Whereby hangs a tail?

1. Whereby hangs a tail? Comic Relief in Othello

2. Comic relief • Comic relief - a humorous scene, incident, or remark occurring in the midst of a serious or tragic literary selection and deliberately designed to relieve emotional intensity and simultaneously to heighten, increase, and highlight the seriousness or tragedy of the action.

3. Examples

4. fools • A recurring character type in Shakespeare, a fool often accompanies a character of higher social status and makes humorous comments on the situation. • Fools are often the wisest characters of all! • In many of Shakespeare’s plays, fools have their own names and are present from beginning to end.

5. Clowns & Musicians • In Othello, the “fools” are the Clowns & Musicians in the beginning of Act III. • In Shakespeare’s time, clowns and musicians were traveling artists (many like Shakespeare’s own actors) who were known for being unconventional and often looked down upon in society.

6. riddles • Iago’s riddles are intended to bring bawdy comic relief to the audience. • She never yet was foolish that was fair, for even her folly helped her to an heir. • There’s none so foul and foolish thereunto, but does foul pranks which fair and wise ones do. • Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk: you rise to play, and go to bed to work! • But do these riddles tell us anything important about his character?

7. irony • Irony is the discrepancy between: • What is said and what is meant • What is said and what is done • What is expected and what happens • What is meant and what others actually understand • Is irony funny?