Comedy

Comedy Comedy arose in Greece as tragedy did. Plots are similar: affairs go wrong, truth is discovered or covered up, hero saves the day, the villain is overcome and equilibrium and balance are restored. Tragedy moves toward despair or death Diction is elevated and heroic Comedy moves toward happiness and marriage. Diction is common or colloguial, witty, witless and bawdy

The Comedic Pattern Comedic Problems: thwarted love, eccentric behavior, corruption in high places fueled by misunderstanding, mistakes in identity, errors in judgment, excessive or unreasonable behavior/coincidences

The Comedic Pattern Comic climax: confusions reach a peak, misunderstanding is dominant, pressure is at a high point, choices must be made and solutions found. The catastrophe, or turning point, introduces a sudden revelation in which a key fact or identity or event is planned to characters and audience at the same time.

The Comedic Pattern Comic denouement: Resolves the initial problems…”setting things right” Education and change: the two key features of comedy Characters learn something about themselves, their society, or the way to love and live.

Levels of Comedy Lowest Level Low comedy refers to the type of humor that is focused primarily on the situation or series of events. Deals with ideas that require less thought and evaluation. This represents the lowest level of the comedy ladder. It can include such things as physical mishaps, humor concerning the human body and its functions, coincidences, and humorous situations. With low comedy, the humor is straightforward and generally easy to follow and understand. Since the primary purpose of most low comedy is to entertain, the action is frequently seen as hilarious or hysterical and the laughter that can result is often riotous, and filled with slapstick, side-splitting laughter and guffaws. Many times, the characters are grossly exaggerated caricatures rather than fully developed characters. These caricatures are likely to be caught in unlikely situations or to become victims of circumstances seemingly beyond their control. Thus, the plot takes priority over the characters. Farce - A play form that includes a lot of mistaken identities, slapstick humor, bathroom humor, ludicrous situations, etc. Farce is usually fast-paced and relies on characters (or actors) having good timing and not being afraid of making a buffoon of oneself. The Taming of the Shrew Burlesque - A play that lampoons other artistic works, especially theatre. Depended on the reader's (or listener's) knowledge of the subject to make its intended effect amd filled with puns Examples of low comedy might include Dumb and Dumber, Scary Movie, and America’s Funniest Home Videos. Shakespeare’s comedies, such as Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night, are full of low humor. Three Stooges, Will Farrell movies

Highest Level High Comedy - Deals with "intelligent" ideas. Often requires or is enhanced with intellectual evaluation. Refers to the type of humor that is focused primarily on the characters, dialogue, or ideas. This represents the highest level of the comedy ladder. It can include such things as clever word play, wit, and pointed remarks regarding larger issues. Many times, high comedy takes an irreverent or unconventional look at serious issues. Sometimes, the humor of high comedy is not immediately obvious; it can take a bit of reflection in order to realize the humorous intent. Frequently, the purpose of high comedy is to express an opinion, to persuade, or to promote deeper consideration of an idea. Often described as amusing, clever, or witty, high comedy typically results in chuckles, grins, and smiles rather than loud laughter. Clever use of language and interesting characters receive more attention than the circumstances that surround them. Examples of high comedy might include The Office, Scrubs and, at times, The Simpsons. Shakespeare’s tragedies, such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, also include instances of high comedy.

Levels of Comedy Comedy of Manners - And it is just that: this play makes fun of the manners, or brainless rules, of society. Nearly every bit of humor in the play makes fun of the behavior that was required to live in late Victorian society. The play is still immensely funny today because many of these manners still exist. Comedy of manners is usually full of verbal wit, and it often takes place in upper class society. Comedy of manners is a bit more difficult to find nowadays. However, try watching a Woody Allen film. His films often make fun of societies stupid little "rules." Clueless, Annie Hall, The Graduate, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Royal Tenenbaums

Satire - If you've seen political cartoons, you've probably seen satire. It is sometimes similar to comedy of manners in that it deals with aspects of society, but satire wants its audience to see social problems and perhaps even motivate change. For some great examples of satire, Mark Fiore. He has dozens of short little animated films that comment on his perceptions of social ills that need to be fixed. Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Manchurian Candidate, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Truman Show, WALL•E

Dark Comedy - This is humor that makes fun of things that are supposed to be held with respect. However, it often also makes fun of ideas that are sacred or special. If you laugh at comedy, and feel guilty about it later, it's a good chance it's dark comedy. Dark comedy can often be considered "low" comedy, but since it usually deals with ideas, it can be referred to as "high" comedy as well. Where would you put it? Raising Arizona, Harold and Maude, Heathers, Dr. Strangelove, Better off Dead,

Irony in its various forms Situational Irony: A discrepancy between what appears to be and what is actually exists. Verbal Irony: Saying something different from what is meant; words are sometimes intended to be taken at other than face value. (Contradictory actions and statements as well as the use of understatement and overstatement can often be signals that verbal irony is present.) Dramatic Irony: When a writer allows a reader to know more about a situation that a character does.

Irony in its various forms Continued Tragic Irony: A form of dramatic irony; eg. Oedipus searches for the person responsible for the plague, only to discover himself the culprit. Cosmic Irony: When a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character or of humankind in general. Discrepancy exists between what a character aspires to and what universal forces provide. Sarcasm: Strong form of verbal irony that is calculated to hurt someone through, eg. false praise.

Parodies Also called spoof, is a work created to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of satiric or ironic imitation Saturday Night Live Black Jeopardy Weird Al Yankovic Tacky