Shakespeare’s Comedy

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a very well written comedy by Shakespeare. The way Shakespeare utilizes the different characters and situations they are in to create humor is very cleverly planned. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a good example of the range Shakespeare can write. He has written numerous tragedies, and even plays based on history, but this comedy proves how Shakespeare is well-rounded in his capabilities as a playwright.
Shakespeare’s ironic and ridiculous situations account for much of the humor in this play. While the language alone is very witty and contributes to this comedy, it is used to set up the ridiculous happenings that are yet to come. The play is split into two stories: one is the love mismatch between the four lovers and the other is Bottom’s and Titania’s affair after his transformation into a donkey. It is comedic how neither of the young men loves Helena and yet after the spell both of them fight for her. It is also humorous and ironic how Bottom, the cocky jerk of the play, becomes an actual jackass.
This comedy is topped off by a happy ending. In the end, when all seems like utter chaos, the four lovers fall in love again with who they are supposed to, remembering the frenzied night as just a silly dream. Bottom is transformed back into a man, and as a man, he makes a “donkey” of himself in the play he performs. This resolved ending marks a true comedy, since in the past, a comedy used to mean a story that ended on a positive note, not necessarily a story centered on humor.