Taming of the Shrew- a Comedy

Comedies, on the surface, seem as though they are only about making the audience laugh and enjoy themselves for that brief time of entertainment; however, they are also about bringing to light some of society's issues or tendencies. However, comedies are capable of focusing on a message in a roundabout way so that the audience is still laughing and pleased, yet they are questioning their own lifestyles and motives once the play is finished.

Shakespeare's comedies like The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night's Dream revolve around confusion and misunderstanding, resulting in countless laughs because the only people that are aware of all the mishaps and misfortunes is the audience. The characters in the play are oblivious to everything that is going awry; however, the audience members see the train wreck unfold scene by scene. Shakespeare's comedies have premises that could be tragedies, but the way in which he tells the story it is hilarious and in good fun. He focuses on dreamlike states of the mind, finding comedy in any situation, and the beauty in resolving problems in the simplest ways.

These plays are meant to be seen, not only read, because Shakespeare's plays are about subtlety. His humor focuses on facial expressions, delivery and physical comedy. His brilliance is in not only being capable of making his audience laugh, but forcing his audience to think, reflect and question their own patterns of living and viewing the world and others surrounding them.

The Taming of the Shrew concentrated on societal norms, as well as, gender roles. Shakespeare was able to take two very serious topics and create a story that was not too overbearing or abrasive, but instead, light, witty and charming. Even though his topic may be questionable, it was brilliantly written and was wonderfully executed to meet its criteria for its genre. Comedies are difficult because everyone has a different style of humor, but Shakespeare did not let boundaries of any kind obstruct his path and his stories and messages were able to reach a broader audience because of it.