WHAT ARE THOU DOING?

• Agenda:

• General Announcements

• Interactive Introduction: Shakespearian Comedy

• Reminders:

• Papers are coming along nicely…great job so far

• You will be getting your College Application Essay this week.

Much Ado About Nothing

William Shakespeare

INTRODUCTION!

Do Now: In pairs write down a list of all the events, plays, stories, films, songs that involve aspects of comedy.

Then answer the following questions:

1. What are the common features?2. What makes the storylines comic?3. What types of comedy do you most enjoy?

Jot down notes and be ready to feedback on all points.

What is comedy?

The Beginnings of Dramatic Comedy

The journey begins in the 5th Century BC. Greek writers (like Sophocles) wrote a number of comedies that seemed to

establish some rules.

The Greek word

Komos means a revel or

celebration

The Beginnings of Dramatic ComedyF.L. Lucas in Greek Drama for the Modern Reader

summarises these Greek rules:

1. Some character has a bright but often ridiculous idea2. A chorus, sympathetic or hostile enters3. There is a debate about the proposal4. The chorus turns and address the audience directly5. Series of farcical episodes arise6. There is a revelling, such as a feast or wedding

Do Now: In pairs, discuss and be ready to feed back.

These values are from a long time ago but...

Can any of them be applied to comedies you know well? What connections can you see? Are these statements about comedy are still relevant?

The Greek Philosopher

Aristotle ...on Tragedy v

Comedy Tragedy: depicts the downfall of a basically good person through some fatal error or misjudgement, producing suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience.

The fatal flaw of the tragic hero leads to their downfall. 

The bigger they are, the harder they fall presenting the audience with a man of excessive wealth or power, makes his eventual downfall more tragic.

Tragic heroes fall victim to external pressures. Fate, evil spirits and manipulative characters all play a hand in the hero’s downfall.

a story of the rise in fortune of a sympathetic central character.

Imitation of the ordinary man (so not Kings, gods, nobility)

Laughing at ‘the species which is disgraceful’ – we laugh when we witness the disgraceful behaviour of others, behaviour we would not do ourselves but that we might like to do.

Watching comedy must not be ‘painful or destructive’ – whereas watching tragedy is more mentally anguishing.

Comedy, from the Greek komoida:

Roman ComedyThe Romans (now around 50 BC) enjoyed comedy.

They developed the genre but knew they were indebted to the Greeks.

Check it Off: Look at the following conventions developed by Roman dramatists. How many of them do you see in modern comedies?

Stereotypical characters (e.g. Young lovers, villain, grumpy old man)

Sub-plot Unity of place (action tackles place in one place) Mistaken identity Comical confusion of words (malapropism) Lovable comic servants Hidden characters Chance encounters and coincidence Asides to the audience Interlocking plots Division into acts and scenes Long lost siblings or rivals returning

Still maintains the basic Aristotelian principles but there are more specific conventions...

Comedy through language, clever word play, metaphors and insults.

Love is prevalent , often we are presented with sets of lovers who overcome obstacles and unite. Shakespearian comedy often ends with a marriage or even a double marriage!

Complex plots, twists and turns. Often ridiculous coincidence and scenario. (Although comedies do follow similar patterns, e.g. the final scene has a celebratory feel when the lovers finally declare their love for each other.)

Often a pastoral element (courtiers living an idealised, rural life).

The plot is often driven by mistaken identity.• As an intentional part of a villain’s plot • Part of a character’s disguise • Female characters disguised as male characters.

THE SHAKESPEARIAN COMEDY

STRUCTURE

TASK: Look at the summaries of three Shakespearean comedies...

1. Working in groups of three, share out the summaries between you. Read and annotate your summary with anything you notice about its structure. For instance, you might notice a period of confusion, chaos and disorder right in the middle.

2. Take it in turns to introduce your play. Together, talk about any similarities or repeated patterns you notice across the three plays.

3. Share what you notice in written feedback on the back of your comedy sheet. Be prepared to talk about this with the class.

In simple terms you could describe the basic phases of a dramatic comedy as:

1.HARMONY2.COMPLICATION3.DISORDER OR CHAOS4.RESOLUTION5.RESTORATION

TASK: In pairs, talk briefly about where you would place each of the events or actions in the simplified model for a comedy that you know (you can use the examples from earlier if you need).

STRUCTURE

SOME HEAVY QUESTIONS TO END...

What is heavier, love or hate?

What is better to have, love or wealth?

What is more important, friends or family?