game and Orlando's ignorance of it; again, a form of dramatic irony. Another small form of irony includes Duke Frederick's criticism of Oliver. When he calls Oliver a villain who has not bothered to love his brother, he is really describing himself, for he has taken the dukedom from Duke Senior, his older brother, and banished him to the Forest of Arden.

It is ironic that Viola, who has fallen in love with the Duke, must carry messages of love to Olivia on his behalf, where Viola inadvertently sets up another complicated romance between herself and Olivia when Olivia falls in love with Cesario. There is significant use of dramatic irony in the play as well. In Act I Scene IV, Duke Orsino appreciates the beauty of Cesario. He says that Cesario's lip, voice and features makes him resembles a woman that Olivia will be convinced by his attractiveness. Under normal circumstances, it seems awkward to appreciate a man's beauty. But in the play, this can be understood because of the ignorance of Orsino. Another dramatic irony occurs in Act II Scene IV when the disguised Viola tries to express her own feeling to the duke indirectly. She does this by saying that her father's daughter is desperately and secretly in love with a man. In both cases, the audience knows that Cesario is a woman while the duke has no idea of his true identity, giving a sense of comedy.

Shakespeare also creates comedy by using comic characters. There are three explicit comic characters considered as pranksters in this play. They are Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Maria. Shakespeare particularly chooses the word `Belch' and `Aguecheek' which are apparently out of place to give a sense of humor. These three characters help to create comedy. In Act I Scene III, when Sir Toby introduces Maria to Sir Andrew, Sir Andrew makes a fool of himself by repeatedly getting her name wrong. After flattery by Sir Toby, Sir Andrew ended the scene by showing off his dancing skills.

Feste and Touchstone, the clowns, also add entertainment in the plays. As You Like It features Touchstone and it's worth paying some attention to his role for what it contributes towards establishing and maintaining the comic spirit of the play. He comments on the action, makes jokes at other people's expense, and offers ironic insights about their situation. But throughout As You Like It, Touchstones comments and actions are offered and taken with such a generosity that his remarks never shake the firm comic energies of the play, unlike that of the traditional role of the fool. This makes Touchstone very different from the most complex fool of all, the sad Feste, who offers comments that cast either a shrewd, melancholy, or bitter irony on the play.

A Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending. This statement proves true in Twelfth Night and As You Like It. Unmarried characters get married. Siblings are reunited and forgiven. These works offer humor in every scene, never straying from the elements that make a Shakespearean comedy what it is.