Humor+in+Shakespeare's+Plays


 * // Humor in Shakespeare's Plays //**

This unit is taken, in part from [] Humor involves the setting up of a surprise or series of surprises for an audience. This is usually set up through developing what is often called "incongruity." The incongruity is created when a comic sets up a frame of reference, which sets up audience expectations through narration, visual representation, enactment/movement, or sound patterns. The comic/writer then reveals a change, breaking the expectation. The tension created between the expectation and the revealed results in the emotional response we recognize as humor. Note that humor, and its inherent release of tension, often will result in lowering the stress level, both for the audience, and often, the players. A. Define the following comic terms: Note that each of these will have equivalents in physical humor and music. B. Divide into groups, and choose one of the following elements to focus on as the class views humerous scenes from Much Ado About Nothing and Looney Tunes. C. Review the scenes in Merchant of Venice, and choose a scene you believe fits into the same genre as the scenes we have just seen. Write a compare/contrast essay proving your point. Use specific examples to support your opinion.
 *  Wit
 *  Irony
 *  Hyperbole
 *  Pun
 *  Parody
 *  Bombast
 *  Malapropism
 *  Slapstick
 *  Physical Humor
 *  Verbal Humor, including the use of accent/dialect
 *  Musical/Sound Accents to Humor
 *  Humor due to setting and/or props