Seinfeld compared to Shakespeare

I recently read Shakespeare's As You Like It, and I thought it was very similar to Seinfeld in that it was about nothing. As a matter of fact, I wrote a brief commentary on that fact and my teacher seemed to agree. The story is simply about the lives of several people and the crazy things that happen in them. Check it out and see if you agree. Tracey

Why is that nothing? I think one would be hard pressed to find any show, play, etc that isn't about the lives of several people and the crazy things that happen in them: Three's Company, by this standard would be similar to both Seinfeld & Shakespeare.

In article , [email] (Barry Gaudet) wrote:

Another seinfeld and shakespeare similarity: " deception " , it occurs constantly, and especially the more embarrasing the better, (like Malvolio in 12th night).

Not that this has to do with Seinfeld, but I've held for a long time that Three's Company is like a modern day Shakespeare. Really, the show is about nothing, and there would be no plot at all if one person, invariably didn't mix up. thus by the end of the show, Jack is making dinner for Janet and her date, except the date thinks he's with Terry who is gone with Larry, and so on.

Similarly, read any Shakespeare, and you'll see tons of mix ups and misunderstandings, in both comedies and tradgedies!

Lance

Comparing Three's Company to Shakespeare is pretty funny in itself.

Steven, You're obviously missing the point of Seinfeld. It is ONLY about the random, crazy things that happen in these 4 people's lives and nothing else--that's why it's referred to as a "show about nothing." Three's Company was about a man living with 2 women, the mayhem that ensues when he has to pretend he's gay to keep living there, and how the arrangement affects the relationships of the three. Every other show on TV has a plot, and if they don't, it's not on purpose and they end up being cancelled. Think about several shows and you will realize that there is a general theme to all of them, except one--Seinfeld. Cheers has people hanging out in a bar, Roseanne has the trials and tribulations of a blue-collar family, ER is about the lives of Drs. in and out of the ER, etc. So, yes, every show is about the lives of their characters, but most have more to them, as well. Tracey

You're right on with this. The ONLY other show I can think of that's about nothing is ABC's "Ellen". And that's just not of the same caliber of Seinfeld.

Well, what could be more about nothing than Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing"??

Eric Miller

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