In the work of the greatest playwright of the Renaissance W. Shakespeare, it is customary to distinguish three periods. The division is primarily due to the genre and thematic originality of works written in different years.
The first period - 1590-1601 - against the background of others looks, perhaps, the most cheerful. This is the time when Shakespeare's best comedies were created. Their list includes about ten plays, funny, with vivid, memorable images.
Features comedies 1590-1601 years
Love capable of overcoming any intrigues of those around you ... Young, energetic, witty heroes, among whom women who are striking in their charm, strive for independence and are ready to compete with men in everything ... An unusual, often romantic landscape, filled with the light of the sun or moon ... Here's the main thing that unites Shakespeare's early comedies.
A fascinating story, based on some story from Antiquity or the Middle Ages, always reflects the realities of the time and is often built on the same principle. The main characters - a young couple in love - begin to fight for the right to marry. Moreover, quite often not only parents and circumstances become an obstacle, but also their waywardness, character traits, beliefs, which ultimately manage to change. Thus, the main idea that Shakespeare's comedies carry is: a person, whoever he is, must himself become the creator of his own happiness.
You should pay attention to one more point. Despite the apparent lightness and playfulness, the playwright touches on quite important issues in plays, exposes human stupidity and vulgarity.
"Comedy of Errors"
As already noted, the playwright often borrowed the plots of early plays from his predecessors. But after the artistic treatment, real faces appeared instead of the masks adopted in the medieval play, and these were Shakespeare's comedies. A list of them opens with "The Comedy of Errors" - still immature, small in volume, focusing more on the external side of events and focusing on the traditions of classicism. But already quite interesting characters with their inherent strong human feelings are outlined in it. And although very often this play is called nothing more than a farce, it is clear that it far surpasses the form and content of previously created works of this genre.
Shakespeare's Comedy The Taming of the Shrew
Created a little later (presumably in 1593), it was repeatedly processed by a playwright. There was also an anonymous version of the play with a similar title and plot, the authorship of which was attributed to Shakespeare.
The behavior of comedy heroes has always been perceived ambiguously. This is the story of the sisters, one of which is the wayward and rebellious Katarina, and the other is the meek and humble Bianca. Two young men claim the latter’s hand, but the girl’s father announces that he will give his youngest daughter only after Katarina. As a result, the suitors join forces in seeking a husband for her. So there is a young, intelligent, energetic Petruccio, who was able to discern her true character behind the inaccessibility of her older sister. Thanks to the mind, patience, and sometimes toughness in the relationship, he managed to win the heart of the obstinate beauty and find true happiness.
The ending of Shakespeare's comedy, a brief summary of which is given, turned out to be unpredictable. The meek Bianca became moody and grumpy, and until recently, the wayward Katarina turned into an obedient and well-meaning wife. A new look at the life of the tamed girl was manifested in her final monologue, in which she urges married women to humility.
Thus, the playwright emphasized the established superiority of men in society over the weaker sex, but, showing the rich nature of Katarina, proclaimed the equality of both in society.
"The Merchant of Venice"
By 1596, another famous work was written by William Shakespeare. Comedies, as a rule, are based on a fun plot. However, the story is based on the story of how poor Bassanio, who decided to marry a beauty from a wealthy family, turns to a merchant friend with a request to borrow money. He signs a bill on which the usurer Shylock, in case of delay, has the right to cut a pound of meat from him. It is for this reason that many writers tend to attribute the "Venetian Merchant" to drama. But the genre was determined by the author himself, and in the finale of Bassanio, in order to save a merchant friend who was in a shipwreck, he appears in court and decides to pay a penalty. Shylock who opposed this was accused of attempting the life of Antonio, and half of his fortune went to the merchant. So in the comedy of Shakespeare, the question arises about the need to keep this word, even if it was dropped by frivolity or being confident in a successful outcome.
"Twelfth Night"
This is a mature playwright play written around 1600. The main characters - the twins Viola and Sebastian - as a result of a shipwreck, lose each other and find themselves in the country of Illyria. Viola puts on a man’s dress and enters the palace of the Duke of Orsino. He instructs the “young page” - to convince Olivia, in whom he was in love, to marry him. But the young widow is fascinated by Cesario Viola.
Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night” continues with the appearance in the city of Sebastian, which leads to numerous confusion, since the brother and sister were extremely similar. As a result, two pairs arise: Olivia-Sebastian and Viola-Orsino, and everything ends successfully.
According to the plot, the play resembles a cheerful romantic tale of love, in which there are a lot of jokes, unusual situations related to dressing up characters (this is a typical feature of Shakespeare's early comedies). The unusual ending is caused by the fact that each hero finds true happiness in the wrong place.
"A dream in a summer night"
The scene of action is Athens. Several storylines are developing in parallel, and fairy-tale heroes living in the forest intervene in people's relationships - these are the features of Shakespeare's most fantastic comedy. A summary of its following. Lovers of heroes who decide to violate the will of their father fall into an unusual forest. Hermione's girlfriend and groom rush after them. Thanks to the mistake of the elves, everything went well. In love with each other, Germany and Lysander were able to combine their destinies. And Demetrius found happiness with Elena, who had long suffered for it. The amusing adventures that happened to young people in the magic forest in the morning seem like nothing more than a dream that brought about the fulfillment of desires.
The Meaning of Shakespeare's Comedies
The main thing that distinguishes the entire work of the playwright is his attention to the personality of a person. This is well seen in every genre, including comedy. Cheerful laughter, connection with folk traditions, the sincerity of the feelings of the heroes, their dreams of a happy life, the search for ways to achieve it, high humanism made Shakespeare's plays relevant and in demand at all times.