Critical Anthology - Marriage in Shakespeare’s Comedies Flashcards
What is central to Shakespearean comedy according to Lisa Hopkins?
Marriage
Marriage emphasizes social bonds and continuity, contrasting with the individual focus of tragedy.
In which plays do multiple marriages provide comic closure?
- As You Like It
- Love’s Labour’s Lost
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Twelfth Night
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Two Gentlemen of Verona
In these plays, four, three, and two couples respectively marry or are expected to marry.
How does marriage provide closure in comedy?
It focuses on the experience of the group
This contrasts with the isolationist emphasis of tragedy.
What does the tragic hero typically experience?
Loneliness and separation from God, society, and surroundings
This is a fundamental aspect of the tragic narrative.
What is the significance of offspring in marriage according to Elizabethan customs?
It symbolizes renewed life
Offspring are expected as a product of heterosexual marriage.
How does Shakespearean comedy reflect conservatism?
It often reinforces traditional gender roles and social hierarchy
Characters return to their societal roles after temporary disruptions.
What is the traditional view of marriage in comedy?
It provides comic closure
This expectation is frequently subverted in Shakespeare’s plays.
What does the term ‘telos’ refer to?
Ultimate purpose
In the context of comedy, it often refers to the goal of marriage.
True or False: Shakespeare’s comedies consistently achieve the expected ending of marriage.
False
The expected goal of marriage is rarely attained within the plays.
Fill in the blank: In Shakespearean comedy, marriage is often seen as a _______.
provider of closure.
What is the impact of characters returning to their societal roles in Shakespeare’s comedies?
It reinforces the existing social and patriarchal order.
Who wrote “Marriage in Shakespeare’s Comedies”?
Lisa Hopkins
T__ T__________ V___ T___ M_______ P_______ C____ C______ I__ R_____ A_______
Despite the traditional view that marriage provides comic closure, this is, in fact, rarely achieved
E_______ T____ I_ R_____ A_______ W_____ T__ C_______ O_ T__ P___
Expected telos is rarely achieved within the confines of the play
T___ T________ S__________ H_________ D_______
That tradition Shakespeare habitually disrupts
