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Shakespeare's Dark Comedy

William Shakespeare was a master of catharsis in his tragic plays, bringing readers and audiences to their own feelings of grief as they sympathized with the characters. Yet he was no less famous for his hand at comedy, uplifting spirits with stories of love and laughter. It is in the mixture of these two polar extremes of the human spirit that Shakespeare creates a new genre that is now called dark comedy. In traditional Shakespearian comedies, the plot centers around the complexities that go along with wooing a girl. Even though the dark comedies still have this as one of their themes, it is not the main part of humanity that Shakespeare is trying to explore. Instead he intends to probe the human heart for the darker places that we all, no matter how secretively, understand very well.

Shakespeare's dark comedy Measure for Measure has the appearance of a tragedy through the majority of the play concerning the setting, plot, and characters; but because the conflicts come to a conclusion ending in marriage and not death, the play is considered a comedy. This mixture of comic relief in spite of tragedy makes the play a dark comedy. Coleridge himself described the "comic parts [as] disgusting and the tragic parts horrible." In this play, Shakespeare takes human psychology into account and weeds through moral concerns and social constraints, confronting these human situations boldly. Dark themes such as lust, law enforcement and the death penalty combine in the midst of love, strong family ties, and deep moral conviction. This makes dark comedy more realistic no mystical forests filled with fairies. It is a story more people can relate to, and not just because it does not include the supernatural but because it deals with the dark side of human nature and not just the good.

One hallmark of a Shakespearian comedy is a specifically pleasant setting. Shakespeare's comedies normally take place in a setting that is somewhat of a sanctuary, safe from the harms of the world, which allows for the uplifting feelings of comedy to take place. As You Like It takes place in the forest of Arden. The Tempest is set on an exotic island. A Midsummer Night's Dream takes place in a forest outside of Athens. Within these lovely settings, the characters find solace in their natural surroundings, and this brings a peace that helps them resolve conflicts. This also gives an ideal setting for romantic intrigues to take place, and not just because the forests are

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