Shakespearean comedy

No matter how well you paint a smile on a clown, you can never cover the true emotions under their mask. As much as we hate to admit it, humor has moved away from its actual purpose. Instead of using jokes purely for the entertainment of ourselves and others, we are using humor to hide and hurt. You see examples of this behavior everywhere, from self-deprecation to the election of our new president. Just how much of what say is “humor” is actually considered humorous? Just what have we morphed…

Do You See What I See? Satire is generally sarcastic and it can be both humorous and biting. There are two types of satire, Horatian and Juvenalian. Horatian is tolerant, indulgent, witty and funny. Juvenalian is generally very biting. The speaker generally attacks vice and error with indignation and contempt. Satire is meant to be used to raise the awareness of the public to hopefully instigate a change within society. Megan LeBoeuf states, “Satire is a powerful art form which has the ability…

As the clock strikes eleven, with the world being only minutes away from being fast asleep, the TV comes to life with late night talk shows and comedic entertainment. The humor and skits capture each viewer into a mesmerizing trance, leaving everyone in tears from the hysterical performance. What the viewers don’t realize is not only are they being entertained, but they are also being informed on current issues. Each show is made by men and women who are not only facetious, but are also very…

military personnel are reading Playboy and playing cards. These are not necessarily the actions that should be occurring on a plane carrying nuclear, humanity-destroying bombs. Therefore, the props in the slapstick comedies were simply used for comedic effect while the props in dark comedies started to have more meaning and significance regarding the theme in their uses. Despite the comedic differences in Duck Soup and Dr. Strangelove, many of the comedic conventions, such as the importance of…

The idea that comedy, or even entertainment as a whole, should have limits have been around for a while now. Angry parents and social justice warriors have gone out of their way to stop, or limit, the comedians who use offensive humor. Some comedians see the uproar of the people to stop making offensive jokes while others see it as a challenge to upset the most people. Now, most comedians don’t want to lose their jobs so they still don’t push the limits too far; that is, unless that's how they…

One of the other optical illusions that a comedy film-maker could take advantage of is foreshortening. Since the brain assumes something that something such as the end of a pencil is actually a full pencil with the rest of its length behind it, the mind creates the illusion that the object recedes into the background in its full length rather than being as short as the eyes actually see it. Film-makers could use this to create a situation where once again both the main character and the audience…

“Back off man; I’m a scientist.” In the movie, Ghostbusters, Peter Venkman is a parapsychologist and the leader of the Ghostbusters. Peter and I are similar because we are both funny, random, and very talkative. Peter and I are both funny. Peter was never serious with anything he did, and he always had an amusing comment to add to any situation. In my opinion, I can be capricious at times. I love having a good laugh and sharing one. Sometimes when I’m goofing off with friends, I can sometimes…

identity is a plot device that dates back to the writers named Menander and Plautus in ancient Greek and Roman times (Kiryakakis 1). Shakespeare borrowed the idea to create comedies that are still read and performed over four hundred years after they were written. Authors today still follow Shakespeare’s model to create modern day comedies using the literary device of mistaken identity. Furthermore, in everyday life in the modern world there are opportunities for mistaken identity to show…

This career has been a major part of my life, even when I was a small child. My father was a high school history teacher. If my father had not been in this position, I would not be who I am today. I have always had a deep love for history and art (that my father most certainly instilled in me). This has become part of who I am and shapes how I see the world. Never once do I see a classical-facade building and not identify the type of pillars out front.The emperors of ancient Rome have become a…

abilities. We live to appreciate humor in its many forms, rare or familiar and the truth is that we all need humor to survive. We must always learn to find the appreciation of humor in a situation and to cherish the days we have and allow humor and comedy to help us express ourselves. Humor may be tricky to use in some instances, but we all should know the circumstances when it is appropriate to be used in. Humor may not always give us a bright side or a way to look at things, but I feel that…