Introduction: “The world is a comedy to those that think and a tragedy to those who feel”[[1]] Satire is a genre of literature with its roots in Roman theatre that uses humour, irony, exaggeration, ridicule, understatement and sarcasm to explore and criticize people’s follies or vices. A satirist looks around him in the society and
The Satirical Twist of Ben Jonson Read More »
Introduction As tears form the basis of tragedy; laughter, contentment and happiness form the basis of comedy. Why do people laugh? Do they laugh only when they are happy? It is surely true that in congenial company people do laugh because they are happy in that company. Boisterous laughter like in Comedy of Manners is
Comedy of Manners: Wit, Satire, and Social Power Read More »
Folly in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Shakespearean critic Harold Bloom calls Twelfth Night “the greatest of all Shakespeare’s pure comedies.”(Bloom, 226). And indeed, the play depicts a healthy balance of wit, humour and romance. Fools, jesters, clowns, comedians, jokers and buffoons all entertain and provoke laughter which is the most important element of comedy since it
Shakespeare Simplified & Storified, Episode 2 Read More »