Free English Language Dissertations - Shakespeare Was A Dedicated Punster, Not Only For Comic But Also Tragic
Shakespeare was a dedicated punster, not only for comic but also tragic purpose. An example is Hamlet’s cry:
Is thy union here?
Hamlet, v. iii. 340)
When he realises that his mother has drunk the wine laced with a poisoned pearl (a union) by the man she has joined in union or marriage, thus bringing about her union with death. Here a pun compresses meanings and emotions in a powerful and poignant manner. (Cook, 1996, p. 220221).
Shakespeare also used punning for comedic purposes in his comedies and romances. There are numerous examples of banter in Shakespeare’s comedies. These banters often not only serve a comedic purpose but also move to develop characters or shed insight on to the plot. In Twelfth Night the fool or clown character, Feste, appears by the end of the play to be the most intelligent and insightful character, and as a result he is loved and respected by all.
FESTEGood madonna, why mourn'st thou?
OLIVIAGood Fool, for my brother's death.
FESTEI think his soul is in hell, madonna.
OLIVIAI know his soul is in heaven, fool.
FESTEThe more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul,
being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen.
(Shakespeare, Act. 1 Scene 5)
In this passage Shakespeare uses word frequency to focus the readers attention on the role of Feste as the fool. The effect of word frequency is that as words are repeated they gain a greater effect upon the reader, (Graddol, et. al. 1994, p. 227-228). As the word fool is repeated throughout the passage, and throughout the play, it focuses the readers attention to the irony in that the one character that can see everything that is going on within the complicated play if Feste, the fool. At the beginning of scene five Olivia calls for Feste to be taken away because she does not understand what he is trying to say, he then proves himself to be more sound of mind then she, the true Shakespearean fool.
People’s understanding of texts not only depend on a general knowledge of the world, but also involve strategies of comprehension which are not peculiar to language (Graddol, et. al. 1994, p. 218). In this sense authors often depend on reader’s knowledge, assumptions and opinions to gain the reactions they desire from their readers. Thus, in Twelfth Night even though Feste is referred to as the fool the audience soon learns to listen to him for insight into the story.
Just as Shakespeare uses language play to enrich his plays and ensure their timelessness, similarly, Gabriel Garcia Marquez infuses his works with evocations of the magical and surreal, while remaining within the classification of literary fiction, rather than crossing the boundary into science fiction, although many of his story-lines could easily be classified as science fiction or fantasy.
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