Shakespeare Study Programs

In Short

This book serves as a pedagogical companion for students and enthusiasts exploring twelve of Shakespeare’s comedies, from The Comedy of Errors to The Winter's Tale. Rather than offering dry analysis, it functions as a workshop, breaking each play down act by act through historical context, structural inquiry, and challenging ethical questions. By framing the comedies as deliberate experiments in form—such as the "farce-mosaic" of The Merry Wives of Windsor—the work has remained a valuable resource for those seeking to understand not just what happens on stage, but how the playwright’s artistic choices create meaning.

The Story

The volume begins by establishing a clear methodology: the plays are not merely stories, but complex systems of character and plot that evolve through deliberate, often daring, structural decisions. The journey commences with The Comedy of Errors, which is presented as a sophisticated refinement of Plautus’s Roman farce. Here, the reader is guided through the "double resemblances" of the twins, exploring how Shakespeare heightens the humor by placing physical barriers—like a closed door—between characters who are desperate to find one another. The analysis then shifts to the chivalric ideals of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, where the tension between honor and love drives the narrative. The focus is on the moral divergence of the two friends, Valentine and Protheus, and how their contrasting choices propel the action forward.

As the text progresses, it examines the "comedy of conversation" found in Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing. In the former, the author highlights the clever use of contemporary political allusions to the French court, which give the play its sharp, modern urgency. In the latter, the focus turns to the technique of "noting," where the characters’ eavesdropping and misperceptions create a dual-track plot: one romantic, one cynical. This leads into the dreamlike structure of A Midsommer Nights Dreame, where the decorative "frame" of the royal wedding holds together the tangled lives of lovers and the earthy antics of the "base mechanicals."

The latter half of the book probes deeper into the darker or more complex shades of comedy. It unpacks the "long pedigree of Jewish and Christian antipathy" in The Merchant of Venice, challenging the reader to consider whether the characters are representative of rigid social types or deeply individual humans. It then dissects the "farce-mosaic" of The Merry Wives of Windsor, where the intrigue of the plot is driven by a series of overlapping practical jokes. The final section examines the "pastoral elopement" of As You Like It and the transformative, ethical weight of the later plays. The discussion of The Tempest emphasizes Prospero’s internal struggle—his battle between his vengeful, "high-strung" Italian nature and his "nobler reason." The volume concludes with The Winter’s Tale, which is treated as a masterwork of "practiced artistic mastery." By comparing it to the Alkestis of Euripides, the analysis elevates the play’s final act—the statue coming to life—as an act of profound psychological and moral restoration, cementing the idea that Shakespeare’s comedies are designed to lead the audience toward a "spirit of happy good will."

How It Unfolds

The foundation of farce The exploration begins by comparing Shakespeare’s work to Roman predecessors, showing how the addition of twin servants and domestic conflicts creates a more "life-like" comedic structure. The reader is encouraged to see the stage as a carefully managed space where timing and physical proximity control the audience’s amusement.

The shift toward character-driven plots The focus moves to how, in plays like The Two Gentlemen of Verona, the internal motivations of the protagonists—rather than just external accidents—dictate the flow of events. This section emphasizes the importance of the initial choices made by characters who prioritize different life-theses, such as honor versus romantic love.

The art of the conversation The middle chapters analyze how dialogue functions as a plot-building tool, particularly through the clever use of "noting" or overhearing. The inquiry here centers on how language can both conceal and reveal the true intentions of lovers and rivals alike.

The integration of the fantastic In the study of plays like A Midsommer Nights Dreame, the focus shifts to how disparate groups—nobles, lovers, and fairies—are unified within a single dramatic frame. This stagecraft is presented as a delicate balancing act that requires the dramatist to maintain harmony between the serious and the absurd.

The final moral resolution The concluding chapters address the transition into the later comedies, where the focus shifts toward reconciliation and the "Arden of the disposition." The final analysis evaluates how the playwright resolves deep-seated conflicts, such as those in The Tempest or The Winter’s Tale, through artistic sleight-of-hand that forces the characters to confront their own remorse.

The People

The book treats the characters as focal points for the audience’s ethical considerations. Adriana and Luciana are presented as representatives of opposing views on marital patience, challenging the reader to determine if their arguments are sound or merely "sophistical." In the world of Much Adoe, Benedicke and Beatrice are viewed as figures of "sex-warfare," whose defiance of love serves as a foil to the more conventional romance of Claudio and Hero.

Portia and Bassanio are analyzed not just as romantic figures, but as participants in a system of tests. Portia is seen as a woman of immense grace, while Bassanio’s worthiness is measured by his willingness to take risks. Shylock is treated as a complex figure of antipathy whose interactions with Anthonio demonstrate the weight of historical and social grievances. Finally, the figure of Prospero stands as the ultimate study in self-control. His journey from a "revenge-loving" exile to a man who masters his own fury is the essential transformation of his play. Throughout these studies, the authors emphasize that these figures are not static; their development is the mechanism by which the plays reach their conclusions, whether through a change of heart or the resolution of a long-standing wrong.

In Its Own Voice

"Criticism is the endeavour to find, to know, to love, to recommend not only the best, but all the good that has been known and thought and written in the world."

The book opens with this epigraph from George Saintsbury, establishing the appreciative, scholarly spirit that guides the subsequent analysis of Shakespeare's works.

"The irony of his confidence in welcome, at least, which is precisely what is lacking, is peculiarly true to such disappointments in life."

While discussing the frustrated dinner plans in The Comedie of Errors, the text points to this moment as an example of how the playwright creates naturalistic, relatable moments of social embarrassment.

"If the central action of the play be considered as virtually concluded with the fourth Act, what office is performed by the fifth Act?"

In the section on A Midsommer Nights Dreame, the reader is prompted to look beyond the immediate plot resolution to understand the artistic function of the final act as a unifying spectacle.

What It's Really About

The central argument of the book is that Shakespeare’s comedies are not merely light entertainment, but highly disciplined explorations of human ethics and artistic form. The authors contend that the "secret of the Art of the Play" lies in the reconciliation of the farcical and the serious. The questions underneath the plot are constant: Does character interest outweigh plot interest? How does a playwright balance the demands of tradition with the needs of his own creative imagination? By investigating these inquiries, the book argues that even the most "absurd" comedic situations are rooted in real human desires and the difficult, often messy, processes of moral growth and reconciliation in the face of conflict.

Why Read It Today

This book is an ideal companion for anyone who finds the sheer scale of Shakespeare’s comedies overwhelming. It offers a structured way to engage with the texts, acting as a patient tutor that asks the right questions rather than providing all the answers. It is particularly valuable for those who want to appreciate the "why" behind the playwright's choices—why he used certain masks, why he inserted specific contemporary allusions, and how he balanced the "prose of broad daylight" with the magic of the stage.

However, readers should be prepared for the earnest, scholarly tone of the late 19th and early 20th century. The authors operate under the assumption that the reader is already familiar with the plays, or is reading them alongside this guide. The language reflects the period, occasionally favoring complex, multi-clause sentences, and the references to "modern" ideas or political tensions of the 1890s may feel distant. Yet, for the persistent reader, there is a genuine warmth in the authors' dedication to the "good that has been known and thought." What stays with you is the sense that reading Shakespeare is not a solitary endeavor, but a lifelong conversation with the past—a process of learning to "listen when the horns of England blow."