Comedy was at the centre of a critical storm that raged throughout the early modern period. Shakespeare's plays made capital of this controversy. In them he deliberately invokes the case against comedy made by the Elizabethan theatre haters. They are filled with jokes that go too far, laughter that hurts its victims, wordplay that turns to swordplay and aggressive acts of comic revenge. In a detailed study of seventeen plays, tragedies and histories as well as comedies, Maslen contends that Shakespeare's use of the comic mode is always calculatedly unsettling, and that this is part of what makes it pleasurable.
| ISBN: | 9781904271444 |
| Publication date: | 26th September 2005 |
| Author: | R W Maslen |
| Publisher: | The Arden Shakespeare an imprint of A&C Black |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 270 pages |
| Series: | Arden Critical Companions |
| Genres: |
Literary studies: plays and playwrights Literary studies: general |
Comedy was at the centre of a critical storm that raged throughout the early modern period. Shakespeare's plays made capital of this controversy. In them he deliberately invokes the case against comedy made by the Elizabethan theatre haters. They are filled with jokes that go too far, laughter that hurts its victims, wordplay that turns to swordplay and aggressive acts of comic revenge. In a detailed study of seventeen plays, tragedies and histories as well as comedies, Maslen contends that Shakespeare's use of the comic mode is always calculatedly unsettling, and that this is part of what makes it pleasurable.
Shakespeare and Comedy features in the following genres: Literary studies: plays and playwrights, Literary studies: general
Shakespeare and Comedy is available in Paperback
Shakespeare and Comedy was written by R W Maslen and published by The Arden Shakespeare an imprint of A&C Black
Shakespeare and Comedy has 270 pages
Yes it is part of Arden Critical Companions series