Holding the essence of all elements of enjoyment together in one story is the chief feature of Shakespearean comedies. The portrayal of plots and characters in these comedies shows Shakespeare’s initiative in putting readers and audiences into a more pleasing imaginative region.
The storylines of all Shakespearean comedies reveal that the playwright attempted to relieve the human mind from everyday pathos in real life. And readers can witness it through the presence of Athens and Venice in some comedy plays but in a different way. The playwright tried to use these places, not with their realistic setting. His unmatchable invention turned those places into fairy-tale sites.
Yes, they always remain exotic but not unfamiliar to readers and audiences. There is no denying that Shakespeare wrote the plays for the audiences living in England. But his aim was never to draw stories that could merely associate the ordinary monotonous England life. Instead, he tried to make them more appealing to the human imagination.
The best thing is these transformations were not limited to places only. Characters orbiting the plot also enjoyed a modification to draw amusement. Characters like Rosalind, Orlando, Touchstone in “As You Like It” best define this tait. The play represents the key characters, especially the hero and the heroine, as the embodiment of romance. They are beautiful, witty, lively, and charming.
Depth of their personalities increases the pleasing tone of the atmosphere surrounding the storyline. The characters in Shakespeare’s comedy plays sometimes emerge as fanciful or ornate. But the playwright’s artistry makes them vibrant, alluring, and captivating. And this effort of tieing up human imagination with delight and amusement made the Shakespearean comedies extraordinary.
From day one, the aim behind inventing drama was to entertain people. And this fact was also true for William Shakespeare as a playwright. The dramatist aimed to entertain those audiences who attended theatre to witness and enjoy events that usually didn’t take place in their daily lives. To address this requirement of the audience, Shakespeare chose to explore stories that put on or aroused some impressive hypotheses.
Yes, hypotheses that compel or make people think rare, unusual, but pleasant and appealing things. For instance, Rosalind, a girl in “As You Like It,” takes the disguise of a boy. With this unrecognizable get-up, she successfully deceives her father as well as her lover. The significant part is such kind of concealment was uncommon, especially during the time of Shakespeare. But despite the said rarity, it enticed a romantic sense.
Moreover, the characters and the atmosphere that actuate and portray this entire surrounding appear romantic. And this romanticism gives birth to love, mingled with delight, laughter, merriment, and pleasure. A love that emerges from a tone of assumption because of the touch of hypothesis.
It is not that kind of love that defines a realistic picture of passion bathed with pains and obstacles. Instead, it is the attachment, fondness, and adoration, accommodating a lighter mood. Even sometimes, a thin line of absurdity with a solid undertone of engaging delights is visible in that love. And the English playwright put the warmth of intimacy in a more polished way.
To enhance the intensity of that refined passion, Shakespeare also added some special events. Shooting an arrow by a blind cupid is one such incident. These kinds of proceedings make Shakespearean comedies something more outstanding compared to his contemporaries.
Shakespeare’s depiction of the whole plot first determines a general dramatic framework. However, the gradual inclusion of special moments enriches the inner meaning of the storyline with a more diverse perspective. And the sense of pleasure gradually touches the zenith.
The delight is so intense in the Shakespearean comedies that even a realistic convention of mere caricatures emerges with a fanciful dainty. The delicacy in portraying those conventions appears so well built that they certainly appeal to human imagination. And this appeal doesn’t always need the presence of a hero or a heroine. The Shakespearean beauty of representation is powerful enough to draw attention even with ordinary characters.
