Definition Essay On Comedy
Stand Up Comedy Research Paper
Comedy and Tragedy According to Aristotle
Essay on Compare and Contrast Comedy and Tragedy
Shakespearean Comedy Essay
About Comedy Films Essay
Comparing Comedy And Comedy
Why Comedy Movies Are So Great Essay
Old Comedy vs. New Comedy
Comedy Research Paper
Racism in Comedy Essay
The Narrative Logic In Silent Comedy
Argumentative Essay On Comedy
Comedy Analysis
Characteristics Of A Comedy Essay examples
Definition Of Comedy
Tragedy and Comedy Essay
Roman Comedy Research Paper
Definition Of Comedy Essay
EPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptx
Comedy Essay
1. Definition Essay On Comedy
Comedy can be defined as any act or narrative that makes a target audience to laugh or feel
amused. That is the definition of comedy. However, what I find as comedy may not necessarily be
any act or story that makes people laugh. What makes you laugh, may not make me to laugh. I may
even derive offense in the joke being relayed as comedy. Therefore, two things are important: the
target audience and the message behind the joke.
One can see that culture does have a role to play in comedy. In highly religious societies, there's
limit to what jokes are to be made. Some would interpret certain jokes as "expensive jokes". Also,
whether or not someone or a group of people accept a joke or appreciate the effort behind it depends
on exposure and their
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2. Stand Up Comedy Research Paper
There are over one hundred thousand comedians working today. Many are not famous, but quite a
few are. Those comedians start for many different reasons, and can perform in many different ways.
Comics can make a good amount of money, though many don't stay with stand–up their whole lives.
Stand–up comedy has changed the lives of many people. Many famous people were great stand–up
comedians. Roseanne Barr, the star of television show Roseanne, was a comic before her show
began in 1988. Chris Rock was another great comedian. Rock lived in New York, and was doing
stand–up by the time he was a teenager. He went to a nearly all–white school, and was discriminated
against a lot, which influenced his material greatly. Rock was in the movie Madagascar,
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3. Comedy and Tragedy According to Aristotle
Comedy and Tragedy| | Comedy According to Aristotle (who speculates on the matter in his
Poetics), ancient comedy originated with the komos, a curious and improbable spectacle in which a
company of festive males apparently sang, danced, and cavorted rollickingly around the image of a
large phallus. (If this theory is true, by the way, it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase
"stand–up routine.") Accurate or not, the linking of the origins of comedy to some sort of phallic
ritual or festival of mirth seems both plausible and appropriate, since for most of its history––from
Aristophanes to Seinfeld––comedy has involved a high–spirited celebration of human sexuality and
the triumph of eros. As a rule, tragedies occur...show more content...
Elaborate comic intrigues involving deception, disguise, and mistaken identity are the rule.
Examples of the genre include Shakespeare 's Comedy of Errors, the "Pink Panther" movies, and
the films of the Marx Brothers and Three Stooges. * Romantic Comedy. Perhaps the most popular of
all comic forms––both on stage and on screen––is the romantic comedy. In this genre the primary
distinguishing feature is a love plot in which two sympathetic and well–matched lovers are united or
reconciled. In a typical romantic comedy the two lovers tend to be young, likeable, and apparently
meant for each other, yet they are kept apart by some complicating circumstance (e.g., class
differences, parental interference; a previous girlfriend or boyfriend) until, surmounting all obstacles,
they are finally wed. A wedding–bells, fairy–tale–style happy ending is practically mandatory.
Examples: Much Ado about Nothing, Walt Disney 's Cinderella, Guys and Dolls, Sleepless in
Seattle. * Satirical Comedy. The subject of satire is human vice and folly. Its characters include
con–artists, criminals, tricksters, deceivers, wheeler–dealers, two–timers, hypocrites, and
fortune–seekers and the gullible dupes, knaves, goofs, and cuckolds who serve as their
all–too–willing victims. Satirical comedies resemble other types of comedy in that they trace the
rising fortune of a central character. However, in this case, the central character (like virtually
everybody
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4. Essay on Compare and Contrast Comedy and Tragedy
Compare and Contrast Comedy and Tragedy
In a comparison of comedy and tragedy, I will begin by looking at narrative. The narration in a
comedy often involves union and togetherness as we see in the marriage scene at the end of
Midsummer's Night Dream. William Hazlitt tells us that one can also expect incongruities,
misunderstandings, and contradictions. I am reminded of the play The Importance of Being Ernest
and the humor by way of mistaken identity. Sigmund Freud tells us to expect excess and
exaggeration in comedy. Chekhov's Marriage Proposal displays this excess both in language and in
movements. Charles Darwin insists that in a comedy "circumstances must not be of a momentous
nature;" whereas, Northop Frye identifies...show more content...
Comic characters are often likable and sweet as Jack and Algeron in The Importance of Being
Ernest. Oliver Goldsmith characterizes comic characters as being "good and exceedingly generous"
as well as having an "abundance of sentiment and feeling." Goldsmith is speaking especially of
"sentimental comedy," the forerunner of the sit–com. Tragic characters, however, are usually of a
higher class, even nobility Aristotle tells us. This seems to be more the case the further back in
history we go. Oedipus fits this description far better than the characters in Desire Under the Elms.
Characters in tragedy may be heroic and seem larger than life as does Hamlet. A quality of greatness
is usually seen through characters in a tragedy.
Comedies and tragedies also differ in their audience appeal. Hazlitt tells us when watching
comedy "we laugh at what disappoints our expectations in trifles." But Henri Bergson warns us
to expect laughter without feeling. Bergson also believes that a group is necessary for comedy to
work. George Meredith says that comedy is dependent on a society where there is social freedom
and common sense. This may be why Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard is seen by some as a comedy
but not by others. Since it comments on social change, the humor would be a strain for Russian
audiences who lack the social freedom necessary to laugh at such ideas. Tragedy, on the other hand,
evokes fear and pity according
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5. Shakespearean Comedy Essay
By Isla Martirez Shakespearean Comedy – Essay In the Shakespearean comedy "The Taming of the
Shrew", William Shakespeare cleverly uses the techniques; Satire, Caricatures, Wit and Irony to
create humour. "The Simpsons" & "The Big Bang Theory" are television shows that also
engage the audiences with the same comedic techniques. The comedic technique satire is used in
comedies to make fun and criticize the stupidity and weakness of individuals. In the Shakespeare's
comedy 'The Taming of the Shrew', satire was used to criticize unfair social customs and unfortunate
people. The technique satire was often exaggerated to engage the audience with humour. An example
of satire being used in the comedy 'The...show more content...
In most of the episodes Homer is seen choking Bart as a punishment of doing something wrong.
Homer is clearly over exaggerating his role of being a parent that scolds and punishes their children
when they've done wrong doings. Wit is another comedic device that is also used in 'The Taming of
the Shrew'. Wit creates laughter through intelligent humour from the characters with the ability to
perceive unexpected contrasts and express them cleverly. In the comedy 'The Taming of the Shrew'
wit is used when Petruchio and Katherina argue over the time. Scene 3 of Act 4 – Katherina: I dare
assure you, sir, tis almost two, and twill be supper–time ere you come there. Petruchio: It shall be
seven ere I go to horse. Look what I speak, or do, or think to do, you are still crossing it. This
quote was used cleverly to create cheeky remarks by the characters, often in the form of sarcasm
or simply contradicting another character in a way which is humorous to an audience. In 'The
Simpsons' wit is used when Homer and Marge were watching television and the TV host says:
"Tomorrow, on 'Rock Bottom', he's a foreigner who takes videos of you when you least suspect it.
He's 'Rowdy Roddy Peeper." Homer comments, "Oh, that man is sick." Marge says, "Groundskeeper
Willie saved you, Homer." Homer replies, "But
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6. About Comedy Films Essay
About Comedy Films
Our exam topic is based on Comedy films. Comedy is very individual and subjective. Comedy is
inherent, different audiences find different things funny. Recently we had just seen a movie called,
"There's Something about Marry," starring Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller. This is a prime example
of a comedy film.
Comedy Films "make me laugh" – they elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are
light–hearted dramas, designed to amuse and provoke laughter. The comedy genre exaggerates the
situation, the language, action, and characters. Comedies observe the deficiencies, foibles, and
frustrations of life, providing merriment. Providing a momentary escape from day–to–day life, they
...show more content...
Screwball comedies, predominant from the mid–1930s to the mid–1940s, are light–hearted, often
sophisticated, romantic stories, commonly focusing on a battle of the sexes in which both
co–protagonists try to outwit or outmaneuver each other. They usually include visual gags, wacky
characters, a fast–paced improbable plot, and rapid–fire, wise–cracking dialogue reflecting sexual
tensions and conflicts in the blossoming of a relationship (or the patching up of a marriage) for an
attractive couple with on–going, antagonistic differences. The couple is often a fairly eccentric, but
well–to–do female interested in romance and a generally passive or weak male who resists romance.
(Stereotypical men) However, after a twisting and turning plot, romantic love usually triumphs in the
end.
Black Comedy is a popular sub genre of comedy films, these are dark, sarcastic, humorous, or
sardonic stories that help us examine otherwise ignored darker serious, pessimistic subjects such as
war, death, or illness.
Spoof films mock other movies. And a great example of this is a very recent film which has two
parts to it, is Scary Movie. This film takes the mockery out of the horror genre. Spoof films
normally called Parody movies, exaggerate and over play illogical in an existing film genre. They
used to be teenage slasher movies.
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7. Comparing Comedy And Comedy
Martin Esslin's definition of drama says that it incorporates a well–structured, economical and
unpredictable plot with no boundaries that entertains the audience and allows room for their own
interpretation. This is a basic definition. A vast variety of genres fall under the term drama. Two
forms that are most frequently talked about and compared are comedy and tragedy. Comedy and
tragedy shed light on differences in theatrical storytelling through their contrasting styles and
methods of presenting pieces of theatre. If genres of theatre were put on a spectrum, comedy would
fall on one end while tragedy would on the opposite. Comedy and tragedy are widely different. They
follow various contrasting dramatic constructs invoking the thoughts and emotions pertaining to
their genre.
A comedy is a piece of theatre that evokes a feel–good response from the audience and allows them
to gently discover an underlying truth about human nature. It breaks expectations and increases a
level of awareness invoking the involuntary biological response of laughter. Laughter places the
audience in a vulnerable state. Laughter is gasping for air with no way of stopping until the comedic
effect is no longer amusing. For this vulnerable state to take into effect, the audience must be willing
to go along with the joke that the story is attempting to convey. Once the trust has been built, and if
this it is a satisfactory production, the successful sound of laughter will commence.
Laughter in a
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8. Why Comedy Movies Are So Great Essay
There are many forms of expression inside of everybody; however the most common form is
laughter. The sound of laughter can be heard all around the worlds every second, it helps us relieve
stress and makes us feel better about ourselves. Comedy movies play such an important role in
helping us laugh. There are many forms of movies out there today. In spite of the recent incline in
action and horror movies today, comedy movies has always been my number one choice because it
gives people an opportunity to look at humor in life, it usually has a pointless, useless moral that
we can relate to, and it allows you to look at things in a new light and possibly expand your horizon
to become a more optimistic person....show more content...
Many of the morals in a comedy movie can relate to us; however, it usually is a moral that is just
useless facts that we don't need in our daily life. In the movie, Me, Myself, and Irene is an
example of a moral that we can relate to but really don't need. In the beginning of the movie the
character has found the love of his life, they get married and live a happy life until his wife finds
another guy and they get divorced. At the end of the movie the main character finds another girl
he really likes and was going to let her walk out of his life, until he realizes he is not going to be
happy without her and stops her from leaving. The moral in the movie was that you shouldn't let a
loved one go by without telling that person your feelings. We can relate to this but it wont be of
value in our daily life.
Comedy movies can educate us and make us change into a different person as well. It allows us to
look at things in a new light and possibly expand your horizon to become a more optimistic person.
The term optimistic means a person who has a positive outlook in life. Not many comedies has this
characteristic in their movies; however, one movie that does is Dumb and dumber. Both the
characters were stupid, so they took something a person would say and take it very literally.
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9. Old Comedy vs. New Comedy
Comedies were performed in the Great Dionysia just like tragedies; also comedies were entered in
contests in other festival, known as the Lesser Dionysia, and it was celebrated in the winter.
Comedies combined poetry with coarse language. For example they featured buffoonery, slapstick,
obscenity, and horseplay. Thecomedy actors dressed in weird costumes that had paddled bellies or
rumps for outrageous effects. "The comic playwrights made their own plots and they focused on
important matters like: politics, philosophies, the new social class, and well–known personalities."
(Roy T. Matthews's pg.70) The comic playwrights freedom could only exist in a democracy.
Freedom was very limited for the comic playwrights. The comic...show more content...
An example is, "a favorite plot device of New comedy hinged on discovering that a seemingly
lowborn character was actually from a respected and often wealthy family." (Roy T. Matthews's
pg.97) Both ancient and modern critics always considered that Menander was the author of New
Comedy. Menander written more than a hundred plays for Dionysia festival Athens, he won first
prize for comedy eight times. He is recognized with accomplishing the comedy of manners. It is a
funny play that pays its attention on the way people talk in the community. The comedies of
manners remind everyone of the Hellenistic focusing on normal scenes from everyday life. One
of Menander's works was The Woman from Samos. This type of comedy worries the character of
an orphaned baby and features a stock of characters: "a courtesan, a young lover, an old lover, a
funny neighbor, and two funny slaves." (Roy T. Matthews's pg.98) He first presenting a household
in which his dad supposed that he and his son are addressing the same lady, when it is actually the
son being occupied with the girl next door. Obviously the play has a happy ending, with all of the
characters brought together, the son gets married to his true love, and the dad and the women
married in a happy ceremony. Western comedy would be incredible if it wasn't for Menander.
Menander style of plays was token into Roman comedy, which was
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10. Comedy Research Paper
Comedy is continuously being censored, particularly on college campuses resulting in a massive
feud whether college students are too PG or comedians are just being sensitive and uptight. To
adjust the balance between college students and comedians, it is important to review research on
comedy's potential contribution to society, as well as society's contribution to comedy. I reviewed
online articles that give my paper in inside on college students or society in general, response
towards the issue of college campuses being too PC for comedians. Additionally, I researched on the
potential way comedy can reframe Society making comedy be an educational tool. Through my
research, I have drawn that comedy can be reshaped in multiple ways to either benefit...show more
content...
Concluding that a potential solution could be an understanding comedy and the audiences on a
deeper level to avoid any further disputes.
I used a variety of sources that agree with my thesis that to a certain extent any type of comedian
should be allowed to do on campus. An Open Letter to Jerry Seinfeld from a 'Politically Correct'
College Student by Anthony Berteaux is a response piece towards Jerry Seinfeld's labeling college
students as PC and using his 14–year–old daughter as an example on how college students behave
when using the terminology among the lines of "racist" "sexist." Berteaux is a valuable source
because he offers an explanation to Seinfeld as to why college students are PC, as well as assert
that college students aren't the only problem but comedians and their material are as well. To
progress my argument, I used Middle–class 'use comedy to assert cultural superiority' by Murray
Wardrop, an article that has supporting quotes of researchers that agree that in certain ways comedy
has been used to divide society by culture superiority. Wardrop's article is useful to agree and counter
argue
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11. Racism in Comedy Essay
Racism in comedy
This essay is going to discuss about racism in comedy and in addition to that it is also going to
look at whether it is acceptable for comedians to use certain racial words for example when black
comedians use the word "Nigger". Also it is going to look at how different audience put up with
this kind of material, but first of all it is going to look at the actual word itself and where in the blue
marble that we call earth it originated from.
Make no mistake that slave owners came up with the word Nigger and it was only supposed to mean
an individual, who is lazy, unwise, and good for nothing, but somewhere along the history lines of
slavery the N word began to be used more as racial insult against the non–white Americans...show
more content...
Even in today's movies black actors still portrays that stereo type of not being smart enough to
make decision of not dying first or and they are always in prison for robbing someone .
Just like how modern day comedians like Dave Chappelle and Martin Lawrence poke fun at their
government, as mentioned above that the slaves used to poke fun at their masters, but the real
catastrophe still lies in the facts that there are a few examples of actual slave humour because the
really good material was only said amongst the slaves to begin with and of course; it was never
documented. On the other hand this has far came to change as time pass by getting into the early
nineteenth century "The Blackface Minstrel era" were by minstrel music also known as plantation
songs came into the scene. This form of music was written by black and white song writers, and
white men would dress up and paint their faces black with coal and then start imitating blacks
performing these songs. In the later years the black entertainers also started to do the same thing by
blacking out as whites playing blacks. It seemed like its purpose was to only reinforce ugly racial
stereo types.
Despite the racial attacks towards each other the minstrel shows was a blend of nock about comedy,
lively
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12. The Narrative Logic In Silent Comedy
But there is a common point exists in both their works: the exploration to the relationship between
human and the increasingly mechanized society. Although it might be argued that the narrative logic
in silent comedy is irrational and the gags are surreal and dreamlike, the fantasy world in slapstick
comedy is more or less reflect the real society and the uncertainty as well as curiosity when people
confront the new changes in their day to day life. As Bilton writes, 'comedy's fantastical
harmlessness, its tendency to code phenomena as nonsense, its relief of anxiety via the explosive but
innocuous release of laughter – all these suggest the comforting panacea of entertainment.' Maybe
the most comfortable way for people to face the unknown is to make the uncertainty into something
that can be laugh about, that is, the slapsticks.
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13. Argumentative Essay On Comedy
Comedy is defined as professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended
to make an audience laugh. Comedy is meant to make you laugh, whether it is a joke against the
world or the comedian is using themselves or their personal experiences to get an audience to relate
to it, making them laugh. Comedians use different techniques to connect with their audience.
According to Mel Brooks, " Humor is just another defense against the universe." Many comedians
such as, George Carlin, Demetri Martin, and Christopher Titus are well–known comedians that use
these methods to get a laugh from their audience, but to also make a point to their audience. Humor
is a defense mechanism that most comedians use to cope with problems they have had in their past
or issues they have with the world. Christopher Titus is an Emmy Award–winning comedian.
Christopher Titus did not grow up in your ideal house. His parents were divorced, his mother,
Juanita had schizophrenia and eventually committed suicide. His dad, Ken, was in and out of
relationships and divorced five times. His sister, Kirsten, also committed suicide. Christopher Titus
was an alcoholic himself until one day he fell into a bonfire and almost died. Christopher Titus "If
anyone, by law, should be forced to take antidepressants it's me... But instead, I choose to be an
antidepressant." To me, this quote is saying that that he could choose to be sad, be on
antidepressants, and focus on what happened to him
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14. Comedy Analysis
During this unit, my understanding of humor in literature evolved from believing that it was simply
comic relief to grasping that humor is an entertaining method of conveying a universal truth through
many different methods. Comedy comes in countless shapes and sizes, which all have different
purposes and appeal to a variety of audiences. However, although the forms of humor are diverse,
Springboard Activity 4.3 expresses that they can be categorized as either low comedy, which is
"straightforward and generally easy to follow and understand"(1) or high comedy, which "can take a
bit of reflection to realize the humorous intent"(4). Naturally, high and low comedy have different
purposes in comedic literature. An author might use high comedy to...show more content...
Additionally, we studied another form of high comedy, situationalirony. To demonstrate, in "A Day's
Work", an excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", Mark Twain reports that while Tom
had to whitewash on a beautiful day when he would rather be playing, he ended up conning his
friends into doing his work for him while he sat back and enjoyed the so called treasures that they
gave to him so they could do his work, including "a dead rat and a string to swing it with"(44) and "a
brass door–knob"(44). Despite having a slight understanding of what irony was before this unit, I
had never heard of situational irony before. Situational irony leads readers to believe that the story
is going in one direction, then suddenly revealing a twist that makes it humorous. If I were to have
read this excerpt before learning about situational irony and its aspects, I would have been
thoroughly confused. However, now that I have been introduced to this idea, I can understand and
enjoy the often comical product of situational irony. Even though Tom had been willing to give up
some of his treasures at the beginning, by the end he was rolling in riches without lifting a finger.
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15. Characteristics Of A Comedy Essay examples
Characteristics of Comedy
There are many characteristics that make up a comedy. Characteristics such as mistaken identity,
battle of the sexes, and jumping to conclusions are what set the comedic story apart from the tragedy.
Within a comedy, no matter how much fault, and dismay may appear within the story, there always
seems to be the classic ending of "...and they all lived happily ever after..." Comedies capture the
viewer with a sense of compassion and love for the characters in the story. Each character has their
own essence, to which they pertain a flaw of some sorts, which the audience can relate to. With the
relation to characters there is defiantly a certain interest that is grabbed by the actors, which sucks
the audience into the...show more content...
They are constantly bickering, and fighting amongst each other. The fighting is more of a battle
of wits more so then malicious fighting with foul words. Once Benedict enters the city, Beatrice
seems to challenge him with sly remarks questioning his manhood. In response to these
comments, Benedict seems to throw his rebuttal in with the same amount of wittiness as
displayed from Beatrice. Although it seems, that the two hate each other, it is obvious that it is
the classic case of the girl on the schoolyard hitting the boy because she likes him. To tie this
scenario in with another story, it is possible to find a battle of the sexes within the Star Wars
Trilogy. When Princess Leia and Han Solo bicker and fight all the time, it seems like they have a
dislike for each other. Yet it is apparent that the two have an uncontrollable desire to want each
other. Even though you can see that they are complete opposites, both of them play a game of tag
with a battle of wits shared back and forth throughout the whole time that they know each other.
Although the story of Star Wars does not seem like a comedy, it is not a tragedy. In separate
movies it can be interpreted as a comedy for Star Wars (A New Hope), a tragedy for The Empire
Strikes Back, and then a comedy for The Return of the Jedi. As a whole within the story, the ending
holds all the water showing that because the
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16. Definition Of Comedy
Comedy exists in difference. Therefore, comedy must exist on a plane where there is a standard –
something that can be considered normal, the concept of a default. Once you've set the standard for
what is normal, anything that can be considered abnormal can be a source of comedy. Simple
enough. But the question of what is normal has extreme situational, personal, and geographic
implications. In talking about comedy and race the implications are simple. There is a clear default
in a world oversaturated by Western media – the default being whiteness. Once you have set these as
the standard, any character who is a deviation of this standard is set up to be laughed at. How then
does one go about making jokes when they've already been marked as
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17. Comedy is a multiplatform that can be used in many forms. Predominately comedy can be used
as a forum to address issues in society. How do comedians use humor as an outlet for social issues
and critiques? Mary O'Hara, Olga Khazan, Peter McGraw and Joel Warner address in their articles
how comedy is used as a forum to bring to light different issues that are occurring in society by
means of jokes. Comedy helps shed light on issues that society might see as taboo or avoid talking
about due to controversy. Comedians allows these topics to be approached in a different manner
since the way they execute these jokes allows for a tension free atmosphere and more open–minded
to the scenarios at play. Making comedy an ideal forum to critique or address issues.
Mary O' Hara discusses in the article "A Serious Business: What Can Comedy Do" the
significance of comedy in society and how it can help us with coping with tragedies or even shed
light to issues. If executed properly "political comedy, when done right, is a delivery system for
truth" (O'Hara,107) therefore comedians can use the forum of humor to transmit to the audience
issues that are occurring which brings the problem to surface. The platform of comedy can address
any social issues such as sexuality and can help individuals comprehend such as in A serious
Buisness: What can comedy do, a comedian was addressing homosexuality to the audience and
through their humor they were captivate an individual and "rethink his views on
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18. Tragedy and Comedy Essay
Theater is a natural outlet for our desire to hear and tell stories, and in some ways it is even more
primal and powerful than the written word. At its worst, theater will merely bore; while at its best it
will not only entertain but move and shape its audience. Two such genres of theater, or drama, have
consistently achieved this effect. Tragedy, represented by the weeping actors' mask, usually features
the title character's fall from greatness to ruin, guided by the gods or fate. Oedipus Rex, written by
Sophocles, is the epitome of classic Tragedy, as defined by Aristotle (96–101). Here, Oedipus falls
from kingship to blindness and exile. Drama's other great genre, Comedy, is represented by the
laughing actors' mask. In Comedy the...show more content...
At their core, Comedy and Tragedy are two sides of the same coin. Without characters, there
would not be a story. Whether that character is a human being or an idea, we need something or
someone that can be the reflection of something real onstage. In Oedipus Rex the main character
is a young king. On the surface, one might not relate to a rich, powerful king destined to ruin by
mythical gods. The Greeks, however, believed that "tragedy could only befall the great." (Jacobus
34) Oedipus' character resonated because he was above them. If it were a plebeian who killed his
father and married his mother, it would be our equivalent of an inbred trailer–park tabloid story. His
nobility is what keeps the dramatic from becoming the melodramatic. So for the Greeks, Oedipus'
story became a classic because he achieved that perfect balance of nobility and relatability. They
experienced fear when Oedipus, a man in a position just under the gods, fell and failed. But both
modern man and the ancient Greek can experience pity because we can see part of ourselves in
Oedipus. When Oedipus is helpless to escape his fate, part of us shares his frustration. His
humanity is timeless. While a Comedy's main character does not require us to feel pity or fear, we
still must relate, albeit in different ways. In Lysistrata, the main character is a confident and
quick–witted and although she is subject to sexist
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19. Roman Comedy Research Paper
Comedy has played a great role in the history of literature. It has created a professional entertainment
which includes jokes, humorous plays, and comic characters to make audience laugh. In early
Roman republic, slaves used to take parts in comedy. They used to represent the relationship
between slaves and masters by creating hilarious skits or sketches. The comedy was invented as a
Greek art form. The Greek comedy was later adapted by Roman Empire. The Roman Empire started
with the earliest settlement in the Tiber River that flows through the city called Rome. Roman
Empire was founded by twin sons Romulus and Remus in 753 BC. There are many famous Roman
comedy playwrights like Plautus and Terence. Plautus was Roman playwright that has written
different types of comedies....show more content...
Terence was also a playwright from Roman republic. Terence was himself a slave and he wrote
six plays which was comedy. Terence and Plautus adapted Greek comedy which helps them to
write plays in a constructed manner to please audience. The roman comedy cannot survive
without slaves. There are various types of slaves in comedy plays. Some slaves are engage in
trickery, some slaves are deceived, and some slaves are special interest of the plays. These types
of slaves were chosen by Plautus and based their character on tricking and deceiving their masters.
One of the famous plays written by Plautus is The Captivi. Captivi is about the captives and
prisoners and it concerns with slavery and prisoners of war. Terence all six play plots includes
slavery. Terence plays were more concerned on the character that describe deceiving and tricking.
Slaves were part of comedies in ancient Rome and Greece because to represent society the chemistry
between masters and slave and the truth about slavery at the time of Roman
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20. Definition Of Comedy Essay
Some Risky Business The moment you all have been waiting for. You see the mic–stand, the mic, a
stool, and a bottle of water. The stage is empty and silent, then someone appears on the stage. But in
that moment, you don't think about the reasons for your great anticipation, whether it is because
someone is entering the stage or the on–coming laughter that you look forward to. This is one of
stand–up comedy's greatest mysteries. These unknown mysteries bring life into us in many ways.
Comedy captures minds, by changing, evolving, and redefining everything we did or did not think.
This gateway to bliss aids our bodies through chemicals we produce. But most importantly, it is a
huge factor in our human makeup, and how we communicate and relate...show more content...
The meaning of laughter to all is not as simple, but much more complex. Comedians use comedy as
a door to educate minds, while using laughter as a safety room. Jokes are made by a formula, one
critiqued and created to perfection to make the listener believe in what they are saying. So, when the
moment comes and a joke is said, not only is the listener's voice unleashing sounds, but their minds
are releasing thoughts and questions. "The question also begs us to consider when we laugh, with
whom, at whom, at what, and why" (Carter and Villaverde, 104). Picture this, a room full of people
that are crying from laughter, heaving because they are out of breath, and smiling uncontrollably,
right after you release your deepest thoughts in one joke. This is the moment comedians live for,
because knowing that the crowd laughed meant they are right where the comedians need them,
vulnerable. In those few seconds the crowd is impressionable, laughing while questioning
everything they ever thought. This here is the change comedians have been looking for. In a
TEDtalk with Chris Bliss called "Chris Bliss: Comedy Is Translation," he stated, "Every act of
communication is an act of translation." In short, the language of comedy is a simple truth. Comedy
educates in its own language. Only those brave enough and self–assured can conquer such a
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