Comedy

COMEDY: 

COMEDY Plato defines the Comedy as the name for all the exhibitions which have tendency to arouse laughter. Comedy depicts humorous incidents in which protagonists are faced with moderate difficulties but overcome them and plays end happily. Instead of being isolated like tragic heroes, the comic heroes are in harmony with their society, so their success appears through their cooperation with others. Traditional comedy generally end with marriage. In high comedy, human folly arouses intellectual amusement as well as engaging the emotions; whereas low comedy arouses laughter through jokes and clowning that have more appeal to the emotions than the intellect.

Comedy for Greeks and Romans: 

Comedy for Greeks and Romans Greeks and Romans 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

ORIGIN: 

ORIGIN As Aristotle states the origin of the comedy is obscure, because it is not treated seriously form its beginning. That's why there is little exact information about its origin and development. All Aristotle can say is that it takes its first shape in Megaris and Sicyon whose people are famous for their coarse humour and sense of the ludicrous. Furthermore he states that comedy is originated in Phallic songs and the phallic procession of the Greeks and the light treatment of the otherwise base and ugly.

FORMS OF ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY: 

FORMS OF ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY OLD COMEDY The most extravagant of burlesque. The sharpest of abuse and personal vilification. Old Comedy has a chorus which is very important part of it. Old Comedy emphasizes political and social satire. A play belonging to the old comedy has little or no plot. Aristophanes is the only known representative of old comedy.

MIDDLE COMEDY: 

MIDDLE COMEDY It is criticism and review. It has no chorus. Public characters are not impersonated or personified on the stage. The objects of ridicule are general rather than personal, literary rather than political.

NEW COMEDY: 

NEW COMEDY Love becomes an important element in drama. The new comedy, unlike old comedy, does not have chorus. The new comedy emphasizes family and social or love themes. In the new comedy the plot is complicated. Menander is the best representative of new comedy

ANCIENT ROMAN COMEDY: 

ANCIENT ROMAN COMEDY Influenced by Greek tradition. Its concern is not with political or social problems but everyday issues. It provides some stock situations such as the plot turning, love interest, mistaken identity. It provides stock characters.

STOCK CHARACTERS: 

STOCK CHARACTERS The Adulescens is the hero who is young, rich love struck and none too brave. He bemoans his fate and requires the backup. The senex (old man) has several incarnations. As the father he is either too strict or too soft. The leno runs the brothel. The miles gloriousus , the braggart soldier, is a character familiar today. He loves himself more than anything else and sees himself brave and handsome while, in reality, he is real stupid. The parasitus, parasite, lives only for himself. He is often seen begging meals or being refused.

MAJOR TYPE OF COMEDY: 

MAJOR TYPE OF COMEDY Satirical comedy, generally ridicules human folly and associated political, social or moral problems; Comedy of humours, focuses on a character or range of characters, each of whom has one overriding trait or humour that dominates their personality and conduct. Comedy of manners, depicts the romantic intrigues of a sophisticated upper class, including witty repartee and humorous social blundering Black comedy deals with disturbing subjects such as death, drugs, terrorism, rape, and war. Farce, depends upon ridiculous situations, exaggerated character types, coarse humour, and horseplay for its comic effects. Blue comedy, based on Sexism, Racism and Homophobic views, also based on Sexual jokes and in which the comedian uses a lot of swear words.

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Character Comedy, derives humour from a persona invented by a performer. Much character comedy comes from stereotypes. Observational comedy,pokes fun at everyday life, often by inflating the importance of trivial things or by observing the silliness of something that society accepts as normal. Physical comedy: Somewhat similar to slapstick, this form of comedy uses physical movement and gestures. Physical comedy is often influenced by clowning Prop comedy: Comedy that relies on ridiculous props, or everyday objects used in humorous ways. Surreal comedy: Surreal humour is a form of humour based on bizarre juxtapositions, absurd situations, and nonsense logic. Deadpan comedy: Not strictly a style of comedy. Telling jokes without a change in face expression or change in emotion. Topical comedy\ satire: Topical comedy relies on headlining/important news and current affairs. Wit\Word play: Wit and word play are more intellectual forms of comedy based on clever, often subtle manipulation of language (though puns can be crude and farcical)

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Restoration comedy: it is the name given to English comedies written and performed in the Restoration period from 1660 to 1710. Romantic comedy, involving idealized romantic love, as in romance). It is developed by Shakespeare. for all the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare's other plays. Shakespearean comedies tend to have A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty that is often presented by elders Separation and unification Mistaken identities A clever servant Heightened tensions, often within a family Multiple, intertwining plots Frequent use of puns Comedy Fiction Genre or Comic novel, brings us to the most obvious point first: A comic novel is usually a work of fiction in which the writer seeks to amuse the reader, sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative, sometimes above all other considerations.

SOME EXAMPLES: 

SOME EXAMPLES satirical comedy; Aristophanes' Acharnians (425 B.C.) and Ben Jonson's Volpone(1606), both of which satirize greed; comedy of manners; Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost (1588-95) and the later works of Congreve and Sheridan; romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream(1594-96) and Greene, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay(ca. 1590); black comedy: Marlowe's The Jew of Malta(1590), Joe Orton's Loot (1965), Joseph Heller's Catch-22(1961); and farce: Charley's Aunt(1892) and most twentieth-century sitcoms.