Comedy

Comedy Comedy

WHAT IS Comedy? WHERE DID IT COME FROM?WHAT IS Comedy? WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

• Comes from the Greek word, “revel” + “singing”• After a tragedy, men would gather, celebrate, and march down

streets singing to music and shouting vile jests. The group was called a comus and the song a comoedia or comedy.

• Greeks confined the word “comedy” to descriptions of stage-plays with happy endings. In the Middle Ages, the term expanded to include narrative poems with happy endings and a lighter tone. As time progressed, the word came more and more to be associated with any sort of performance intended to cause laughter. During the Middle Ages, the term “comedy” became synonymous with satire, and later humor in general.

• Since critics were able to get away with comedic criticism, satire became important in vocalizing the issues of a people, safely.

Social Differences between a Comedy and a Social Differences between a Comedy and a Tragedy, Tragedy,

According to John MorreallAccording to John MorreallTragedy Comedy

Heroism: Characters tend to be “superhuman, semidivine, larger-than-life” beings.

Antiheroism: Characters tend to be normal, down-to-earth individuals. Comedies tend to parody authority.

Militarism: Tragedies often arise in warrior cultures. And its values are those of the good soldier--duty, honor, commitment.

Pacifism: Comedies tend to call into question warrior values: Better to lose your dignity and save your life.

Vengeance: Offending a tragic hero often results in a cycle of vengeance.

Forgiveness: Forgiveness, even friendship among former enemies, happens.

Less Sexual Equality: Often male-dominated.

More Sexual Equality: While often sexist too, are sometimes less so. Women play a larger, more active role.

Morreall, John. Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion. Albany: State U of New York P, 1999; http://www3.dbu.edu/mitchell/comedytr.htm

The Different Genres of ComedyThe Different Genres of Comedy

STAND UP: One comic stands in front of an audience and tells quick, fast- paced, humorous stories that are usually connected to current events. SITUATIONAL: More commonly known as

“Sitcoms.” These routines exaggerate the humor found within the home or workplace. They originally started with radio but became extremely popular with the introduction of the television. DRAMEDY: A coined word to describe

instances of combining humor with serious events.


SATIRE: Comedy that represents actual events or individuals in a humorous way often meant to point out flaws and to induce change.

SLAPSTICK: A form in which actors use deliberately clumsy and/or exaggerated physical actions to prompt silly responses.

FARCE: A type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in far-fetched situations. The humor in farce is based on slapstick.


IMPROVISE: More commonly known as “improv.” This style challenges actors to quickly react to suggestions given to them by an independent source. Commedia dell’ Arte:

A type of comedy developed in 16th and 17th century Italy, characterized by improvised text based on plot outlines (scenarios). Featured stock characters, some of whom wore distinctive masks.

Why is Commedia dell’ Arte important?

• Its popularity in Renaissance Europe can be attributed to the talents and special skills of the actors who were acrobats, dancers, musicians, orators, quick wits, and improvisers possessing thorough insights into politics and human nature.

• Using sexually challenging language and physical comedy, Commedia pokes fun at elements of society’s respectable values by means of exaggerated styles and insightful character traits.

Pantaloon• rich, miserly old man• operates on the

assumption that everything can be bought and sold

• But he also loves money for its own sake and will therefore only part with it when there is no other option.

Capitano or Braggart• never indigenous to the

town where the scenario is set and is able to seem high status as a result

• arrogant• The whole world is an

audience. Stops whenever he sees the actual audience and makes a salutation so that he can be admired.

Arlecchino or Harlequin• usually servant to the

Pantaloon, but also to Capitano or Dottore

• has the intelligence to hatch schemes, although they rarely work out

• complications of plot often derive from his mistakes

• aware of audience and makes asides

Il Dottore•usually of high social

status•gives the other

characters a break from physical exertion by his tiresome wordiness

The Innamorati (Lovers)• of high social

status, but brought low by the hopelessness of their infatuation

• Young and attractive

• Naïve

Comedic DevicesComedic DevicesDevice Explanation

1.Banter playful/witty remarks and harmless teasing

2.Blenderword

combination of words to make new words

3. Blunder actor makes foolish, yet funny, mistakes

4. Black/Dark Humor

humor about grave topics, such as death, murder, etc.

5. Caricature exaggeration of a person’s mental, physical, or personality trait in a wisecrack form

6. Freudian Slip

a funny statement which seems to pop out of nowhere but actually comes from the person’s subconscious thoughts


7. Farce entertainment by means of unlikely, improbable, and extravagant situations

8. Irony what is expected isn’t what occurs (situational)

9. Sarcasm a kind of particularly cutting irony, in

which praise is used tauntingly to indicate its opposite meaning

10. Parody the use of imitation to mock or make fun of

11. Repartee speech with witty comebacks and

clever replies; similar to banter12. Wisecrack

a witty remark thrown in at the perfect timing


13. Foil a character who is used as a contrast to another character; The use of a foil emphasizes the differences between two characters, bringing out the distinctive qualities in each. This contrast may be used for a comedic effect.

14. Inversion the taking on of the gender role of the

opposite sex; It is also defined as a reversal of position, order, form, or relationship. It refers to situations or circumstances where the normal hierarchy of power is reversed.

Comedic DevicesComedic DevicesDevice Explanation 15. Hyperbole

a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express a strong sentiment or create a comic effect; Also called overstatement, hyperbole does not express the literal truth; however, it is often used to capture a sense of intensity or to emphasize the essential nature of something.

16. Under-statement

the opposite of exaggeration/ hyperbole and is a form of irony; It is a figure of speech that consists of saying less than what is really meant or saying something with less force than is appropriate.


17. Pun a play on the multiple meanings of a word or on two words that may sound alike but have different meanings

18. Wordplay is the witty exploitation of the

meanings and ambiguities of words (In other words, it’s when one character takes the meaning of a word in a different direction than was originally intended.)

Device Explanation Banter Playful/witty remarks and harmless teasing.

Blenderword Combination of words to make new words.

Blunder Actor makes foolish, yet funny, mistakes.

Black/Dark Humor Humor about grave topics, such as death, murder, etc.

Caricature Exaggeration of a person’s mental, physical, or personality trait in a wisecrack form.

Freudian Slip A funny statement which seems to pop out of nowhere but actually comes from the person’s subconscious thoughts.

Farce Entertainment by means of unlikely, improbable, and extravagant situations.

Irony What is expected isn’t what occurs.

Parody The use of imitation to mock or make fun of.

Pun A line that exploits the different possible meanings of a word or two words that simply sound a like.

Repartee Speech with witty comebacks and clever replies.

Sitcom Humorous drama based on day-to-day life.

Wisecrack Witty remark thrown in at the perfect timing.

Comedic Devices: Quick Review / Definitions

Comedy

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