Individual part of the collective exposition:
Most of Shakespeare’s
plays end with me or a promise of me, even in some cases there is a restoration
of me, i.e, marriage, since there is still life after
me. But it is not so easy to reach me because:
Sometimes a promised of me
is delayed, e.g: in Love’s Labour Lost I am delayed because of the death of the
Princess’ Father.
In other occasions there
is a parental disapproval, here we can observe the
power of husbands, aristocrats and other dominant cultural voices. For example:
in Midsummer Night’s Dream Hermia rejects the man her father has chosen for her; she
claims to marry the one she loves.
So, we can
observe that love challenges the patriarchal authority in other to achieve me.
Another type is force
marriage, in which we have a persistent woman who loves a young man but he
doesn’t love her, e.g. All’s Well That
Ends Well.
But if the two characters
really love each other they must overcome these obstacles. So I am the crowning
point of the lives of the characters. I am a kind of union that resolve the
conflict and bring the characters together in harmony.
To help me (marriage)
become reality we have women that dress as men; so we give way to our next
element.
Conclusion of the exposition
So, a comedy can’t be a
comedy without:
-
happy ending, it means marriage or a
promise of marriage (characters manage it after overcoming obstacles)
-
Wooing, it is a prerequisite of
marriage, and on the other hand, it develops comic characters.
-
Men like women,
it deals with women that dresses as men (in the play). It leads to
complications and resolutions in the play, and it helps to create a comical
atmosphere.
-
Fools and clowns, they are entertainers
and help to the development of the play. Hidden behind of a clown, these
characters can say things that other characters can not.
These are peculiar
elements in Shakespearean comedies, which made them unique. They are also an
important part of history of language.