is laid upon your hate That heaven finds means to kills yours joys with love” (V, iii, 291-293) “For there never was a story of more woe, then this of Juliet and her Romeo” (V, iii, 309-310) Tragedy- Reinforced by the death of Mercutio as it is seen by Levin as quite an ironic end, as he has been the satirist- “represents the play moving from Romantic comedy to Romantic tragedy.” Comparing Comedy & Tragedy- Tragedy tends to isolate where comedy bring together, to reveal the uniqueness of individuals rather than what they have in common with others. Examples have been shown with the progression of Juliet whom begun in tragic settings as an only child mother “But one, poor one, one poor, and loving child” (IV, v. 46) whilst Romeo friar reflects on then as “two in one” (II.iv.37) yet again when taking the potion “my dismal scene I needs must act alone.” (IV.iii. 19) reflected in the setting of each of them dying
who hides and what is hidden? how does deceit function in the world of the play, and how does it help the play comment on life in general? a central motif in the play is trickery or deceit, whether for good or evil purposes. counterfeiting, or concealing one's true feelings, is part of this motif. everyone seems to lie; good characters as well as evil ones engage in deceit as they attempt to conceal their feelings: beatrice and benedick mask their feelings for one another with bitter insults; don john spies on claudio and hero; don pedro and his 'crew' deceive benedick and beatrice.
Both Jack and Algernon are admired by two young ladies who mistakenly believe the men's names to be Ernest, and who adore the men for this very reason. In relating the story of mix-ups and mistaken identities, the ideals and manners of the Victorian society are satirized in a comedy where the characters "treat all the trivial things of life seriously and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality" (Wilde back cover), in the words of the author himself. Oscar Wilde’s comical scenes often take their source in social satire and non-conformism (Baselga 15). Throughout his play, In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde satirizes education, women, and morality. Oscar Wilde satirizes the British education by using Lady Bracknell.
Uploaded 1/29/2013 Humor: Literature’s Rubber Sword “Humor is a rubber sword—it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.” In this quote by contemporary writer Mary Hirsch, Hirsch describes how, in literature, humor is used to show insight about humanity in a sophisticated and comical way to amuse the readers. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde uses humor to criticize the moral and respectable attitudes and values expected in Victorian society. Wilde incorporates humor through the literary devices of puns, irony and epigrams to satirize that duplicity is more important than the conventional reality in Victorian society. One of the ways Wilde’s humor is displayed is through his puns. Throughout the play, Wilde takes advantage of the double meaning of the word earnest through the functions of a man’s name and an adjective describing sincere.
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.
Human flaws are weaknesses in personality which result in outcomes that lead to disreputable actions. Through the dramatic irony of the monologue, the reader is able to gain an understanding of the social attitudes and patriarchal values in the Victorian Era which the human flaws in the monologue are based on. The study of “My Last Duchess” offers a significant understanding of the male ego and a male’s desire to be in control in a relationship. The factors determining a male’s desire to be in control are evident through Browning’s portrayal of the Duke through his need to retain his pride, extreme jealousy and his need to objectify women in order to satisfy the male ego. Browning contrasts the Duke’s representation of the duchess with the factual representation emphasising the Duke’s manic state and causing the audience to strongly oppose the duke as a person.
Explore the presentation of marriage in Oscar Wilde’s ‘A Woman of No Importance’ and Henrik Ibsens ‘A Dolls House.’In both Oscar Wilde’s ‘A Woman of No Importance’ and Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ the playwrights seem to imply through their plays that the institution of marriage in the Victorian era had become centered around superficial values, such as social status, rather than love. Both Ibsen and Wilde use their plays as vehicles to criticise the society they perceived around them, exposing the faults of the upper classes through naturalistic settings and witty banter. The naturalistic setting of both plays, allows the audience to see how the ideas and events within the plays were based on realistic ideals and the witty banter, particularly pronounced within Wilde’s play that explicitly follows the conventions of a comedy of manners, allows both playwrights to satirise and pass judgment on society in a slightly tongue in cheek manner, so as not to cause offense to the very people being mocked who would see the performances. Because Wilde has written his play as a comedy of manners, the characters that he has created can be perceived more like caricatures, which allows him to exaggerate certain characteristics that the audience will be able to recognize and yet still be able to laugh at. Ibsen however takes a more moralistic approach to portraying Victorian society; by doing this he makes the characters more realistic.Both writers position the argument that marriage was being undermined as increasingly society seemed to show a lack of trust and respect within marriage.
The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is full of irony. John (Jack) Worthing and Algernon (Algy) Moncrieff, the protagonists in the play, get themselves into a complex situation called Bunburyism. Jack and Algy pretend to be someone that they are not to escape their daily lives. They are dishonest to the women they admire and ultimately the truth is uncovered. Irony is first observed when Algernon (Algy) Moncrieff accuses the protagonist, John Worthing, of being a “bunburyist” (Act I).
‘I’ll prove a tyrant to him. As for you, Say what you can; my false o’erweighs your true’ – How does Shakespeare present Angelo as cruel and hypocritical character in the play Measure for Measure? There are various aspects of Measure for Measure which leads to a difficulty in categorizing the play into a specific genre. Comedy is present throughout the play; however we are not confident entirely that it concludes with the harmony that is required of a comedy, making Measure for Measure a problem play. A main feature of a Shakespearean comedy play is the inclusion of a light, humorous tone.
“I’ve always felt it is the duty of every thinking person to hate ‘Abigail’s Party. Mike Leigh is a class traitor.” – David Quantick. How does Mike Leigh use Comedy in ‘Abigail’s Party’ to explore middle class attitudes? In ‘Abigail’s Party’, Mike Leigh creates characters that are of working class status and shows their struggle with trying to fit in with those of a higher class through the use of Comedy. The play is a satire on the attitudes and aspirations of the working class.