‘Comedy involves men of middling estate; its perils are small scale, its outcomes peaceful’. To what extent do you agree with this definition of comedy in relation to Much Ado about Nothing*? Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing is one of the most popular comedies in history, selling out Shakespearean theatres until their closure in 1642. The comedy is thought to be written in 1598 and is often described as a ‘problem play’ meaning it shares tendencies with that of a tragedy. Of course MAAN follows Shakespeare’s traditional comedy structure but modern critics have their own agenda that a comedy, being such a complex genre, should conform to.
Devices that are used by Benedick and Beatrice are Bawdy language, word play and puns, which are very different compared to Dogberry’s According to Aristotle the idea of comedy comes from speculation concerning men dancing, signing and cavorting around the image of a phallus. True or not this idea of high-spirited celebration of sexuality and love, tragedies happen on the battle field more than likely comedy would be staged in the bedroom. Although not all literary works must involve crude humor, simply a happy ending is enough, with expectations and conventions of plot and characters. The language of prose has a particularly prominent place in Much Ado About Nothing; nearly three quarters of the play is written in prose. The pragmatic and realistic views of central characters like Benedick suit the prose style that Shakespeare uses in Much Ado About Nothing, much of the humor that is generated by Benedick and Beatrice’s ‘merry war’ is delivered in prose.
The basic formula for comedy has had more to do with conventions and expectations of plot and character with a requirement for lewd joke or cartoonish pratfalls” (Depaul University, Chicago pg 61) In light of this statement how far does ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ conform to your expectations of comedy? Shakespeare uses a structure that follows conventions which conform to an audience expectation of comedy in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. The play begins in accord with the anticipation of Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding, the play later transitions into discord when there is confusion between the lovers and in the Green world. The structure of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ traditionally follows the structure of a comedy as it begins in harmony and then falls into a sense confusion, this also conforms to the audiences ‘expectation of plot’ as the sense of confusion makes up the ‘basic formula of comedy’. Additionally Shakespeare explores gender roles through a series of ‘lewd jokes’ and ‘cartoonish pratfalls’ which typically follow ‘the basic formula for comedy’ and also support the audience’s ‘expectation of plot’.
It is suggested by this then that the play holds no deeper meaning or message of morality; it is simply designed to fulfill a purpose through usage of traditional comedic techniques. However, some have interpretated themes of sexuality and a gentle mocking of Victorian customs ultimately leaving the play open to assumption. The Importance of being Earnest certainly maintains many traits of a great comedy of manners, "A comedy that satirizes behaviour in a particular social group"(dictionary.com). In fact many people have hailed it as "the greatest stage comedy of all time", this triumph supports the viewpoint that Wilde merely succeeded in entertaining his audience rather than channeling a deeper understanding. The use of slapstick by Wilde produces a contrived and absurd plotline that is in every way unrealistic.
Moliere was a french play writer and actor who was considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Moliere wrote two types of plays: the farcical comedies and high comedies, it is very clear that Tartuffe falls into the comedy of character. Commedia Dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked types which began in Italy in the 16th century and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios and is the craft of improvisation. The characters that Moliere created seemed ridiculous because they deviate from decorum and the rules of Neoclassicism. The characters IL Capitano and Tartuffe both display similar characteristics in terms of them both being pretenious, cowardly liars that are very hypocritical.
Aristotle in ‘Poetics’ defined comedy as “an imitation of inferior people-not, however, with respect to every kind of defect; the laughable species of what is disgraceful. The laughable is an error of disgrace that does not involve pain or destruction. For example a comic mask is ugly and distorted but does not involve pain.” (Stott, Andrew McConnell. Comedy. New York: Routledge, 2005.
'The Fool is more important to the play than he may at first seem.' By considering the dramatic presentation of the Fool, evaluate this view. The Fool is more than just a jester who is present to provide some comic relief in the tragedy of King Lear; like many of Shakespeare’s fools, he is shown as a highly intelligent character who the audience likes not just for his entertainment, but his insightfulness. Therefore, he is central both to the plot, as he criticises and advises Lear, potentially setting his later clarity into the motion, and to the audience’s understanding of the characters in the play. The first impression most have of the Fool is that his presence serves as form of comic relief, in order to set a lighter tone to the play; however, because of this, his death is crucial to the bleak ending of the play.
Ewing Hail LA Comp I T/TH 9-9-14 The chief aim of humorist is not merely to entertain, but to “convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” Society allows humorists to say things that other people cannot or will not say. Humorist are seen as serving a vital function in society. On the comedy scene, humorist use the tough issues that might be too sensitive for some. Add their own light so to speak, to make it easier to understand and swallow. Comedy can break through all the red tape and say what others cannot.
“Comedy, beginning in turmoil but ending in harmony, celebrates life.” To what extent does The History Boys reflect that view? 7. “The setting of this play is central to its success as a comedy.” To what extent do you agree? 8. “Despite being performed entirely in French, the audience is able to understand the scene due to Bennett’s use of comedy devices.” Explore this statement with reference to comedy devices.
Compare Lane, Merriman and Miss Prism as employees and as comic characters. What do they bring to the play that would otherwise be missing? Lane, Merriam and Miss Prism are the minor characters of Importance of Being Earnest. Although at first they don't appear to bring a lot to the play, in the end they have a big impact on how it is viewed as a comedy. They bring in a lot of content which fits into to comedy criteria as well as enable the plot to develop fully.