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Lecture by Uffaq Zahra
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• What are the chief characteristics or features of Shakespearean plays?
• Shakespeare's tragedies elements?
• Elements of Shakespearean Comedy?
Shakespeare, the greatest dramatist, is the master of art. No other dramatist has been successful in
attaining the heights he has achieved. The extent, variety and the richness of his plays are quite
bewildering as one approaches them. Some of the characteristics of his plays are given below:

i)Universality: Shakespeare is not of an age but of all ages, not of the country but of all countries.
Not only did his works amuse and thrill the audience in all ages and countries, they were composed
by the world's immortal poet. Though they were written more than four hundred years ago and
reflect the tastes, customs and traditions of Shakespeare's own age, they are as popular today as
before. They have been translated into almost all the important languages of the world and most of
them have been filmed. Shakespeare's plays are immortal because they deal with the universals—
the central passions which are common to all humanity.
ii)Versatile genius: Shakespeare had a wonderful imagination and power of understanding
fundamental things. His success was all round. He is equally master of tragedy, comedy and tragi-
comedy. His versatile genius creates wonderful characters and very interesting situations without
any repetition. Just as he unsurpassed in tragedy, he is unbeaten in comedy.
iii)Art of characterization: In delineation of character Shakespeare stands unrivalled in English
literature. Shakespeare's humanity is varied as the human race, his men and women are drawn from
every walk, age and station of life—King, Lords and nobles, general and great warriors, common
people, drunkards, cut throats, thieves and robbers cowards, clowns, dreamers, saints and sinners,
men, women and children all walk across the stage of Shakespeare. No other dramatist of the world
has given us such infinite variety.
Shakespeare's characters are entirely true to life. In the treatment of character Shakespeare
displays a profound understanding of human psychology. All his varied characters have been
extremely individualized Besides his characters are so vividly and convincingly presented that we
know them better than we know most of our neighbors and friends, but we can never forget
Rosalind, Orlando, Touchstone, Jaques, Hamlet, King Lear, Portia, Shylock, Othello, Edmund etc.
Shakespeare has created a large number of characters and all are equally convincing. His minor
characters are also highly impressive.
iv)Humanity of Shakespeare: Shakespeare is admirable for his humanity. His greatness lies in his
sympathy for human beings. He is not a rapid satirist like his contemporary Ben Jonson. He has
defined human beings and when we study his plays we get a glorious picture of ourselves. For who
could applaud humanity and human beings better than Shakespeare in his Hamlet and The Tempest.
We are simply amused and delighted to read the following glorious lines on man in Hamlet and love
the man who could glorify 'man' in these words.
"What a piece of work is man!"
v)Pathos in Shakespeare: Shakespeare touches the human heart and moves us to pity and
sympathy. The quality of pathos in his dramas makes us tender, soft, and kind towards the sufferers
in human life. That is why we like and love Shakespeare.
vi)Shakespeare's Treatment of Love: We admire Shakespeare for his admirable treatment of the
subject of love. The element of romance makes his plays highly interesting. We have the devotion
and fidelity in love in his plays as in the case of Desdimona for Othello, Miranda for Ferdinand,
Rosalind for Orlando etc. All these cases are of extreme devotion to do credit to the lovers.
vii) Shakespeare’s philosophy of life: His profundity of thought :
Shakespeare had a deep insight into the human life. He may not have a philosophy of life, his
observations about life and its different facets are so meaningful that we do not find such a rich
treasure house of wisdom regarding human life in any of (he plays of his contemporaries and
dramatists of the later times. Shakespeare's observations are true to life and moves us to think
about the mysteries Of life. In Macbeth he utters the truth—
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"Life is but a walking shadow is a tale .
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing."
The observation of Shakespeare is rich and profound and it gives us a rich key to the essential reality
about human life. He makes us to think about life and that is his greatness as a dramatist.
v) Shakespeare's variety: Shakespeare's work is distinguished from that of his contemporaries by its
variety. He handled most diverse subjects with an ardour almost equaled by his achievement. Of all
the world's greatest dramatists, he alone displays an equal aptitude for tragedy and comedy.
In conclusion we can say that Shakespeare's plays have an enduring quality. Shakespeare's vision of
life, his wonderful art of characterization, his broad humanity, his sense of humor and tolerance, his
catholicity of outlook and his dramatic art have all found an eloquent expression in his plays. He has
easily transcended the limits of time and space. He has become a rich heritage of mankind. Ben
Jonson has rightly said that "He was not of an age but for all times". He was not for only England, but
for all mankind

All of Shakespeare's tragedies contain at least one more of these elements:

• A tragic hero
• A fight between good and evil
• A tragic waste
• Hamartia (the hero’s tragic flaw)
• Issues of fate or fortune
• Greed
• Foul revenge
• Supernatural elements
• Internal and external pressures
• The literary devices
Elements of Shakespearean Comedy
The six main aspects of comedy within Shakespearean plays and how they can be used by modern
writers.
We’ve all been taught in school how Shakespeare’s plays tend to fall into one of two categories—
comedy or tragedy—but sadly it’s never fully appreciated how the bard’s innovations have helped
shape the comedy genre as we know it today. Though not a comedian by any stretch, Shakespeare’s
penchant for clever puns and wordplay have nevertheless proved influential across the ages, as has
his frequent use of comic devices and his embrace of a light-hearted tone.
Shakespeare’s lack of joke-telling and quipping is often counterbalanced by his imaginative use of
insults, a legacy which itself has left a mark upon the development of humorous writing well into the
Jacobean era and beyond. However, there are notable narrative elements which tend to underpin
most of Shakespeare’s comedies, and once you recognise them it’s almost impossible not to notice
their usage in many modern works too. Even more, as writers we can take these elements and play
upon them in our own writing for comedic effect.
Here are the most commonly-recognised elements of Shakespearean comedy.
1. Mistaken Identity and/or Misconceptions
Situations where characters impersonate or are mistaken for somebody else are a long-standing
comic tradition which Shakespeare only cemented in his time. This can be seen in Shakespearean
comedies such as As You Like It, in which Rosalind impersonates a man in order to mentor her
would-be lover into the man she secretly desires; or in Twelfth Night, where a shipwrecked Viola
washes up in a strange land and decides to dress up as a man to enter into service of the nobility.
How characters get embroiled in gender mix-ups can be due to circumstances or just plain old-
fashioned deception, but, all in all, the humour arises from the audience’s awareness of their
predicament, in contrast to how others remain oblivious to it. Modern comedy films such as Tootsie
and Mrs. Doubtfire also make use of this same comic technique, where male characters impersonate
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women to either advantage their career, or to bypass custody restrictions following a divorce battle.
In either case, Shakespeare recognised how disguising one’s gender can be funny when it serves the
need of the story.
2. Reason versus Emotion
The historical period in which Shakespeare wrote his plays was defined by an intellectual battle
between Apollonian values (such as reason) versus Dionysian values (like desire). How does one act
in the world—by following our passions, or by listening to our heads? It’s no surprise, then, that
many of Shakespeare’s comedies toy with this dichotomy, challenging audiences to consider matters
of the heart, whilst comparing it to the more rational considerations of the human mind.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hermia disobeys her father by refusing to accept Demetrius as her
husband. Instead, she chooses to pursue a romance with Lysander, and is willing to face the
possibility of a death sentence for doing so. Her motivations are led by emotion, and not dictated by
reason. Only adding to confusion is Helena’s statement “love looks not with the eyes, but with the
mind” when Hermia’s actions suggest the opposite to be true. I.n this way, Shakespeare’s comedies
tend to wittily expose the contradictions inherent in human behaviour. In short, it’s all about
choosing between what your heart wants, and what your mind says, and therein lies the humour.
3. Fate and the Fantastical
Shakespeare’s comedies enjoy invoking the supernatural and tend to portray humans as mere play-
things in some grand mystical game. The fairies Puck and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
mischievously toy with the characters’ emotions throughout the play, so everything the characters
experience is interpreted as being due to the impish wiles of magical beings. Whether through strife
or tenacity, all character revelations in Shakespeare’s comedies are seen as being due to events
beyond human control, or even our mortal understanding, which is why audiences still find it funny
today.
In another instance, the use of magic in making one’s thoughts a reality is the inciting moment in The
Tempest, as without Prospero’s meddling there would be no shipwreck and therefore Viola would
never have arrived in Illyria in the first place. Again, magic is deemed as the unseen motivator of
human struggle, a catalyst which subjects characters to wrestle with life’s little ironies to a point
where humour often arises. Given comedies end happily, you could say all’s well that ends well (if
you’ll pardon the reference), despite the complicated machinations of fate, but Shakespeare’s
comedies often rely on the fantastical to provide an explanation for the convoluted goings-on of our
everyday struggles.
4. Idyllic Settings
It’s remarkable just how many settings in Shakespeare’s comedies are given idyllic and almost
fantastical settings—there’s the Forest of Arden in As You Like It, an enchanted wood outside the
city of Athens in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the mysterious island of Illyria in Twelfth Night.
Each location has been carefully brought to life by Shakespeare to depict perfection—lands which
only convey the world as we would wish it to be, havens of tranquillity and rich in nature. This is no
accident on Shakespeare’s part, of course.
The main reason why Shakespeare enjoyed setting his comedies in almost paradise-like locations is
because, more often than not, things tend to go wrong in these plays. Mistakes are made,
complications are rife, misunderstandings always arise, so when audiences see how characters living
in paradise engage in mishaps too, it only underscores the comedy. After all, if things can go awry in
seemingly perfect worlds, it becomes strangely comforting to those of us who live in the real world.
This is why many find Shakespeare’s comedies so resonant today, as it proves that if things seem too
good to be true, they probably are.
5. Separation and Reconciliation
Naturally, love is the central theme in most Shakespeare plays, but they are even more pronounced
in comedies. In particular, the idea of lovers being separated—such as Berowne and Rosaline in
Love’s Labour’s Lost—is a frequently-recurring element in a Shakespearean comedy. Where there is
separation, of course, there is also reconciliation, so it’s hardly surprising when we see lovers
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reunite, although in some cases the journey to that point can be arduous and fraught with
uncertainty, particularly when cross-dressing is involved.
Perhaps the most interesting and insightful depiction of love in a Shakespearean comedy is in Much
Ado About Nothing, where Benedick and Beatrice spend most of the play at loggerheads with each
other. In fact, some would go so far as to say they both hate each other, with each character
brandishing scars from past relationships which have led them to dismiss the idea of love altogether.
By the final act, of course, they realise they are in love and end up married. Benedick and Beatrice’s
progression from mutual hate to romantic love is an ironic but very true insight into how many real
romances develop, and it remains a testament to Shakespeare as an observer of how human
relationships work.
6. Happy Endings
Lastly, but perhaps most crucially, one of the most notable elements of a Shakespearean comedy is a
happy ending. Unlike tragedies, which always end with death, Shakespeare’s comedies ended in a
celebratory manner, often with love and marriage as the biggest focal points. To modern eyes, this
may seem trite given how cynical modern readers can be about the pitfalls of holy matrimony. For its
time, however, marriage was a symbolic event, not just a means of achieving unity and higher
purpose, but also of providing resolution to life’s woes. Ultimately, it was a means of allowing
Shakespeare to end on a hopeful note.
In plays which invoke the supernatural, happy endings in Shakespeare’s plays can also come about
as a result of deus ex machina. Known as ‘god in the machine,’ as a literary device it refers to
instances which conclude a narrative thanks to a contrived but wholly unlikely occurrence, as if God
has waved a magic wand to tie up loose ends. This can be seen in As You Like It, when the chief
antagonist Duke Frederick is persuaded to give up his power by a religious man, thus allowing
Shakespeare’s protagonists to marry and live happily ever after. Ultimately, one should interpret
happy endings in Shakespearean comedies as his way of resolving the confusion his characters
experience throughout his plays. Essentially, it’s a form a comic denouement.

All in all, elements of Shakespearean comedy are myriad and even today there are still many aspects
to his plays which we could analyse and dissect. What’s most obvious, however, is that
Shakespeare’s understanding of the complicated interactions between people have laid the
foundations for most comedic storytelling. Shakespeare’s comedies explore how experiences may
not necessarily be as we perceive it to be; they found humour in pondering how suffering may be
due to reasons beyond our control; and they expose the irony in how thinking rationally stands in
stark contrast to our heart’s desires. For those reasons, it’s easy to appreciate why his plays have
retained a timeless appeal, and for writers there is still much to be learned.