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A Classic Comedy: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

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A Classic Comedy: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare has used many genres to convey his stories, especially comedies, tragedies and historical plays. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a classic example of Shakespearean comedy. A comedy is a kind of drama which is intended primarily to entertain the audience and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. Shakespeare was influenced by the concept of intertextuality and there are literary interferences all the time in his plays.
In Shakespeare’s comedies, there is no satiric excess. They are light-hearted comedies of errors, whose main theme is usually marriage or a celebration of marriage. The spring of comedy is a stratagem of exchanging partners. Lysander and Demetrius suddenly fall in love : beginning of a long qui-pro quo. Helena and Hermia are unaware of what is going on and think they are made fun of. This type of situation is also drawn from Italian comedy : la "commedia dell arte", based on qui-pro quo, mistakes, mistaken identities and the sudden reversal of relationships. A young woman who is in love with another woman dressed as a man (Twelfth Night – As you like it).
Here, the stratagem is based on the love juice. The comedy implies the participation of the audience on characters. We are aware of the love juice, we know the reason of the misunderstanding and the presence of the fairies. The love juice causes Titania to fall head over heels in love with an "ass." In other words, Titania mistakes Bottom for a creature who is worthy of her love and affection. The same can be said of the other lovers who are dosed with Oberon's magic love potion. The Duke and Duchess are in the same position as we are, watching A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The superiority is shown by the audience. This is not found in tragedy : you tend to identify with the characters to the past in their own misery.
His comedies are celebrations and the mood is of holidays and festivals, making the whole experience of the play like that of a revel. Seasonal

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