How Does Shakespeare Present Comedy In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare Can Be Funny Too! In A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, the Mechanical Bottom portrays character comedy whenever he is interacting with other people throughout the play. Character comedy is using a well known character, like Bottom, to create comedy. It is usually used to exaggerate a character's features while showing the audience their personality. An example of this would be when Peter Quince, head of the Mechanicals, was giving out parts for the play that they were to perform as entertainment for Theseus’s wedding. While Peter Quince was handing out parts to the mechanicals, Bottom kept interrupting because he felt like he would be able to perform the parts better than the others. It begins after Peter Quince hands out Bottom’s part then moves on to
the other Mechanical’s parts.
First, Peter Quince gives Flute his part, “Flute, you must take Thisby on you” (1.2.38). Bottom later replies after Flute’s complaints, “An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too./ I’ll speak in a monstrous little voice. ‘Thisne,/ thisne;’ ‘Ah, Pyramus, lover dear! Thy Thisby dear,/ lady dear!’” (1.2.45-48) Bottom interrupts almost every time a part is given out. By Bottom doing that it shows character comedy because Bottom’s “smart” attitude and how he believes he is superior to everyone else is exaggerated. By incorporating this type of character comedy, Shakespeare is able to better portray Bottom’s personality to an audience or reader. This element of comedy is also seen within act 5, scene 1 between Theseus and Bottom. During this moment in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Mechanicals are performing their play for Theseus and the lovers who were just recently married.
The conversation goes as follows: Bottom (as Pyramus): “Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well for this!/ But what see I? No Thisby do I see./ O wicked wall, through whom I see bliss!/ Cursed be thy stones for thus deceiving me!”
Theseus:“The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse/ again.”
Bottom: “No, in truth, sir, he should not, “Deceiving me”/ is Thisby's cue./ She is to enter now, and I am to spy her/ through the wall. You shall see, it will fall pat as I told you./ Yonder she comes.” (5.1.182-191)
Basically, Bottom stopped the play and broke character to explain to Theseus that he was wrong. This is an example of character comedy because it portrays Bottom’s exaggerated personality and how he believes he is smarter than others. Shakespeare again uses this element of comedy to allow the audience to see a character's personality better by exaggerating it when they interact with others. Sometimes character comedy can be hard to see by only reading a play, but it makes a reader looks more in depth into the play therefore allowing a person to feel like they know a character on a more personal level.