Unit 2: Dramatic Genres
Miss Long
What will I study?
• This unit focuses on Drama and Comedy. You
will study two plays that are both comedies:
– Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare
– The History Boys, Alan Bennett
Assessment
2 pieces of coursework:
For both plays you will write a 1200-1500 word
piece focusing on how an aspect of the
comedy genre.
40% of total AS marks
20% of total A Level marks
What is Comedy?
• What makes you laugh?
5 min brainstorm in groups
Agree or Disagree?
• What provokes laughter is often ridiculous and
excessive
• Slapstick is the funniest sort of humour
• It is wrong to laugh at someone else’s expense
• Comedy is less prestigious than other genres
• Comedy is just about making people laugh
• Comedy is often more controversial than other
genres
Theories of Comedy
• Superiority-I laugh because I feel superior
• Relief-after a build up of tension
• Incongruity-when two things are put together
that don’t fit, creating an sense of absurdity
(ie, a huge gorilla shopping in Marks and
Spencers)
General features of Comedy
Comic Techniques
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Exaggeration
Timing
Repetition
Slapstick
Malapropism
Irony/sarcasm
Misunderstandings
Parody
Impersonation
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Wordplay
Caricature
Ironic juxtaposition
Folly
Absurdity
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIDquJbD
Ff0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_Ar_OE
QUec
The origins of comedy as a literary
genre
• The word comedy derives from the Greek word,
komoida
• The origins of dramatic comedy lie in Greek
Theatre 5BC
• Aristotle wrote about the rules for different types
of drama
• It was largely thought that there were 2 types of
plays
Tragedy….
depicts the downfall of a basically good person through some fatal error or
misjudgement, producing suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist
and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience.
The fatal flaw of the tragic hero leads to their downfall.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall
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presenting the audience with a man of excessive
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wealth or power, makes his eventual downfall
– more tragic.
Tragic heroes fall victim to external pressures. Fate, evil spirits and
manipulative characters all play a hand in the hero’s downfall.
Aristotle
• ‘No animal but man ever
laughs’
• Imitation of inferior people
• ‘the laughable is a species
of the disgraceful’
• Does not involve pain or
destruction
Features of Tragedy and Comedy
Tragedy
Comedy
The Romans developed genre of
dramatic comedy in several ways
• Stereotypical characters (eg, young lovers, angry
old men
• A sub-plot
• A unity of place (all action takes place in same
place)
• Mistaken identity
• Wordplay/misuse of language
• Fate-chance meetings
• The use of everyday speech and asides to the
audience
Shakespearean Comedy
 Comedy through language, clever word play, metaphors and insults.
 Love is prevalent , often we are presented with sets of lovers who overcome
obstacles and unite. Shakespearian comedy often ends with a marriage or
even a double marriage!
 Complex plots, twists and turns. Often ridiculous coincidence and scenario.
(Although comedies do follow similar patterns, e.g. the final scene has a
celebratory feel when the lovers finally declare their love for each other.)
 Often a pastoral element (courtiers living an idealised, rural life).
 The plot is often driven by mistaken identity.
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As an intentional part of a villain’s plot
Part of a character’s disguise
Female characters disguised as male characters
Defining Shakespearean comedy-Dr
Eric Langley (clip 7)
• Note down 5 important things about
Shakespearean Comedy according to Dr
Langley
Structure
– In simple terms you could describe the basic phases of
a dramatic comedy as:
HARMONY
COMPLICATION
DISORDER OR CHAOS
RESOLUTION
RESTORATION
– TASK: In pairs, talk briefly about where you would place each
of the events or actions in the simplified model for a comedy
that you know (you can use the examples from earlier if you
need)