‘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.
'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.
At the same time to increase, and emphasize the tragic plot. Shakespeare was the first to mix comedy and tragedy together, but borrowed the ideas of tragedy from Aristotle. The two words come from Middle English, also back from Middle French, and originally the Old French used ‘relever’, meaning ‘to relieve.’ Hamlet seems to be the only one of Shakespeare's tragic protagonists who possesses and demonstrates a sense of humour in this play. Like the amusing characters of comedies, he likes to play games with language, to disorient other characters' verbal styles, and he has a taste for puns. In this presentation, I am mainly going to talk about Hamlet taking on the role of a fool towards Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Osric, and the Gravedigger.
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.
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.
TITLE “A critical response to Ralph Berry’s “Shakespeare and the Awareness of the Audience” based on William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The essay includes: * A: A summary of Ralph Berry’s argument. * B: An evaluation of the effectiveness of the argument. CRITICAL RESPONSE * A. Renowned Shakespearean critic Ralph Berry, in his critique of William Shakespeare’s most-widely recognized and appraised comedies, Twelfth Night Or What You Will, entitled “Shakespeare and the Awareness of the Audience”, seeks to highlight the audience’s response to the play in its entirety, arguing moderately well and exploring the character of Sir Toby, Maria and Malvolio, and the joke that has been taken too far.
Commonly regarded as Euripides’ most controversial work, Medea is a powerful story of how one’s impassioned love can turn into furious hared. As a tragedy, it is completely unlike the Aristotelian work, yet it has a nerve jarring impact due to the unforseen climax. Throughout the play, Euripides has positioned minor characters to subsidize the major characters. The clever work of Euripides also suggests that the less significant characters are used in the play to develop the plot of the play and also to reveal and recall the events that could not have been shown. As a result of this, secondary character present dramatic importance throughout the play.
Theatre Studies Essay Conventions of Greek comedy By Daniel Erasmus 17933641 Lecturer: Mnr. Schalk van der Merwe Ancient Greek theatre is, notoriously, divided into two genres: tragedy and comedy. Both consist of conventions that make each genre unique. Tragedies are heartfelt and sorrowful and inevitably have tragic endings. Comedies are light, pleasant and unserious, with humour and happy endings.
What plays might it be compared to? What is the effect of mingling comedyand tragedy in the same play?9. Bertold Brecht was one of the great innovators of the twentieth-century stage because of his "epic theater"; manycritics have seen a similarity between Brecht and Wilder's works, and this despite the fact that their politicalviews are very different from each other. Read Brecht's Mother Courage (also a war play) and discuss howBrecht and Wilder use non-realistic staging. What are the similarities?
I will also however, go on to examine how far Aristotle’s criterion for a successful tragedy has been applied to other genres of theatre, for instance the satire that became particularly popular in the eighteenth century. It has been argued that Aristotle’s Poetics provides a type of instruction manual for playwrights that wish to write a successful tragedy; by listing the characteristics and essential events that feature in Oedipus Rex. Aristotle does not specifically write the story line for Oedipus Rex but breaks down an event featured in the play, deconstructing its components in relation to the plot. Aristotle refers to Oedipus Rex to provide an example to support his statements regarding the characteristics that should form the foundation of a tragic play. The most rational connection to make would be to compare Oedipus Rex to William Shakespeare’s King Lear.