Comedy in Literature

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Comedy in Literature

• The Comedy of Errors

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Origins of Comedy

• Ancient greek myth of Zeus and princess Semele -
  affair produced Dionysus who was premature, sown
  into Zeus who bore him later
• God of common man, fertility, wild things,
  impulses, wine
• Festivals held in ancient Greece to honor him
• Drama originates from these festivals

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Origins Cont.

• Greeks were masters of tragedy and comedy
• 3 types of comedy Old, Middle and New
• Old 5th century B.C. and are like tragedies in
  form (4 actors and a chorus)
• Focus on ridicule
• Political and social satires
• Mid fall of Athens sparked change 400-323 B.C.
• Mock re-enactments of famous myths
• Comedy of manners
• Not much survives

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New Comedy-? Modern Comedy

• illustrate the decline of the chorus and
  political issues of Old Comedy
• is less obscene
• focuses on family matters with complications in
  love relationships
• introduces theme of love into literature
• of interest in the interactions between
  observable social types.

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New ? Modern Cont.

• The Middle Ages (500-1500) dormant period in the
  development of the Comedy genre

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• The Renaissance(re-birth) based on 2 key
  principals
• revival of classical forms developed by the
  ancient Greeks
• a concern with secular life and an interest in
  humanism and the individual

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Characteristics of Comedy

• the presence of lovers
• the defeat of an imposter figure and subsequent
  assimilation into restored social fabric
• Celebrates a mans ability to endure
• Exposes what Aristotle terms, ludicrous actions

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A comedy of errors Definition

• Often a play
• Tone is light, satirical and farcical
• Involves cases of mistaken ID
• Usually has a positive resolution for everyone

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The Comedy of Errors

• Written 1592-1594
• One of Shakespeares shortest plays
• Observes the three unities
• -unity of time
• (24 hrs)
• -unity of place (one geo. location)
• -unity of action (one main plot)

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Themes

• Appearance versus reality (trust in self and
  situation)
• Ex. Act II, sc. i Antipholus of Syracuse
  What error drives our eyes and ears amiss?/Until
  I know this sure uncertainty,/Ill entertain the
  offerd fallacy.
• Act. III, sc. I Anti. Of Ephesus trying to
  enter his home after already there
• Love and marriage
• Adriana and husband
• she calls him to dinner and when he refuses,
  she attempts to lock him out
• Upset at possible infidelity
• Luciana and her ideas about marriage
• (Act II, sc. i)
• Luciana believes that men, more divine are the
  masters of all these Adriana is upset at her
  husbands actions
• Dromio of Syracuse and greasy cook (Act III, sc.
  ii)

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Themes Cont.

• Madness
• Each person questions their sanity
• Precursor to King Lear and Hamlet
• Act II, sc. ii
• Anti of S. states
• What error drives our eyes and ears amiss?/
  Until I know this sure certainty,/ Ill entertain
  the offerd fallacy.
• He chooses to play along
• Dromio of S. response
• This is the fairy land O spite of spites!/ We
  talk goblins, owls and sprites / If we obey
  them, this will ensue,/ Theyll suck our breath
  or pinch us black and blue.

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Motifs

• Definition vehicle for expressing the theme
• Time
• Luciana reprimands Adriana for not having
  patience
• Act II, sc. i time is bald---read
• Had the characters simply had patience and
  communicated, the errors might have been
  discovered
• Violence
• Act I, Sc. I Antipholus of S. beats Dromio of
  E. accuses him of stealing 1000 marks and
  talking nonsense about a wife and dinner
• Act II, Sc. ii Anti. of S. beats Dromio of S.
  for flouting him and then, wherefore, /For
  urging it the second time to him
• Flouting showing contempt or scorn mocking
  insult

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Irony

• 3 Types
• Dramatic irony occurs when the reader or the
  audience understands more about the events than a
  character
• Situational irony occurs when what actually
  happens is the opposite of what is expected
• Verbal irony a character says one thing but
  means another