Exam 1 Flashcards
What is the fundamental characteristic of Shakespearean comedy according to Northrop Frye?
The green world
The green world is a space where the action of the comedy transforms from the normal world, achieves comic resolution, and then returns to the normal world.
C.L Barber in Shakespeare’s Festive Comedy
Comedy is rooted in social traditions and rituals that stretch back to society’s pagan festive holidays. During these times of festivity, society undergoes a transformation as social structures become inverted and misrule reigns. Because of this comic misrule, society is renewed or “clarified” through the process of merrymaking and purgation.
What is a soliloquy?
A speech by a character usually alone on stage that verbalizes inner thoughts to the audience.
What is the difference between a soliloquy and a monologue?
A monologue is an extended speech by a single character with intended listeners onstage.
What is an aside?
Words spoken by a character in an undertone to the audience or to a particular character, which other characters cannot hear.
What is the most common verse form used by Shakespeare?
Iambic pentameter.
What is an ‘iam’?
A foot that contains an unstressed and stressed syllable.
What does pentameter indicate?
Five feet to the measure.
What is unrhymed iambic pentameter called?
Blank verse.
What are two iambic pentameter lines that rhyme together called?
Couplets.
What is the definition of comedy in relation to Shakespearean plays?
A play or story that concludes in marriage, often more than one marriage.
What was Roman New Comedy based on?
Greek New Comedy.
What are some stock characters found in Roman New Comedy?
- Senex (grumpy old man) * Miles gloriosus (braggart soldier) * Courtesan * Silly son.
What are central themes of New Comedy?
- Mistaken identity * Reunion of lost children.
What type of plot structure does Roman New Comedy implement?
Five act plot structure.
Who is Plautus and what is he known for?
A Roman writer who composed New Comedy plays with slapstick and verbal humor.
What is the significance of Plautus’s play ‘Menaechmi’?
It is the basis for Shakespeare’s ‘A Comedy of Errors’, featuring a pair of male twins.
Who is Terence and how does his writing differ from Plautus?
A Roman writer known for light comedy of manners and an emphasis on social problems.
What is the ‘double plot’ developed by Terence?
A structure in which two separate but related plotlines converge in a play.
What is the first act in the five act structure?
Exposition.
What occurs during the rising action of a play?
The formation of problems or conflicts in the story.
What is the climax in a narrative?
The height of the conflict.
What happens during the falling action of a play?
The unraveling of the conflict.
What does the resolution in a comedy typically involve?
Conclusion of the conflict, often involving marriage.
Humor character
The ability to make the audience smile or laugh
e.g. Bottom from a Mid Summer Nights Dream
Senex figure
An archetype, as described by Carl Jung, representing wisdom, guidance, and prudence
e.g.
What is Shakespeare’s birthday and death day?
April 23, 1564 (birth), April 23, 1616 (death)
Main themes of A Mid Summer Night’s Dream
- Love and the complexities of immature love, unrequited love, and the fickle nature of romantic feelings.
- Patriartical control on others and how it causes stability but causes chaos for the young lovers
- How magic is used to disrupt the natural order of nature, such as with the love potion
- Pureness of the female and how virginity is valued in women
Main themes of Twelth Night
- Characters experience intense passions, sometimes driven by infatuation or illusion rather than genuine connection.
- How people can be in love with the idea of being in love.
- Viola’s disguise as Cesario is central to the plot, creating a web of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements.
- Disguise allows characters to explore different aspects of themselves and challenge social norms.
Main themes for Much Ado About Nothing
- The different kinds of deception: Kindly and Evil and when both go too far
- The complexities of courtship, highlighting the role of social expectations, misunderstandings, and the power of language.
- Valuing the male word over the female word and the power of slandering.
- How language is used as a weapon for deception and means of expressing affection
- The difference in the ideal woman of the time (Hero who is agreeable and quiet) versus the nonideal woman (Beatrice who speaks her mind and is loud (a shrew in other words))
Main characters of Mid Summer Night’s Dream
The Athenian Lovers:
Hermia: A young woman in love with Lysander.
Lysander: Hermia’s lover.
Helena: Hermia’s friend, in love with Demetrius.
Demetrius: Initially in love with Hermia, later with Helena.
The Fairies:
Oberon: King of the Fairies.
Titania: Queen of the Fairies.
Puck (Robin Goodfellow): A mischievous fairy, Oberon’s servant.
The “Mechanicals” (or “Rustics”):
Nick Bottom: A weaver, who is also an amateur actor.
The Athenian Royalty:
Theseus: Duke of Athens.
Hippolyta: Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus.
Egeus: Hermia’s father.
Main characters for Twelth Night
Viola/Cesario: A shipwrecked noblewoman who disguises herself as a young man, Cesario, and enters the service of Duke Orsino.
Orsino: The Duke of Illyria, a nobleman who is deeply in love with Olivia.
Olivia: A wealthy countess who is in mourning for her brother. She becomes infatuated with Cesario (Viola in disguise).
Sebastian: Viola’s twin brother, who is also shipwrecked and presumed dead.
Malvolio: Olivia’s pompous and ambitious steward.
Sir Toby Belch: Olivia’s carousing uncle.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek: Sir Toby’s foolish friend and drinking companion, who is also attempting to woo Olivia.
Maria: Olivia’s clever waiting-gentlewoman, who orchestrates the prank on Malvolio.
Feste: Olivia’s witty and insightful clown (or fool).
Antonio: A sea captain who rescues Sebastian and develops a deep affection for him.
Main characters for Much Ado About Nothing
Beatrice: A witty and independent noblewoman, niece to Leonato.
Benedick: A sharp-tongued and equally witty soldier, friend to Don Pedro.
Claudio: A young and impressionable soldier, friend to Benedick and Don Pedro.
Hero: Leonato’s virtuous and gentle daughter, and Claudio’s beloved.
Don Pedro: A noble prince, friend to Claudio and Benedick.
Don John: Don Pedro’s illegitimate and malicious brother.
Leonato: A respected nobleman and governor of Messina, Hero’s father.
Margaret: Hero’s waiting-gentlewoman, who is unintentionally involved in Don John’s plot.
Borachio: Don John’s follower, who helps carry out his schemes.
Conrade: Another of Don John’s followers.
Dogberry: A comical and bumbling constable.
Verges: Dogberry’s equally inept partner.
