What is ‘Farce’?
A form of comedy that emphasises the ridiculous.
What comedies were essentially farce?
Late Greek and Roman comedies were essentially farce.
Features of Farce
- Disguise, misunderstandings and mistaken identities
- Slapstick comedy
- Fast-paced action with people entering and leaving suddenly, chasing each other.
What were essential features of Shakespeare’s first comedies?
Relied heavily on farce; his first comedy “The Errors of Comedy”
How did Shakespeare’s comedic style change?
His second comedy - “The Taming of The Shrew”- marks a shift to gentler comedy which is less concerned with raw laughter.
What were the majority of Shakespeare’s comedies like after the shift?
All comedies after “The Taming of The Shrew’ retain this new, gentler comedy.
What was the main focus of Shakespeare’s comedies?
Love increasingly becomes the driving force in Shakespeare’s comedies; his later comedies focus on the realisation of love.
In terms of his comedy, what is Shakespeare known for?
His romantic comedies- comedy that focuses humorously, and more gently than farce, on love and relationships.
What is ‘The Comedy of Manners’ and when was it created?
- A new sub-genre of comedy satrising and celebrating the upper classes.
- After 1660 in England.
Features of ‘The Comedy of Manners’
- Celebrates wit of upper classes and their attitudes + behaviours whilst also satirising them
- Focuses on love affairs of upper class
- Celebrates flamboyance and sophistication of uppers
- Lots of farce
- Sophistication of city vs. dull simplicity of country
- Tension between public and private behaviours + attitudes
When did ‘The Comedy of Manners’ begin to become less popular?
The early 20th century.
What is ‘The Well-made play’ and when was it created?
The ‘Comedy of Manners’ revived in the late 19th century.
What type of structure does ‘The Well-made Play’ have?
A tight structure, e.g.:
- Series of relevant events of past that become relevant at end of play
- Discoveries brought about by newly found letters/set of papers that explain many missing details
- 1 or more of main characters discover they aren’t who they thought they were.
What was ‘A E S T H E T I C I S M’?
Artistic and intellectual movement 19th century that believed there should be no relationship between art and morality: ‘Art for art’s sake’.
How does the aesthetic movement relate back to Oscar Wilde and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’?
- Oscar Wilde = heavily influenced by aestheticism.
- Makes meaning of ‘Earnest’ controversial: Does it even have a meaning?
What did the aesthetic movement want to escape?
- The stifling, inflexible Victorian emphasis on morality.
- The ugliness and materialism of Industrial Rev.
What is ‘unity of time’?
Events occur in quick succession in a short timespan. Comes from Roman Comedy.
What is ‘unity of place’?
Single domestic setting. From Roman Comedy
