A JIG AT THE END OF THE TRAGEDY.

A JIG AT THE END OF THE TRAGEDY. James Shapiro in A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 1599 tells how when Shakespeare wrote his early tragedies, it was the custom to have what was called a “jig” at the end of the play. A jig was about half an hour of broad comedy with dancing. Shapiro describes a jig as “semi-improvisational one-act plays….usually performed by four actors…anarchic and libidinal….” Shapiro says that Will Kemp, who created the parts of Falstaff and Bottom, was considered the best at these jigs. After Kemp left Shakespeare’s acting company, Shakespeare stopped having jigs at the end of his plays. The date of Kemp’s departure (in 1599) means that when ROMEO AND JULIET and TITUS ANDRONICUS were first performed, the tragic events on stage were followed immediately by raucous comedy.