The Human Comedy

kills him. Teiresias replies, “I would not have come, but you summoned me” (I.i.522). Going beyond these few lines and looking at Oedipus as a whole play, I believe that with a change in the point of view of the story, it could be seen as a black comedy. If the reader takes the point of view of someone close to Oedipus, the story is obviously tragic. However, taking the focus away from the tragedy that is Oedipus’s life, you are left with the irony of the gods waiting for an oblivious king…

play is the difficulty of love. He conveys this idea of love’s difficulty through the use of comedy and make-believe creatures. This essay will explore that theme, providing evidence of why I believe that it is, in fact, the overriding theme of this play. The theme was not only portrayed in the text; rather, to truly portray the theme, Shakespeare used many comedic styles and techniques, such as: comedy of errors, farce, a play within a play, and contrast. Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s…

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play written by the English playwright William Shakespeare on 1590-1596. Shakespeare's plays are known to revolve on 3 genres- comedy, tragedy, and history. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a tale that combines the genres of comedy, fantasy, and romance, which are the play’s ingredient to make it significant even until today. The writing style of the play is also deemed very impressive during the time of his people and also to us today. Aside from its genres and…

The quote of this essay title argues that the genre sitcom is incorrectly regarded as simplistic, and comparisons to other genres will uncover hidden complexity (Mills 2005:25-29). However, while there is truth in the claim that sitcoms are complex, it should be understood why this is the case, and what the relevance of other genres is as a point of comparison. It should instead be argued that the banality and trivialities of everyday life generally represented in sitcom may seem on the surface…

Let’s examine another show from Netflix, their flagship series House of Cards. BoJack Horseman and House of Cards are two very different shows; one is an animated comedy series while the other is a live action drama. What they do have in common is that they are both focused on portraying a grim reality. They cover dark issues related to human existence that other shows prefer to ignore. For example, in episode 2 of BoJack Horseman, BoJack makes a bold statement, “I am not deeply ambivalent about…

humankind. Social unity derives from prank videos because the victims lack control, “but when comedy and malice are linked, it’s possible that re-articulations of social power through humiliation serve to represent and share complex emotions through online circulation . . .” (Hobbs & Grafe, 2015, para. 13). Prank videos are popular because the subjects in the videos are familiar to people: other humans. Viewers like to see what happens when someone is put into a situation without control. It is…

the painful reality and raw ugliness that can come with being in a relationship. And in this case even more so when you're in a relationship with someone who suffers from a mental-illness. I find it a bit reductive to class the show as a romantic-comedy when it consistently brings to life, very dark and raw emotions that are often made invisible in television. What makes it even cooler is how they manage to do so while still carrying a humorous tone…

As a fan on Schumer’s standup comedy I was a little nervous that the book wasn’t going to live up to its hype but thankfully, it surpassed every expectation I had. Through her jokes and stories Schumer ended the book by using her lower back tattoo to show that she is human and she makes mistakes but then grows and learns from them. I think this is a lesson girls are not told nearly enough and I was so…

Visit is a play written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and contains qualities from both tragedy and comedy. The play follows the billionaire Claire and her quest to exact vengeance upon her ex-lover, Alfred Ill. The use of sarcasm, irony, and Claire’s characterization establish the play as a tragicomedy. Sarcasm is frequent throughout the entire play, and due to its mocking nature it blends together tragedy and comedy. In the first act of the play, the local choir of Güllen sings to Claire as a…

I usually find satisfaction when an example of comedic wit comes to light. The art of sarcasm, and the structure of satire have never ceased to amuse me. Although, when this specific brand of “humor” comes about, I sit back not to marvel at the thought or eloquence of the speech, but to restrain my own deeply rooted antipathy. When these graceless, crude masses shove their way into conversation, I watch in disdain as they merely beg for the attention of their audience. My muscles tense and…