All the dilemmas, mistaken identities, tricks, pranks and jokes, were what made the play, Twelfth Night, a classic. Shakespeare's use of dramatic and situational irony is used to its full potential, and he brought in humor as a tool to keep the story rolling smoothly. Comedy kept our attention constant. It was also uniquely used to let us figure things out on our own. Humor was used to help uncover some of the play's different discoveries and epiphanies.
The type of audience that would be watching/reading a comedy is a tough audience to please. They tend to have shorter attention spans and need to be kept laughing. That's why they"re reading/watching a comedy; to laugh. Shakespeare was very aware of this; therefore, there was never a dull moment. Also, a play that makes you laugh is usually the same kind of play that makes you sigh, or get angry with the characters temporarily. In act II scene iv, lines 25-26, when Viola and Duke Orsino are talking about women, (or love in general) the Duke asks Cesario, "What kind of women is't?" Viola replies, "Of your complexion." When reading, and you come across a line like that, you"re yelling in your head, "TELL HIM! TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM, VIOLA!" If a play-write can have you yelling at a book, you know he or she has control over you. Shakespeare used dramatic and situational irony to gain such control. Towards the end, when people starting getting mixed up with other people, and the "mistaken identity" theme started to really kick in, you were still yelling at your book. You were yelling to Olivia, telling her that she was really kissing Sebastian and not Cesario. Of course, Olivia couldn't hear you. This yelling, I call hit-yourself-in-the-forehead comedy. Now this is different from the humor produced when Sir Toby mispronounces a word, or when Sir Andrew starts speaking French, or when Feste starts making up names of Greek leaders. However, it is comedy nonetheless.
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616), English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists. Hundreds of editions of his plays have been published, including translations in all major languages. Scholars have written thousands of books and articles about his plot...
