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Comedy

Comedy. An Overview. What is a comedy?. Broadly defined, any amusing and entertaining work. Comedy Vs. Tragedy. Comedy often contrasts tragedy. How? Comedies end happily (often in marriage), present the “lighter side” of life.

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Comedy

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  1. Comedy An Overview

  2. What is a comedy? • Broadly defined, any amusing and entertaining work.

  3. Comedy Vs. Tragedy • Comedy often contrasts tragedy. How? • Comedies end happily (often in marriage), present the “lighter side” of life. • Comedies generally present experiences of ordinary people in common language. • Tragedies end horribly(often in death). • Tragedies often depict noble character who use loftier literary language (i.e. speak in iambic pentameter).

  4. Other Elements of Comedy… • Humor: an essential element of comedy is humor/wit. • Comic Effect: often achieved through incongruity (something is out of place or not right). • Specifically, physical, verbal, or conceptual elements may be incongruous – irony is often used to achieve incongruity. • Verbal Irony: when a character says something but means something else. Sarcasman extreme form of irony with intention to hurt another. • Situational Irony: when something is expected to happen and something else occurs. • Dramatic Irony: when characters of a play are unaware of something while the audience knows.

  5. Comedy Categorization • There are several ways to categorize comedies. Here are two: • Romantic • Satiric • Rogue • Or… • High Comedy • Low Comedy * Remember, a story may not always fit perfectly into one category.

  6. Romantic, Satiric, and Rogue • Romantic: have a pair(s) of lovers at the center of interest (i.e. When Harry Met Sally) • Satiric: have a critical purpose. Attack philosophic or political notions through ridicule. Satires may also ridicule those who depart from societal norms • Rogue: entertain through antics and behavior of miscreants.

  7. High Comedy Vs. Low Comedy • High Comedy: rely on intellectual issues, viewpoints, and incongruities between them make humor. Often Satiric. Point out humanity’s weaknesses. (i.e. The Daily Show) • Low Comedy: rely on the crude or the obvious for comic effect. Include situation comedies, farces, and slapstick. • Situation comedies: have characters whose absurdities are revealed through intricacies of plot (includes many television sitcoms) • Farce: based on ludicrous (foolish/out of place) situations. Often times in instances of mistaken identity. • Slapstick: rely on funny physical action to get audience laughing.

  8. Specific Elements Found in Shakespearian Comedies • Plots are unlikely or not true to life. Plots often rely on a fantastic hypothesis, event, or coincidence. • Use of disguises and several instances of mistaken identity. Used to complicate plot. Audience finds humor in the dramatic irony. • Heroes and heroines are figures of romance, beauty, wit, and charm. Heroines are rarely satirized and often dominate the comedy. • Wit: puns, quips, repartee, and wordplay are everywhere. • Musical language and actual song • Happy ending – often in marriage.

  9. Works Cited Murfin, Ross. and Ray, Supryia. The Bedford Glossory of Critical and Literary Terms. Bedford: Boston, 2009. Print. “Shakespearian Comedy.” Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <ww2.montreat.edu>

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