Episode 51 - Comedy of Shakespeare

While it's certainly possible to do Shakespeare without any hint of comedy (and lord knows we've seen a few productions, especially on film, that lean that way), it's also possible to have Shakespeare plays that get the audience rolling in the aisles. This episode we talk all about Shakespeare's comedy - not the comedies, but the sense of humour and jokes that have kept people laughing for 400 years. Is Shakespeare's text itself still funny? Or does it rely entirely on the actors to make it work? What parts of comedy are universal among different productions, and which ones need you to keep a 17th century dictionary at hand to get? Find out with this episode all about Shakespeare's funny business.

Notes:

• "Shakespeare's Use of Comedy in Tragedy" by Arthur Huntington Newton (from 1906) gives a solid background on the titular topic.
• The article about Shakespeare's Holy Trinity bust is quite telling of how Shakespeare may have seen himself.

Ancient Bickerings:

We asked three related questions of one another this time, and we'd love to hear your answers as well. What are Shakespeare's funniest...

• Character?
• Scene?
• Line?