Abstract
This paper considers the statement that Shakespeare's comedies and problem plays tend to wind through to their happy endings by way of some kind of victory over the opposite possibility, through an encounter with death or calamity of some sort. The paper applies this statement to "Much Ado about Nothing" and "Measure for Measure", assessing the differences between the comedy and the problem play. The paper asserts that, while the above statement is true, the vehicle through which we honestly proceed towards a conclusion flattering to our optimism is considerably different for comedies than it is for problem plays.

From the Paper
"The title of Much Ado about Nothing suggests that, in tone, this play is a comedy: we have a sense that a great deal will be made over a small affair, and look forward to what this affair might be, how the characters will become embroiled in it, and how the various misunderstandings and confusions that characterize a comic play will be worked out in the end. In comedies, it is the harmonious conclusion towards which the audience yearns.
"Not surprisingly, love is central to this play's themes, as it is in comedy generally. Much Ado about Nothing presents us with two sets of lovers: Beatrice and Benedick represent the sceptical lovers, and Hero and Claudio represent the ideal lovers. For both sets of lovers, the articulation of mutual love is the first in a series of hurdles that threaten to obstruct the relationship from blooming into maturity, as is expressed in the bonds of matrimony."

Tags:death, calamity, harmony, resolution, moral, choices

Abstract
This paper explains that, in Shakespearean comedies, a specific play can have, at the same time, both a happy ending and a cruel ending, as well as a character being both good and evil. The author contends that "Measure for Measure" can be interpreted as one of the happiest and the scariest endings written by Shakespeare, and yet it is classified as a comedy. The paper concludes that, because there is little solid documentation about many of Shakespeare's ideas, it is nearly impossible to comment on how Shakespeare feels about anything in his plays and to determine if a play, which is listed as a "comedy", is really a comedy.

From the Paper
""Much Ado About Nothing" is an extremely humorous play, mostly about lovers and the obstacles it took to get two couples together. In the end of the play, there is not only one proposal for marriage, but two! All begin to dance and the 'happy' ending is reached, however, the villain of the play that caused these great obstacles has not been punished. He is here, at the 'happy' ending brought to the attention of the characters, so merry in their dancing and their future weddings."

Tags:ending, character, happy, documentation, cruel

Abstract
This paper analyzes the theme of identity repression in Shakespeare's comedies, specifically in regard to Kate in "Taming of the Shrew" and Rosalind in "As You Like It". It includes two sources and includes direct quotes from the text.

From the Paper
""All the world's a stage/ And all the men and women merely players" (AYL 2.7.139-40); this particular quotation is one of Shakespeare's most touted, and correctly describes the running theme of disguise throughout his comedies. Of course, there are those who would translate this quote into the act of men and women taking on different roles to adapt to certain situations in life, but it goes a bit deeper than that. It is because of social tradition (or, should I say restriction) that a person will shed his/her true self in order to don a more socially acceptable guise. This idea is especially apparent in the character traits of Kate in "Taming Of The Shrew", and Rosalind in "As You Like It"."

Tags:shrew, taming, as, you, like, it

Abstract
The writer of this paper presents a detailed discussion about the way different manipulators are treated in the works of William Shakespeare depending on the style of the work. The writer explored several characters in tragedies and comedies written by Shakespeare -including "All's Well That Ends Well" and "Troilus" - and takes the reader on a journey of discovery regarding the acceptance or rejection of manipulators in the works.

From the Paper
"If one studies the works of Shakespeare one will see that there is a connection between manipulation and comedies. The connection is one that is subtle yet obvious once discovered. A manipulation is really nothing more than getting someone to do what one wants done, and in a life setting this can be comedic. The connection between manipulation and comedy is similar in that they are really both manipulations. Comedies are written in such a way that the audience is manipulated into accepting manipulation as funny and acceptable. This in and of itself is a form of manipulation and the audience is the target for the author. It is such a subtle connection that the audience often does not recognize it until they stop and realize that they accepted events and actions in the comedy that they would have found repulsive of worthy of revenge in any other setting."

Tags:Measure, to, Measure, Duke, Angelo, Isabelle, Claudio, Helena, Bertram, Cressida, Iago, Othello

Abstract
This paper examines and analyzes the importance of comedy and friendship in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night Dream", "Twelfth Night" and "As You Like It." The paper explores the comic elements of each work, giving brief plot summaries and character descriptions. It also compares and contrasts the humor in each work, noting that Shakespeare used comedy in a harmless way. The paper concludes by stating that these plays show us the importance of comedy because it has the ability to rise above race and class and focus on the one true emotion that can sometimes save a life - laughter

From the Paper
"In A Midsummer's Night Dream, comedy becomes a focal point that drives the play. Comedy also becomes the force that brings people together in this play. Humor emerges through the very distance characters of the fairies and the mortals. Shakespeare weaves a world of reality mixed with fantasy that sets the stage for nothing but humor. The fairies are funny with mischievous Puck as their leader in making love a comedic mess. When Puck says, "Cupid is a knavish lad, / Thus to make poor females mad" (Shakespeare Midsummer III.ii.440-1), he identifies how love sometimes makes people do crazy things. With the aid of Bottom, Puck and the others bring us world of love that is forgiving because, in the end, no one is hurt and all ends well. An example of the humor in this play is seen when Lysander, and Demetrius are thwarted by Puck. He successfully confuses the men so they have no sense of direction, demonstrating mortals in love. Lysander points out that the one responsible for his confusion is "much lighter-heeled" (III.ii.416) than he and "faster he did fly" (III.ii.417). This scene demonstrates Shakespeare's ability to use humor in a harmless way."

Tags:friendship, laughter, popular comedy, classics

Abstract
The paper argues that Shakespeare's heroines were vital and constructive protagonists; they were fully realized, independent, and capable beings. Through the presentation of such examples of females within the framework of the comic, Shakespeare was able to argue for a re-evaluation of gender norms and stereotypes at a safe distance. The writer explains that the comic framework served as a type of buffer, allowing him to castigate his society without coming under attack for doing so because, in the end, he was writing comedy.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare's comedies, possibly due to the unfailing tendency to unfairly contrast them to his tragedies and historical dramas, have never received the critical attention they deserve. His body of comedies, according to Milton Crane, contain some of Shakespeare's most insightful comments regarding human nature and society in addition to some of his most quotable and profound lines (68-69). Nevertheless, and in comparison to the attention given the other Shakespearian works/genres, his comedies have received comparatively scant attention. While Crane forwards explanatory theories, two in particular stand out. According to the first theory, Shakespeare's comedies are underappreciated because they do not subscribe to any set ad established definition of comedy. They rarely elicit laughter and, as Crane contends, are "sensible and serious" even as they are lighthearted (68). What this means is that according to the predominant critical view, as explained by Crane, critics have been unable to truly accept Shakespeare's comedies as comedies because they are not the thoroughly humorous, farcical or satirical works that they tend to categorize comedies as being. Instead, they are, at one and the same time, lighthearted and sensible and, tragic and comic, thereby defying any categorization (68). Consequently, the failure of Shakespearian comedies to fit neatly into predefined conceptions of comedy have enforced their comparison to his other works, with the result being that his comedies end up being dismissed as lightweights within the totality of his works (68-69). It is because of this that Shakespeare's comedies have not received the attention awarded to his other works."

Tags:comic, stereotype, gender

Abstract
In comparing these two comedies made at least 45 years apart, the writer explores their their similarities and their differences. It focuses on the societies which they portray and whether these societal changes make the films obsolete or keep them classic.

From the Paper
"Comedies are some of the most popular film genres of all times. They entertain, they make the audience laugh, and they all contain certain formulas that make them successful. Most comedies have a happy ending, likeable characters, and some ridiculous situations, and these two films are no exception. Even though they were made over 50 years apart, they contain some of the same compelling and humorous features, and some major differences. Selling your soul to the devil for good fortune or a group of wishes is a topic written about numerous times. Goethe did it in "Faust," and it comes up again in the 2000 film "Bedazzled," directed by Harold Ramis of "Ghostbuster" fame. This remake of a 1967 film starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook stars Elizabeth Hurley as the Devil, and Brandon Fraser as the befuddled computer nerd who sells his soul for seven wishes. (The first one, a Big Mac and a Coke that he has to buy, should not count, but it does.)"

Tags:society, devil, lover

From the Paper
"In the late 1930s a sub-genre developed in the American film. The so-called screwball comedies were different from the comedies that had gone before, and to some extent it is a sub-genre that has persisted. The definition of a screwball comedy is not as definite as that for, say, a Western or a Horror film, and whether a given work fits this sub-genre is always arguable. Howard Hawks's Bringing Up Baby (1938) is an accepted classic in the genre, while Rob Reiner's Harry Met Sally (1989) is not so clearly an echo of the original group of films so classified.

The original screwball comedies were made in the era between the onset of the Depression and the end of World War II. Ed Sikov offers a definition of screwball comedy that emphasizes the sexual relationships involved, with madcap comedy surrounding the onset and development of romance. Usually, he says, the,,,"

Abstract
This paper emphasizes the impact of crime drama elements on the romantic comedy in three films. The films mentioned are "Some Like It Hot," "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "Gigli." It compares and contrasts how these three films use the elements of danger and criminal associations to heighten the romance of the story.

From the Paper
"This paper examines two frequently used film genres the romantic comedy and the crime drama and compares and contrasts three films that combine these genres using the elements of danger and criminal associations to heighten the romance of the story. Billy Wilder's, "Some Like It Hot" sets its darkly comic plot in motion when two musicians witness the St Valentine's Day massacre and flee from the killers in disguise, each finding a romantic partner in the process. George Armitage's "Gross Pointe Blank" sends a hit man to an unsettling reunion ..."

Tags:Wilder, Gigli, Cusack

Abstract
The paper describes the basic form of the Elizabethan play that is modeled after the Greek structure. The paper looks at Greek tragedies and comedies and considers Gustav Freytag's classic analysis of Greek and Elizabethan plays. The paper includes a diagram of Freytag's triangle as an appendix.

From the Paper
""Fiction," says Jean Anouilh, gives life its form." Shakespeare derived his Comedy of Errors from Plautus' Menaechmi and many of Shakespeare's dramas are retellings of the ancient fictions of Greek myths, both tragedies and comedies. The basic form of the Elizabethan play (indeed, most plays written in successive periods, up until contemporary theater and film) is modeled after the Greek structure. One may recognize the structure still being used in theater and much narrative literature today. Utilization of this basic structure allows the story to flow naturally, allows the audience to recognize the reality and truth of life in the story, and to anticipate and yearn to find the moral or the message that resides in its heart."

Tags:screenwriting, playwrights, Freytag, protagonist, hero