Comparions of Shakespeare’s Plays A Winter Tale, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, and Measure for Measure Essay

Application of Theories of Comedy and Humor

William Shakespeare is a renowned author known for skillfully blending tragedy and comedy. However, some of his works are considered to feature comedy, while others are viewed as humourless. This paper will compare A Winter Tale and The Tempest, often considered humourless, to some of his humorous plays, like The Merchant of Venice and Measure for Measure.

Readers often describe A Winter Tale and The Tempest as humourless due to a lack of obvious jokes and farce humour. From the comedic theory perspective, these plays can be categorized as a romantic comedy genre that features a happy ending with a sharp focus on love and relationships. A Winter Tale and The Tempest both depict conflicts.

The resolution to the conflict depicted in both plays is brought about through the intervention of supernatural forces. However, the humour in these two plays is often derived from the characters’ eccentricities. These senses of humour are quirky and not obvious.

For instance, in A Winter’s Tale, Autolycus provides some relief in the play due to his skilful use of words and comically exaggerated behaviour (Shakespeare, n.d). These two plays are exactly opposite: The Merchant of Venice and Measure for Measure. The characters in these plays often engage in wordplay, physical comedy, and humour.

However, both plays have a darker side and deal with serious societal issues. For instance, The Merchant of Venice explores serious themes such as racism, antisemitism, and the nature of justice. Similarly, Measure for Measure also focuses on serious issues such as sexuality, morality, and abuse of power.

Historical and Cultural Contexts Manifested in the Comedies

The historical and cultural context of William Shakespeare is often depicted in the themes of each play, the characters, and the setting. His works mentioned above have a unique cultural and historical context that influenced their composition. For instance, his work The Winter’s Tale is set in a rural area of Bohemia (Shakespeare, n.d). This indicates the writer’s fascination with foreign places and interest in exploring new places and other cultures.

The major themes in the play include jealousy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. At the same time, it also reflects on the issues surrounding the socio-political climate of England, which was marked by constant political unrest and religious conflicts. In his work, The Tempest, historical and cultural contexts are explored. The play reflects on the Elizabethan era, marked by exploration and colonization. The play’s depiction of the inhabitants of islands and the islands as exotic and foreign reflects Europeans’ attitude towards the new areas they explored.

On the other hand, The Merchant of Venice is set in Venice. The play reflects upon many cultural issues, such as the conflict between the Christians and the Jews. The play’s representation of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, reflects on historical issues such as cultural and religious prejudice against Jews in Europe. Measure for Measure is also a vital play by the writer set in Vienna, and it mainly focuses on sexual morality and abuse of power. The play depicts the anxieties surrounding the Elizabethan era regarding power dynamics and sexual morality.

Plays as Tragedy and Comedy

The author is known for blurring the lines between tragedy and comedy. This trait is evident in these plays as they both contain elements of tragedy and comedy. For example, his work, A Winter Tale, begins with intense jealousy and betrayal, resulting in a tragedy where a child is lost, and the family gets separated. However, the play’s second part is marked by reconciliation, resulting in a happy ending.

The Tempest also contains elements of tragedy and comedy. Like in A Tale of Winter, the play begins with a tragedy indicated by a violent storm, a shipwreck, and the separation of the family members. However, Prospero uses his magical powers to change the events in the play and bring about a happy ending. The use of magical powers is often more of a romantic comedy, making the play a unique blend of comedy and tragedy.

On the other hand, The Merchant of Venice is filled with comic and tragic events entangled together. Shylock is the centre of conflict in the play, and his treatment is always seen as tragic as he is subject to discrimination due to his religion. However, the play also depicts elements of comedy, especially when suitors woo Portia (Shakespeare, n.d).

In Measure for Measure, Angelo is the central character in the play, depicting conflict and being tasked with enforcing the law on sexual immorality. In the play, female characters are subjected to sexual coercion, which is often seen as tragic. However, the play also portrays some elements of comedy; for instance, Lucio and his witty banter and comedic elements counter the darker themes of Shakespeare.

Gender Roles in the Plays

Each of the four plays features female and male characters, and they are critical as they challenge traditional gender roles and expectations. In A Winter Tale, Hermione is represented as an intelligent and strong woman who stands up for her family and herself. Her husband accuses Hermione of infidelity, but she remains committed and loyal and eventually forgives her husband (Shakespeare, n.d).

Women are used in the play to challenge traditional gender roles due to their assertion of intelligence and independence. The character Miranda in The Tempest also challenges the traditional gender roles when she rejects Ferdinand’s marriage proposal by insisting that she needs to make her own decisions. She is portrayed as intelligent, which is uncommon for a play from that time.

In The Merchant of Venice, Portia challenges gender roles and is portrayed as intelligent. She disguises herself as a male lawyer to save Antonio’s life. Measure for Measure highlights inequalities between men and women. Sexual morality and power dynamics in the play are closely tied to gender roles. Isabella is subjected to sexual coercion by the men in authority. In the play, Isabella is represented as strong by challenging the gender roles and refusing Angelo’s sexual demands.

Characterization of Plays’ Endings

Most of Shakespeare’s works are often characterized by a happy ending and harmonious resolution. In his play A Winter’s Tale, the playwright portrays scenes of reconciliation and forgiveness; at the end, Hermione is revealed to be alive and reunited with her daughter and husband. Themes of jealousy and betrayal portrayed in the play are resolved by happiness and harmony at the end.

The Tempest also ends with scenes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Prospero renounces his powers at the end and forgives those who have wronged him (Shakespeare, n.d). The Merchant of Venice also ends with a resolution of various conflicts and the defeat of Shylock. The final play, Measure for Measure, also ends in reconciliation and forgiveness as the duke pardons Angelo as he arranges the wedding between Isabella and his deputy. The play’s theme of forgiveness is stressed in the final scene.

Justice Characterization in the Play

Justice is characterized as a legal process that upholds societal values in the plays. In others, justice is represented as individualistic, with characters taking action into their own hands to achieve a sense of justice. In The Merchant of Venice, the theme of justice is represented by characters like Shylock, who brings the case against Antonio.

The trial scene in the case puts a lot of stress on the significance of the rule of law. Despite the emphasis on the rule of law, the play also questions the morality of the law and the role of mercy in the administration of justice. This is evident by Portia’s argument for the importance of mercy in the face of strict legalism.

Like The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure also explores legal frameworks. The play raises questions about whether Angelo will face the consequences of his crimes by being punished. Isabella also raises the question about the morality of the law. She argues against the strict implementation of the law and favours the more compassionate and merciful approaches.

The writer of A Tale of Winter represents justice as subjective and individualistic. Justice is tied to other themes like forgiveness and redemption in the play. This means that the characters in the play had to overcome their flaws and learn to forgive themselves to attain a sense of justice. Finally, in The Tempest, a similar approach to justice is taken from A Tale of Winter. Prospero seeks to attain a sense of justice through his magic.

Difference Between Shakespeare’s Comedies and Tragedies

The author’s representation of tragedy often involves seriousness and sadness while exploring the themes of loss, death, and suffering. In contrast, his comedies often use a lighter tone while exploring themes of love, marriage, and social order. The author often represents tragedy by ending his plays with destruction or death, while his comedies often end in marriage and reconciliation. The end of his tragedy is also portrayed with irony or unresolved conflict, while a sense of resolution or closure usually characterizes his comedies.

Relationship Between the Similarities in Character, Plot, and Ending

The similarities in characters, plot, and ending in most of the writer’s work mirror his artistic vision and thematic concerns. In most of his plays, he employs different types of character sets, for instance, the romantic lead, the villains, the powerful rulers, and the witty fool. This kind of character set is often varied based on traits, depending on the themes and contexts of a particular play.

The plot of the plays by Shakespeare also often follows a similar fashion to the character set. The plot is marked with a series of conflicts and resolutions, which help to drive the storyline. For example, his comedies usually revolve around mistaken identity, romantic complications, and social hierarchies. In contrast, his tragedies explore the characters’ flaws, resulting in self-destruction. Finally, in terms of ending his plays, he often uses a sense of resolution and closure, specifically in comedies, with most resolutions resulting in marriages and reconciliation.

The Absence of Humor from Each Play

The absence of humour in his work, The Winter’s Tale, can be due to the play’s themes. In the play, the writer explores darker themes with a serious tone. The plays focus on jealousy, betrayal, and reconciliation; the characters and situations are usually considered serious. Also, The Tempest depicts a lack of humour, which can be attributed to the play’s overall focus on the issues of power, colonization, and redemption. However, some sense of seriousness also marks the play’s tone as different characters struggle with their problems and the overall issue of colonization and oppression. The absence of humour in the two plays reinforces the tone and themes presented.

References

Shakespeare, W. (n.d). The Tempest. Web.

Shakespeare, W. (n.d). Measure for Measure. Web.

Shakespeare, W. (n.d). Merchant of Venice. Web.

Shakespeare, W. (n.). A Tale of Winter. Web.