Shakespearean comedy

It’s soon revealed in the play that he only plays the fool so that he can seem all the better when he redeems himself, though Feste’s character in Twelfth Night seems content to let the others continue to believe him a fool, with the exception of Viola who sees through his illusion: “[Feste] is wise enough to play the fool, and to do that well craves a kind of wit” (3.1.59). Viola and Feste’s confrontation magnifies the theme of illusion versus reality that appears in both Hamlet and Henry IV-…

People in today’s society have adopted humor and comedies into their everyday lives, whether it’d be from shows such as Saturday Night Live or from a cartoon column in the newspaper. The success of these humorous selections comes from the entertainment value as well as the sheer value of laughter. Through these positive, light-hearted responses, viewers of humorous programs associate the authors of these comedies with harmless, beneficial motivations. Stephen Colbert relayed his thoughts during…

Thank you for considering The University of North Florida as your home for the next four years. The admissions team is very displeased to inform you that there will not be room here for you at our college. After reviewing your essay and application we were all very entertained but doubtful we would ever be able to meet you. My favorite part of your application had to be when you explained why you didn’t do very well in your Spanish three class, “I got a C- in Spanish because yo no hablo…

A common character attribute found Shakespeare’s male protagonists is that of being hotheaded. He uses this characteristic to insert aspects of different genres into the plays. In The Life and Death of King John, the Bastard’s hotheadedness adds a comedic element to an otherwise heavy play. While in Cymbeline, a more comedic play, Posthumus’s hotheadedness creates tragedy. He successfully uses the same characteristic to create two different results. Shakespeare uses hotheadedness in different…

Ben and I met when I started my teaching rounds at Black Rock in 2006. Initially, we were both in relationships when we met and I didn’t get to know him very well until the end of the year when I was got the job at Black Rock for the following year. I started to attend more social events and thought he was a funny guy. I got to know him well when we both went through break-ups of our previous relationships. We had both been in long-term relationships and could relate to what each other were…

The Use of Irony A Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe is bursting with irony. Poe includes both verbal and dramatic irony, which is developed to grasp the audience’s attention. The names of the characters contain irony too. For example, Fortunato’s name means the “fortunate one” however, unless being left in a catacomb to die is something to be fortunate about, he is not. Montresor uses verbal irony while luring his “friend” Fortunato into the catacombs using his vanity of wine.…

100. Andrew W.K. - Party Hard The sonic equivalent of shotgunning on a Four Loko, Party Hard is of this unique blend of dumb that is so stupid, it might actually be smart. Chances are, Andrew W.K. won’t win a Nobel Prize for the lyrics of his signature hit (or any other of his songs, really), but no song managed to encapsulate the spirit of doing donuts in an empty grocery store’s parking lot like this one. 99. Eminem - Lose Yourself Lose Yourself was the exact moment when Eminem was seen as…

What I think this discussion keeps coming back to is Dario Fo’s use of satire and humorous irony. His play is a circus, full of slapstick humour; it is also political theatre aimed to engage the audience to see the tragedy of an innocent person’s death as a result of the police. And I think this is an important message to integrate into the high school curriculum. I don’t think even you, Hamish, can deny that police brutality and political corruption is still a problem across much of the world,…

In 1726, Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver’s Travels, unaware that it would become one of the most well-known satirical pieces, even centuries later. Part of the reason Gulliver’s Travels is still popular today is the appeal the plot has to a multitude of different audiences. Children become infatuated with the adventure and humor in Lemuel Gulliver’s hijinks, while adults are intrigued by the satirical and philosophical perspectives that are weaved into the novel. Some of the most eye-catching…

Have you ever played a joke on you friends? Or tried to prank them into believing something that wasn’t necessarily true? Well in William Shakespeare's, Much Ado About Nothing, these things happen all the time. In this story, there are numerous events where deception play a key role in the plot and moves the story into different directions. Some of the deception is harmless and other times it is very malicious. Shakespeare uses themes to teach a lesson to the reader that being honest to yourself…