This document provides an introduction to comedy for students studying William Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing. It begins with discussion questions about common features, story structure, what makes stories comic, and favorite types of comedy. It then covers definitions of comedy from Aristotle and other sources. Key elements of Greek, Roman, and dramatic comedy are outlined. Students are tasked with discussing these elements and finding examples in Much Ado About Nothing. The document provides context and background information to help students understand different aspects of comedy as a literary genre.

1. Much Ado About Nothing
William Shakespeare
AQA English Literature – Unit 2 Dramatic Genres
Week 2 of Comedy Lesson 1 and 2
INTRODUCTION!

2. What is comedy?
TASK: In pairs or on your own Using the clip I am about to show you or
your own choices of comedies discuss and then answer the following
questions on aspects of comedy:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are the common features?
How are the storylines generally structured?
What makes the storylines comic?
What types of comedy do you most enjoy?
Jot down notes and be ready to feedback on all points.
Remember: We are looking at Dramatic Comedy in this Unit. Whilst
modern day stand up-comedy may have some similarities it is a
different genre of comedy essentially.

3. What is comedy?
TASK: In pairs or on your own Using the clip I am about to show you or
In short:
your own choicescomedy is disorderand then answer the following
At the heart of of comedies discuss (so inversion of the normal
questions on aspects of comedy:
order of society) which may be funny or threatening. This
disorder1. overcomethe common return to normal.
is What are and things features?
2. How are the storylines generally structured?
Beyond the What makes the storylinesidea that human life and
3. laughter element is the comic?
experience are actuallyof comedy do you most enjoy? presented
4. What types are a charade and whenever
with a point of order humans have a natural ability to act
Jot down notes and be ready to feedback on all points.
foolish.
The structure can be summed up as exposition, complication
Remember: We are looking at Dramatic Comedy in this Unit. Whilst
and resolution.
modern day stand up-comedy may have some similarities it is a
different genre of comedy essentially.

4. •
•
•
•
•
•
TV shows- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v2EjaujbZQ Alfie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OutWeyHnc9Y Alfie joke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxB1gB6K-2A tate
TV shows 2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QzcL0J9MWk tv clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfl6Lu3xQW0 war
• Films- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLmxzmID3s clips
• Films 2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YUaQGEQ8-Q mean
girls
• Films 3• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBFVCaLkbXM movies 2007
onwards

5. Characteristics of Dramatic Comedy
 Love as the driving force (love makes us foolish and makes us do foolish
things)
 That whilst there are serious difficulties to be faced, human beings have
a tendency to take themselves too seriously
 Makes fun of human beings using caricature
 Human endeavour as pretentious and ludicrous therefore needing to be
exposed as foolish.
 Expose foolishness of society’s customs & manners or an era’s rules and
laws this is (characters very often hold one opinion about societies rules
and customs but then undermine them)
 Exaggerations of stereotypes are often used
 Sometimes characters are placed in bizarre or absurd situations they
can not escape from – reflecting how we sometimes feel – that the
order of the world is a veneer and can easily be removed
 Seven deadly sins (in particular pride, lust and greed) are all prime
targets for satire within comic writing.
Is there a
serious side to
comedy?

6. Characteristics of Dramatic Comedy
 Love as the driving force (love makes us foolish and makes us do foolish
things)
 That whilst there are serious difficulties to be faced, human beings have
a tendency to take themselves too seriously
Life does using caricature
 Makes fun of human beingsnot always go to plan.
 Human endeavour as pretentious and ludicrous therefore needing to be
Comedy understands this and
exposed as foolish.
uses these difficulties to show
 Expose foolishnessus the folly customs & manners or an era’s rules and
of society’s of human beings
laws this is (characters their often hold one opinion about societies rules
and very behaviour. This is its
and customs but then undermine them)
very serious intent. By laughing
 Exaggerations of stereotypes are often used
at the misfortunes of characters
 Sometimes characters are placed in bizarre or absurd situations they
on stage, we how we sometimes
can not escape from – reflectingcontemplate our feel – that the
own weakness can realise removed
order of the world is a veneer and andeasily bewe
may do the lust and
 Seven deadly sins (in particular pride,same. greed) are all prime
targets for satire within comic writing.
Comedy ...no
laughing matter
Is there a
serious side to
comedy?

7. Stop and think
Within a comedy, there is always an overall movement towards happiness or fulfilment.
Many genres are characterised by a particular shape of action. Most obvious, perhaps, is
romantic comedy, which begins in discord and ends in accord […] The plots of many
romantic comedies also briefly contain, and all suggest, a time of harmony before the
disharmony. The feeling that there is a natural order of things to be returned to … Plays that
work towards a happy final synthesis are said to have a comic structure.
Mick Wallis and Simon Shepherd: Studying Plays (2010)
Beyond laughter and jesting, for both performers and audiences in the theatre, comedy
exists as a narrative form or structure. This form is based on the expectation that the
delightful temporary disorder of the tale will be resolved with reincorporation into normal
society.
Penny Gay: The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare’s Comedies (2008)

8. SOME HEAVY QUESTIONS TO START...
What is heavier, love or hate?
What is better to have, love or wealth?
What is more important, friends or family?

9. The Beginnings of Dramatic Comedy
In the 5th Century BC. Greek writers (such as
Sophocles) wrote a number of comedies that seemed
to establish some rules.
The Greek
word Komos
means a
revel or
celebration

10. The Beginnings of Dramatic Comedy
F.L. Lucas in Greek Drama for the Modern Reader summarises
these Greek rules:
1. Some character has a bright but often ridiculous idea
2. A chorus, sympathetic or hostile enters (this may be one
character)
3. There is a debate about the proposal
4. The chorus turns and address the audience directly
5. Series of farcical episodes arise
6. At the end there is a scene of revelling, such as a feast or
wedding
TASK: In groups, discuss and be ready to feed back.
These values are from a long time ago but...
Can any of them be applied to comedies you know well?
What connections can you see?
Are these statements about comedy still relevant?

11. The Greek Philosopher
Aristotle
...on Tragedy v Comedy
Tragedy: depicts the downfall of a basically good person through some fatal
error or misjudgement, producing suffering and insight on the part of the
protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience. It and comedy
are two of the oldest forms of drama, hence the masks.

The fatal flaw of the tragic hero leads
to their downfall.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall
presenting the audience with a man of excessive
wealth or power, makes his eventual downfall
more tragic.

Tragic heroes fall victim to external pressures. Fate, evil spirits and manipulative
characters all play a hand in the hero’s downfall.

12. Comedy, from the Greek komoida:
a story of the rise in fortune of a sympathetic central character.

Imitation of the ordinary man (so not Kings, gods, nobility)

Laughing at ‘the species which is disgraceful’ – we laugh
when we witness the disgraceful behaviour of others,
behaviour we would not do ourselves but that we might
like to do.

Watching comedy must not be ‘painful or destructive’ –
whereas watching tragedy is more mentally anguishing.

13. Roman Comedy
The Romans (now around 50 BC) enjoyed comedy.
They developed the genre but knew they were indebted to the Greeks.
TASK: Look at the following conventions developed by Roman dramatists.
How many of them do you see in modern comedies?

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Stereotypical characters (e.g. Young lovers, villain, grumpy old man)
Sub-plot
Unity of place (action takes place in one place)
Mistaken identity
Comical confusion of words (malapropism)
Lovable comic servants
Hidden characters
Extension Question: Do
Chance encounters and coincidence
you think any of the above
Asides to the audience
elements could be applied
Interlocking plots
to any Shakespearian
Division into acts and scenes
comedies you already
Long lost siblings or rivals returning
know?

14. Homework:
1.On the following slides are key
terms. Match these up to the
definitions you have been given on
your handout 1.
2.You then need to find examples of
at least 3 of the key terms from
Much Ado Nothing.

15. • Antagonist
•Bathos
•Bawdy
•Caricature
•Charade
•Chorus
•Conventions
•Disorder
•Double entendre
•Exposition,
complication and
resolution
•Farcical
•Folly
•Humanist
•Malapropism
•Parody
•Protagonist
•Pun
•Repartee
•Revel
•Slapstick
•Tragi-comedies