Can someone give me some ideas on the affect of comedy in Romeo and Juliet?

Question

I have an English assignment and i have to write a 1000 word essay on the effect of comedy in Romeo and Juliet. This is not Comedy vs Tragedy it is just comedy. I personally think this topic is retareded. I have looked everywhere on ideas of what to put in it. So far i have how the play would be without the comedy and then i put how Benvolio and Mercutio make fun of Romeo for being in love with Rosaline. ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS????? IM SITTING AT 200 WORDS AND I NEED 1000 PLZ HELP

Answer 1

There's a few comedic scenes in the play. The first is where they are teasing Romeo about being in love with Rosalind. There's another that has to do with teasing Juliet's nurse. The humor is pretty crude, but witty.

Humor is used to get the audience a break between the love scenes and fighting scenes. They also lead into a fight scene in one case. Mercutio and Tybalt are exchanging barbs when they start their fight. This was NOT a serious fight when it started. Go back and re-read it.

When you get done messing with Romeo & Juliet, go back and watch Independence Day again. There's quite a bit of humor in there, too, and it's used for the same purpose. You cannot keep an audience on the edge of their seat for two hours. You have to let them laugh and relax before the next action-packed scene.

Answer 2

Well if comedy would affect the play Romeo and Juliet in the sense that it would take out all the meaning. It would not exactly deliver the solemn meaning of the story to its readers and viewers. It would add merit to tragedy which would distort the meaning.
Why would somebody even think of comedy on Romeo and Juliet? Two lovers being held away from each other, hahahahahah sounds funny doesn't Shakespeare? Shakespeare, did you mean that to be funny? (OK that was just a joke, don't include that in your essay, only if you want to)

I'll give you the matrix of your essay....

Title (duh)

Intro (1 - 2 paragraphs) State the general meaning of your essay and the meaning of the story Romeo and Juliet

Middle (3 -5 paragraphs) Discuss the affect of comedy on tragedy

Before End (1-2paragraphs) Comedy and tragedy (???) or something else (??)

End (1-2 paragraphs) Summarize your essay with either a conclusion of this discussion, a proverb(??),or just put your essay into a few sentences.

Hope this helps and good luck on your essay.

Answer 3

OK, you've noticed some comic interactions involving Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio. That's a good start on your topic. What about comic moments involving Juliet? The Nurse is a comic character, so look at her scenes with Juliet in the first two acts. Then look at the scene in which Benvolio and Mercutio make fun of the Nurse.