Introduction to Comedy Sure Thing by David Ives
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We will be covering the following items during this unit: Sure Thing (Drama) The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde(Drama) Various short works and poems Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen These items will be covered on yourPride and Prejudice test in January. Introduction to Comedy Sure Thing by David Ives I need 3 volunteers! Why is this play funny? How does the bell function as a character? Basic Definition of Comedy: A piece of literature that is amusing and sometimes satirical in its tone and mostly has a cheerful ending. But...comedy is actually more complex than that. Tragedy vs Comedy as it Depicts Human Nature The consistent motif throughout comedic works is a triumph over unpleasant circumstance by creating comic effects, resulting in a happy or successful conclusion. Comedy seeks to delineate human weakness and point out our limitations. Much of the humor depends upon the depiction of human folly and error; however, the characters overcome these obstacles to reach a happy ending. Let’s examine these two genres in terms of their contrasting PSYCHOLOGICAL and SOCIAL visions. Psychology of Tragedy vs Comedy TRAGEDY COMEDY Low tolerance for disorder: harmony and processes High tolerance for disorder: random events are are highly valued, no loose ends or uncertainties at embraced as characters improvise and often even the end of the work leave loose ends in the plot Familiarity is key! It is usually a violation of norms Embrace the unfamiliar. Comic plots see plot twists that bring about the tragic fall. as a surprising opportunity rather than a violation of tradition Uncomfortable with ambiguity. Things should have Ambiguity is key! Not everything has to make sense one meaning and have a clear-cut application to in a comedy because that is what makes the humor problems. possible. Does not call into question the accepted order of Calls attention to the incongruity of society, be it things. Doing so leads to consequences. political, social, or religious. Tragic heroes are stubborn and it is their Comedic heroes are adaptable. They roll with the commitment to a course of action that leads to their punches and are willing to change. doom. Social Differences of Tragedy vs Comedy TRAGEDY COMEDY Heroism: characters tend to be larger than life or at Antiheroism: characters tend to be down-to earth , least people of nobility. ordinary individuals. Vengeance: offending a tragic hero often results in a Forgiveness: characters may have a spat with one cycle of vengeance. another, but these are resolved by the end. Sometimes even enemies become friends. Hiearchy: stresses the upper-class Equality: portrays people of all classes, and even though the lower class figures are often the butt of the jokes, they tend to triumph in unexpected ways. Conservative in its ideas. Tragedies don’t offer Progressive in its ideas. While comedies are still instances of gender equality and the heroes are sometimes sexists, female characters play a larger champions of social norms and traditions or sometimes leading role. Comic heroes often question authority and tradition. Social isolation: tragedies stress the individual and Social integration: comedies focus on the larger the consequences of an individual’s actions. community and pays attention to the interaction of groups. COMEDY OF IDEAS (1) ● Characters argue about important issues The Comedic Ladder ● Different views on the issues are COMEDY OF MANNERS (2) pitted against each other in a display ● Amorous adventures of the of wit (or lack of). aristocracy. Verbal wit. ● Satire is a type of comedy of ideas; it ● Usually satirical, often at the is often irreverent and challenges the characters’ expense: puns, conventional thinking on issues. paradoxes, epigrams, and witticisms. Example: your late night talk shows with ● Questions certain social Stephen Colbert, John Stewart, John Oliver standards Example: The Importance of Being FARCE (3) Earnest and Pride and Prejudice ● Driven by plot: mistaken identities, coincidences, and mistimings. LOW COMEDY (4) ● The plot is predictably improbable: ● Slapstick humor twins separated at birth, unhappy ● Bathroom humor matches by overbearing parents, ● Physical comedy alliances complicated by money, but ● Dirty jokes and gestures a happy ending. ● Lowest form of comedy but Example: Home Alone and even Earnest usually evokes the loudest has farcical elements) laughter.