HIRE A COMEDIAN

The basis of a comedy lies in its characters and plot, both of which come together in a formula to produce a resolution that is happy and many times, festive. The construction of a comedy usually entails some kind of conflict at the beginning of the plot, a twist that enables the hero to triumph, and a resolution in which the hero or heroine achieves his/her wants and lives happily ever after. It is common for the resolution to include some kind of festive gathering, typically a wedding or banquet, that celebrates the triumph of the hero and lets the audience know that, clearly, all is well and in order, as opposed to a tragedy which ends in death, leaving the viewer in a state of dark disdain. Time is a friend in comedies and whatever obstacle or villain existed at the beginning of the play is gotten rid of by the end, at which time the remaining characters who partake in the festivities reside in the "green world" of the two worlds that are usually present in a comedy. The cast left at the end of comedies seem to be made up of only the young, good, and happy who form a kind of society of "moral norm" in which no evil can exist (169). Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night are classified as "comedies" and can be said to be "festive comedies" in that both contain a comedic plot structure, typical comedic themes, and provide for music, comic relief, and a somewhat satisfying conclusion. Nevertheless, both plays push the limits of these characterizations of comedy and challenge the traditional notions of what a comedy entails by addressing societal notions such as race and money, and bringing forth the concept of death, which complicates the concept of time as a friend. Both plays end in festivities but with an ambiguous darkness and a foreboding shadow in which Shakespeare seems to go to the very edge of comedy and tragedy. These two comedies, unlike earlier ones, leave the audience discontent and questioning the moral and statement of the work, leading to a much more deep effect than a simplified and superficial satisfaction.

The Merchant of Venice is one of the most controversial comedies in that it, many times, seems to cross the line between comedy and tragedy. There is the typical movement between worlds, although the worlds are not clearly distinct from one other, just as the characters do not have distinct roles of good or evil. Money and greed is present in both old wealth Belmont and new wealth Venice and all the characters of the play seem to have an agenda of their own, except Antonio who, is indeed the merchant of Venice, but whose presence is of importance rather than actions. Time, a friend in comedies such as Taming of The Shrew, lingers in Belmont, the green world, but flies by in Venice, where time is an enemy and brings forth the conflict of the bond. Time, in its relevance to youth and age is also questioned in that Portia's father, while dead, holds a great deal of control over her life, as does Shylock with Jessica even after her betrayal.

The play begins with the typical plot of multiple love obstacles, including Jessica and Lorenzo, Gratiano and Nerissa, and of course Bassanio and Portia. As in all typical comedies, the play allows for a "clown" and comic relief in the ridiculous scenes of Launcelot Gobbo and his father, the happy marriage of the three couples in the "green world" of Portia's Belmont by the end of the play, and the exit of the villain. However, there are many problematic points throughout the plot that prevent the play from completely conforming to the notion of a festive comedy.

The most prominent challenge to the comedy of the play, in fact, lies in the villain, Shylock. Whether Shylock is the villain or the victim of the play is a question that arises over and over again and remains unanswered at the end. Shylock's actions are malicious but arise only from the discrimination and extreme hatred that he suffers from Antonio and the Christian society of Venice. As he states "If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute" (3:1), Shylock is only acting as those who wrong him would and while it is still wrong, the audience sympathizes with his situation, especially with the betrayal of his own daughter. In court, Shylock uses the letter of the law in an effort to win justice on his side but fails when the law is manipulated by Portia, in favor of the Christians. At the resolution then, the audience realizes that there is no truly good character in the play, as in most comedies exists such as Kate or Biannca, and that morality does not really triumph, for morality is self-serving in the play and only brought forth when used against the desires of another. It is seen from Portia's reaction to the Moroccan and the ignoring of Jessica by all the Christian characters except her husband, that racism exists not only in Venice but in the supposed green world of Belmont as well, which, in this case, does not redeem the negatives of Venice. All the males of the play and driven by power and wealth, leaving Portia to be the sole "intellectual" heroine who solves the issues presented in order to arrive at a happy ending. Nevertheless, it is seen that she too, in her biases, uses the spirit and letter of the law to take from Shylock what is, in reality, rightfully his. Shylock, in the end, striped of his rights with his daughter gone and faith taken from him, becomes an obvious victim whose livelihood has been taken away by an Antonio who, although gives back Shylock's money, takes away from him the essence of his being. Just as Jessica and Lorenzo compare themselves to tragic lovers under the guise of music, the play ends with the group of united lovers in a uncertain state of happiness. The reader is left with the festivities of the gathering of the characters rejoicing in their triumph but there glooms a force of darkness over the couples whose love and happiness seem superficial and whose doom is grimly foreshadowed.

While Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is also considered to be a festive comedy, it too challenges the notions of a typical comedy. The plot begins and ends in Illyria, a sort of fantasy green world of youth that excludes the existence of age and reality. With the shipwreck and knowledge of the historic death of Viola's father, there exists almost no trace of age or another world, thereby missing the rhythmic movement from the normal world to the green world and back present in other comedies such as Taming of the Shrew. As the clown reminds the audience, nothing that is in this world, is. Reality does not exist, thus creating an atmosphere of dreamlike disconnect where ignorance is the evil and darkness, emphasized by Malvolio's entrapment in darkness. This world of illusion, however, is not an entirely green or happy one in that love is a source of pain and lack of reality is the enemy. Time is a friend in the plot in that it leads to the resolution of the conflicts but as Feste ironically reminds the audience through a song, love is defined by time and thus is ephemeral just as mortals are. Time's waste and misuses are further shown through Sir Toby who epitomizes the nature of aristocratic life, as compared to Malvolio's constant focus on efficiency, a reflection upon the change in the economic society of England.

The characters of the play are unable to come to terms and achieve reality, with Orsino and Olivia living out their own created dramas, Sir Toby in a drunken state of mind, and the "villain" Malvolio, completely lacking the qualities of mobility, wit, intelligence, or honesty, who is absolutely out of touch with reality and hopes for the downfall of all those around him. The obstacle of the play, of course, revolves around the heroine and the common comedic themes of love and identity. The conflicts of love and identity seem to be out of anyone's power, as they come into being and become resolved all due to fate although Maria's craftiness does indeed play a large role, even if she herself did not fathom all the consequences of her actions. Viola's double identity causes a confused mess of love plots between herself and Orsino, Orsino and Olivia, and herself as Cesario with Orsino and Olivia. The obstacle, unlike in other comedies, is one that is more internal than as a result of external forces. Even the beloved protagonist, Viola, the character that the audience identifies with most and is more biased towards, can only sacrifice herself in the name of love and relies on the incidental appearance of her brother Sebastian for the true resolution to the love conflict, unlike other comedic heroes such as Portia or Petruchio who take matters into their own hands. Viola, as all the others in Illiya are under the rule of time and destiny. 

The villain of the play, Malvolio, is hated because of his immense self love and arrogance, and unlike most comedic villains, such as Petrucchio, does not consciously realize his ill will and odes not see himself as a bad man, but rather, exists in his own world where he strives for social mobility. In his puritan-like beliefs, Malvolio feels that he is above the rest of the characters and chooses to scold them on their behavior even though his status in reality is just a steward.By the end of the play, all the important characters are paired off except Malvolio, whose end is ambiguous as he exits with "I'll be reveng'd on the whole pack of you." Feste, ironically the character who is seemingly most in touch with reality, is also left unpaired and he is the one whose song of mortality ends the play, reminding the audience of reality and thus emphasizing the surreal nature of the world that the characters of the play live in, thereby taking away from their so called happy ending.

Both The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night contain the mechanisms and foundation of a typical festive comedy in their presentation and resolution but a closer analysis reveals that they, in fact, contain a shadow of darkness that coincides with the end of comedy writing for Shakespeare. The questioning of the role of money and power, issues of racism and justice, as well as the theme of mortality and death give rise to a sense of a reality that does not allow for the concrete and unquestionable happy future and resolute ending that is expected from other comedies.




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