A Short Note on Shakespeare’s Comedy from Preface to Shakespeare

 While discussing Shakespeare's Comedy from Samuel Johnson's point of view, it must be cleared first that the critic opined that "Shakespeare’s plays are not in the rigorous and critical sense either tragedies or comedies, but compositions of a distinct kind." In the Preface to Shakespeare, Johnson argues that Shakespeare mingled 'joy and sorrow' 'with endless variety '. Through timeless characters like Shylock and Caliban, "Shakespeare has united the powers of exciting laughter and sorrow not only in one mind but in one composition." Although this mixture is against the contemporary practice, for Johnson, the aim of a drama 'is to instruct by pleasing', and 'all pleasure consists in variety'.

But, at the same time, Johnson believes that Shakespeare's natural strength lies in his comic scenes. It was his instinctive quality as 'his comick scenes, he seems to produce without labour, what no labour can improve'.

While discussing Shakespeare's Comedy from Samuel Johnson's point of view, it must be cleared first that the critic opined that "Shakespeare’s plays are not in the rigorous and critical sense either tragedies or comedies, but compositions of a distinct kind." In the Preface to Shakespeare, Johnson argues that Shakespeare mingled 'joy and sorrow' 'with endless variety '. Through timeless characters like Shylock and Caliban, "Shakespeare has united the powers of exciting laughter and sorrow not only in one mind but in one composition." Although this mixture is against the contemporary practice, for Johnson, the aim of a drama 'is to instruct by pleasing', and 'all pleasure consists in variety'.

But, at the same time, Johnson believes that Shakespeare natural strength lied in his comic scenes. It was his instinctive quality as 'his comick scenes, he seems to produce without labour, what no labour can improve'. The Marchant of Venice and Twelfth Night provides with moments of laughter which is infinitely appealing. "His comedy pleases by the thoughts and the language." Beautiful examples could be the scene of the winning of Portia by Basanio's wit and the fool's fooling with Malvolio.