The Yeomen of the Guard is the most serious of Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas. Whilst it contains some comic characters and scenes, the overall theme is one of romantic drama rather than comedy. Its ending is darker than is usual for the Savoy operas. Its plot concerns imprisonment, marriage, and the relationship between comedy and tragedy, set against the background of the Tower of London and its Warders.
The irony of this is that the most memorable character in the whole opera is Jack Point, a Jester.
