Comedy of menace

adapt to “the modern virtue of mechanical involvement in work” and employment is mark of modern manhood. This is why they are waiting for Godot who will provide a definition to their existence. Uncertainty also affects with the memory of the characters, making them feel uncertain about little details, from the protagonist’s meeting Pozzo and Lucky and the messenger, the time and everything else. In Act 2, Vladimir tries to make Pozzo remember about their meeting the day before, but Pozzo denies by having any memory of it. This response makes Pozzo feel disappointed because “the air is full of our crisis” (Waiting for Godot, p.58) as nobody is certain about their memory, their future and existence itself. And Samuel Beckett tries to create comedy from these uncertainties and despair of his characters. This comic element prevents the play from being too tragic in its metaphoric message. Though Estragon is certain about most event, he also has no memory of meeting Pozzo and Lucky. He says “I don’t know” (Waiting for Godot, p.43) but he remembers being beaten by Pozzo. This act of forgetting is an easy escapism from the consciousness of absurdity thus contributing further to the uncertainty. Estragon’s forgetfulness is “linked with the idea of repression, which is the ‘forgetting’ or ignoring of unresolved conflicts. (Barry, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, 1995) Through the concept of uncertainty, Beckett presents the notion of consciousness…

The Visit is primarily a work of social and personal criticism, and thus Dürrenmatt employs both elements of comedy and tragedy within his play in order to highlight the human flaws of greed and vengeance as they interfere with justice and freedom. The literary devices that he employs serve both as a vehicle for tragedy as well as comedy-- Dürrenmatt has masterfully interwoven these two opposites so that they two play off of each other in a way that skillfully guides the audience to their own…

What if Comedy Was Funny So much of todays comedy lacks depth and creativity, however good comedy is much more. There are many things that make me laugh, from the simple and silly, to the deep and thought provoking. Comedy is a large part of my life and brings me joy in its many forms. When it comes to what is the best comedy, I often ask myself why what I think is funny, is actually funny. The best comedy is comedy that is insightful, with a unique perspective and can be an effective way…

The political dispute of identity versus citizenship is one that is persistently debated. In “Borders” by Thomas King, the narrator’s mother is traveling to Salt Lake City and must go through the borders between America and Canada. The protagonist experiences the conflict of man versus society as she feels the need to defend her identity from the guards. Thomas King makes the implicit political claim that identity and citizenship are not one in the same. The story is written from the point of…

Humor has its many uses, such as a “buffer against depression and hopelessness” as suggested by psychologist Daniela S. Hugelshofer. Or help us ease the tension, and help everyone cope with our current situations. Most humor that tends to those needs are often simple slapstick jokes that the general population finds amusing. Comedy has also been used to point out serious social issues through the use of the humor’s less understood brother, Satire. Which is all about ridiculing people’s and…

Shakespeare is one of the most brilliant writers to ever grace the earth, he inspired others to be great and gave us amazing plays as a result of his brilliance. However, Shakespeare did not always make art that was appreciated by all or understood by all. The Merchant of Venice is a prime example of this controversy, because of some of the interesting messages the play conveys, and the age old battle of whether or not it is a comedy or tragedy. There needs to be a clear understanding of the…

tunnels behind them. Leaving your mind to wonder what lurks in the mazes that lay beyond which added to the excitement and mystery of the play. The story begins with a blizzard brewing outside and guests arriving for auditions for a musical. Unknown to the guests it is actually a murder investigation only known to Elsa (Carolin Hansa) and Sgt. Michael Kelly played by Frank Riley. The investigation concerns the prior murder at the last audition, hoping to lure the killer in with a notebook…

Final Essay – Peter Barnes Barnes’s Auschwitz, uses black comedy to raise awareness that in a godless world, we have forgotten what it means to be human, and show kindness. In other words, we have lost our humanity. We ended up creating a greedy and hypocritical, thus inhumane society. Davis’, Bentley’s and Sypher’s view on comedy explains the different consequences of an immoral world. Davis’ explains that with an amoral attitude towards comedy it becomes very easy to treat each other like…

“Humans of RAHI” is a spin off of the blog “Humans of New York,” where portraits and interviews are collected by people of the streets of New York City. Humans of New York’s overall purpose is to celebrate positivity, diversity, and the prevails of adversity. Similar to the infamous blog, students here at RAHI were assigned a partner to interview, and my partner was Drew Pekar. In order to create and put together our narratives, we interviewed and photographed one another until we believed we…

The Effects of Hidden Socioeconomic Rules on the Middle Class Rules are everywhere. They are in sports, politics, nature, and even in social classes. However, the rules in the social classes are distinctive in that they are very seldom put to paper, but yet are still strictly adhered to at a subconscious level by every one of us. In fact, little did I know how much the hidden rules and customs of the middle class have influenced me. From small things such as how I perceive food to how humor is…