In Tartuffe (1664), as in his other plays, Moliere employs classic comic devices of plot and character. Here, a foolish, stubborn father blocking the course of young love: an impudent servant commenting on her superiors’ actions; a happy ending involving a marriage facilitated by implausible means. He often uses such devices, however, to comment on his own immediate social scene, imagining how universal patterns play themselves out in a specific historical context.…
Humor is simply defined as “The quality of being amusing or comic, esp. as expressed in literature or speech.” In this paper a comparison of works one The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber and the other is the play I’m Going a Comedy in One Act by Tristan Bernard. Both of these readings provide humor in to an audience but they are given in completely different fashion, in James Thurber’s work the most dominating of the literary elements that was used was imagination while Tristan Bernard in his work predominately used farce, although these are not the only aspects used in their work but these are the strongest in use in these stories. Humor is and always will be a well-known form literature that has successfully passed the test of time while earning many laughs from audiences along the way.…
Both the “Miller’s Tale” and the “Nun’s Priest’s Tale” in the Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, can be categorized as comedy. As defined in the Oxford dictionary, comedy is a form of professional entertainment consisting of jokes and sketches, intended to make an audience laugh. However, it may be confusing for some audiences when they find another definition of the word comedy. Also as defined by the Oxford dictionary, comedy is a category of theater characterized by its humorous or satirical tone and its depiction of amusing people or incidents, in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. The first definition is broad and fails to characterize the complexity of the comedy found in the Canterbury Tales. The second…
A tragic hero is a man of noble stature, not just any ordinary man, but a man with outstanding qualities and greatness about him. This nobleman will also have a serious tragic flaw which leads to his disastrous downfall. In Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, two characters come to mind who may fit this definition - Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus. Julius Caesar is a military leader, politician and the ruler of Rome. Many people love him for taking down Pompey, yet some people fear his power. Brutus is a close friend of Caesar’s who also holds a high rank in office. While arguments for Julius Caesar or Marcus Brutus can be made as to which one may be the tragic hero, it is Caesar that is the real tragic hero in this story.…
Mercutio is a very important character because he is the only obvious comedic force in the play. When Mercutio is making a joke the audience knows it, and usually laughs at his quick witted sense of humor. His sense of humor revolves mostly around punning on playing with words. The puns and jokes are usually sexually driven and very vulgar for the time period in which this play takes place. Two of the most notable instances of Mercutio's humor is when he meets the nurse and when he is trying to make Romeo angry by making fun of him over his infatuation with Rosaline after Romeo had met Juliet and had forgotten about Rosaline.…
Batman, Superman, and the Green Lantern all fit the characteristics of a hero. The word “hero” typically evokes positive feelings and has a positive connotation surrounding it. But what about “tragic hero,” does it? The English Department at California State University in Sacramento states that a tragic hero must be noble, possess heroic qualities, and acquire a tragic flaw leading to their demise. Though initially heroic by nature, the character’s tragic fall must also include the loss of dignity, or the respect of their people and/or their audience (English 1). Based on his nobility, heroic qualities, and tragic flaw leading to the disrespect of his people, as well as his demise, Creon of Antigone is the play’s tragic…
1. The tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has greatness. This should be readily evident in the play. The character must occupy a "high" status position but must ALSO embody nobility and virtue as part of his/her innate character.…
Shakespeare is an author that is known to pair comedy and tragedy together as foils. Susan Snyder, a scholar author has stated, “The source tales of Romeo and Othello would, I think, suggest quite readily to Shakespeare the possibility of using comic convention as a springboard for tragedy” (Snyder 123). In most of Shakespeare’s works, he uses elements of comedy to lead into a tragic event that will soon happened. Shakespeare also enjoys using tragedy to contrast the comedic elements in his writing. A large reason for the comedy contrasted to the tragedy is done in order to keep an audience entertained. According to Leech, “Shakespeare was bound to draw on his earlier treatments of love in comedy, but would need to make a major departure too” (Leech 1). In Romeo and Juliet, comedy and tragedy are used as foils of each other, which is shown through Mercutio’s…
In Shakespeare’s works many characters stand out among the rest. However, in his play, Twelfth Night, or What You Will, while our attention is focused on the interesting relationship between Orsino, Olivia and Viola, there is a curious character sulking around in the background. Making his first appearance in the play in scene five of act one, Malvolio is a man only seeking the love of a woman, but becomes the butt of everyone’s jokes.…
Hero is a faultless young woman who is very quiet and abides to the rules, unlike her cousin Beatrice, she is very much a ‘daddy’s girl’ and is under his control. She listens to and respects her father. Hero is very much repressed by the male dominated the atmosphere that she lives in that she does not only submit to her father’s wishes but also tries to submit to every other man in the play. There are a few points in the play where I sympathise with Hero especially when Claudio is wrongly accusing her of adultery and her father doesn’t believe that she is innocent. Leonato says:…
“A tragic hero is a character who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice and depravity, but by some error or frailty.” Brutus fits the definition of a tragic hero because of his lust for power, his tragic flaw, and his downfall. So, because of heroic qualities and poor judgment, Brutus is the tragic hero of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.…
A tragic hero is a character whose flaw or mistake ultimately leads to their downfall. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the small town of Salem is immersed in a crisis due to the accusations of witchcraft. One of the accused is John Proctor, a strong and moral farmer. John Proctor meets the definition of a tragic hero because of his fatal flaws, the affair with Abigail and his pride, but redemption at the end of the play saves his morals. S…
This tends to be the reason why Shakespeare’s plays such as The Comedy Of Errors and The Merchant of Venice are set in Italy and Greece respectively. In Messina everything is tranquil and serene and from the first act it looks like nothing can go wrong including relationships. A Shakespearean comedy would best be defined as “a play characterized by its humorous or satirical tone and its depiction of amusing people or incidents, in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity.” Whilst a Shakespearean tragedy would be defined as “a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending usually with the death of a main character.” Much Ado About Nothing walks the fine line between a tragedy and a comedy. Although Much Ado About Nothing is advertised as a comedy, it would not be difficult for readers to look past the slapstick and satire and uncover a script that encompasses many aspects of an Elizabethan tragedy let alone a Shakespearean tragedy. In this essay I will attempt to understand whether Much Ado About Nothing can be played as a tragedy as well as a comedy, taking into consideration the different viewing experiences of both a modern and Elizabethan audience.…
The play of Romeo and Juliet is different from William Shakespeare’s other tragedies in that there is not a clear distinction of individual heroes. The two protagonists are more passive than active; both are naïve and lacking understanding. The hero is often thought to be the romantic, yet often hysterical, Romeo. But Romeo’s immoral background, emotional outbursts, mishap murders, and foolish actions make him a poor candidate for a hero. Juliet proves to be more innocent than Romeo because she possesses more rigorous moral ethics. Juliet is also more successful in overcoming the obstacles that she is faced with throughout the play. While both characters are not without faults, there is more understanding towards Juliet’s regrettable actions than that of Romeo’s. Through these concepts, the character of Juliet is seen to be the superior character and the true heroine in Romeo and Juliet.…
but has flaws, which lead to his downfall and death. In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Brutus is a tragic hero. In his attempt to go good he makes errors in judgment. Brutus attempting to do what is right, yet doing what is wrong, fits the definition of a tragic hero.…