作业代写：Comedy as a Subtle Reflection of Social Reality

下面为大家整理一篇优秀的essay代写范文- Comedy as a Subtle Reflection of Social Reality，供大家参考学习，这篇论文讨论了喜剧。喜剧作为一种主要的戏剧类型，被大众普遍认为是语言在描绘现实中的创造性运用。虽然不同类型的喜剧都是基于不同的幽默来源和描述方法，但喜剧的内容与某些类型的社会批评有着密切的关系，喜剧的结尾总是积极和鼓舞人心的。喜剧的成功很大程度上依赖于语言和语言的刻意使用，这与社会现实的影响密不可分。

As a main genre of drama, comedy is generally regarded by the public as the creative use of language in depicting the reality. Even though different genres of comedies, such as farce and satire, are based on different sources of humor and methods of description, the contents of comedy are closely related to certain types of social criticism and the endings of comedies are always positive and encouraging. The success of a comedy largely relays on the deliberate use of language and language is inextricably linked to the influence of social reality. Skillful exaggerations, ingenious plot of story, witty lines and the portrayal of comedy characters, all contribute to people’s affirmation of normal way and social ideal about life. One of Shakespeare’s well-known comedies, Much Ado About Nothing is selected and discussed in this paper. Through the discussion of main comic techniques deployed for comic effect in two well-known comedies, this essay will argue that comedy is an effective form of artistic expression in depicting and reflecting social concerns.

Literature does not evolve in a vacuum. Social reality can exert its influence subtly or obviously on the writer or artist whose perceptions of the contemporary culture and social concerns are largely interwoven into their literary works. Bergson once said that ‘comedy is a game that imitates life. Granted, the aftertaste of laughter may be bitter, but comedy is itself only a slight revolt on the surface of social life’. Frohman shares the same thought that drama copes with the serious aspect of life and comic drama sometimes digs at the follies and foibles of humankind. Much Ado About Nothing was written in later 16th century when Shakespeare was approaching the middle of his writing career and his writing techniques became characteristic and distinct. In this play, Shakespeare discussed the concept of self-consciousness, sincerity and mutual respect between men and women, and the social order. ‘Present mirth hath present laughter’. Stories and characters do not live in purely imagined world and they have been produced because of the inextricable relationship between writers’ perception and social reality.

Language is at the core of literary work as well as the building block of a piece of writing. The use of certain words and phrases, metaphors and similes has great impact on the theme. Particularly in comedy, the language use is a decisive factor to shape characters, influence the development of plot line and can be thought-provoking. Beatrice and Benedick are the two most distinct and impressive characters in this play thanks to the self-consciousness they show through the language used in dialogues. Beatrice’s disdainful attitude and forthright character were depicted vividly through the words she used and through the fact that she was not afraid to challenging men with her wit. She can handle harsh question with tact and the witty language when she faced unfair treatment. A clear contrast is her sister Hero who was framed to be an unfaithful woman and failed to voice her innocence with confidence. These two heroines represent two distinct groups of women existing in the then society, one subject to patriarchal authority while the other eager to express herself boldly.

The story’s plot is another indispensable element for the success of a comedy. A well-constructed plot will not only attract audience’s attention but also bringing deeper thought to the story. The main technique to utilize for plot development is the relationship of characters. The precise depiction of psychological development of characters along with the plot is the distinct creativity of Shakespeare’s play. Another important technique related to story’s plot the mismatch between illusion and reality which lies to create a rich comic effect. Comedy reality is created by characters themselves thanks largely to the social status they possess and perception of social reality they have. Hero and Claudio’s marriage was arranged by Leonato and Pedro as a kind of contract and the wedding was a formal property handover ceremony. This plot largely reflects the then social reality at the wealthy and ruling class, while the plot around Beatrice is a clear contrast to this reality. Both plot lines interwoven and depicted the incisive social problems facing that period.

Comedy as an art form has evolved together with the development of contemporary culture, social form and perception of the public. It is therefore conducive to discuss the evolvement of comedy to find out its role in addressing social reality. New appreciation of the comic grows from the confusion in modern consciousness. Italian and Elizabethan comedies are the main genres in comedy and many of these comedies have a lot in common. Smith argues that the originals of some English comic dramas can be traced directly to Italian plays. Shakespeare’s adept use of the characters weaving illusion, through which the characters’ personality and psychological entangle with each other producing interesting comedy and poking the social reality through the light atmosphere in the play. The reflection of social phenomena is made possible through a certain uniformity of elegance in style, a closer adherence to the social order and reality in thought and in structure. Wyndham points out that miracle and morality plays before Shakespeare, fostered by church’s controlling power, were serious. With the decrease in the influence of church, drama themes became less religious and more secular, reflecting the social reality to a larger scale. Shakespearian comedies were produced at the beginning of modern comedy which ‘has held so dominant a position in the territory of the stage, and which in these days of commercial struggle, is favored by the people’. Wyndham concludes that ‘the brilliant comedy of the old English school is losing much of its hold on modern audiences from the frequent lack of a strong central idea’. This opinion probably reveals the reason why Much Ado About Nothing is still considered as a classic Shakespearian comedy in these days.

Admittedly, as an art form, comedy has its limitation in arising awareness of the public and in addressing social concerns. ‘Society is getting self-conscious in such dead earnest that it is turning sociological’, Wyndham uses an analogy to explain the inherent limitation of comedy drama in helping reversing the negative social trend. People consume comic play principally for entertainment not for reflection of the real world, in spite of the fact that even a farce is based on some factual basis. There exist inflamed anxieties from traditional gender clichés because of the erosion of social order and comic drama appears to be a way to calm such anxieties. Conflicts between the old social order and the new voice are popular in plays. Ironically, these conflicts and anxieties only increase people’s interest in such social problems. In the patriarchal society of the play, the men's loyalties were governed by conventional codes of honour and camaraderie and a sense of superiority to women. When the comic drama copes with the thoughts, the sufferings, the achievements of man throughout his struggle for happiness, it has much more humane, far-reaching, and thought-provoking influence. In Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice is clearly such a character who leaves an unforgettable impression on the audience with her witty and smart nature. ‘From the view of comedy, human nature is most effectively illustrated on the stage’. Sypher argues that human life at its core is absurd. As an artistic way of expression, comic and tragic view of life exclude each other no more. Sometimes, comedy can tell us more things about our situation than tragedy does. This continuity in the dramatic tradition may help stress the fact that comedy, independent from tragedy, might have taken the scheme of action from contemporary life.

In conclusion, comedy, using the word in the larger sense, is immortal, and ever fresh in its growth. It lives with the sap of humanity and fits society like its skin. It rehearses the story of every-day life and manners, and shapes into art the normal, not the extreme and violent, experiences of man. It changes in its form and texture from age to age, from people to people, with Protean ease and quickness. referring to a famous Shakespeare comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, this paper analyzes how comedy, as a main genre of drama, can play a role in addressing social concerns and reality. Bruce once says that no struggle goes on between human desire and divine justice, but only a jostling, along with kindly laughter, of whims, perversities, and temperaments. The success of a comedy largely relays on the creative use of language and deliberately constructed plot line, through which comedy can depict the reality in a light and joyful way. These techniques are often companied with the contents of comedy which are closely related to certain types of revelation of social reality. Even though to say that comedy can address social concerns is an exaggeration which blindly ignores the inherent limitation of this artistic expression, the potential of comedy in attracting people’s attention on social issues and reflection on social reality should not be devalued.

Bibliography

Charles Wyndham, ‘The Tendencies of Modern Comedy’, The North American Review, Vol. 149, No. 396 (1889), 607-15 < http://www.jstor.org/stable/25101894> [accessed 21 April 2017].

Daniel Frohman, ‘The Comedy of Humanity’, Fine Arts Journal, Vol. 24, No. 6 (1911), 414-6 < http://www.jstor.org/stable/42004778> [accessed 21 April 2017].

Harold L. Bruce, ‘Is Comedy Free?’, The Sewanee Review, Vol. 28, No. 3 (1920), 438-43 < http://www.jstor.org/stable/27533330> [accessed 21 April 2017].

Henry W. Prescott, ‘The Antecedents of Hellenistic Comedy’, Classical Philology, Vol. 13, No. 2 (1918), 113-37 < http://www.jstor.org/stable/263113> [accessed 21 April 2017].

W. A. Oldfather, ‘Roman Comedy’, The Classical Weekly, Vol. 7, No. 28 (1914), 217-22 < http://www.jstor.org/stable/4386931> [accessed 21 April 2017].

William Shakespeare, ‘Much ado about nothing’,

Winifred Smith, ‘Italian and Elizabethan Comedy’, Modern Philology, Vol. 5, No. 4 (1908), 555-67 < http://www.jstor.org/stable/432466> [accessed 21 April 2017].

Wylie Sypher. ‘The Meanings of Comedy’, Comedy, Doubleday & Company, (1956). 193-258.

51due留学教育原创版权郑重声明：原创essay代写范文源自编辑创作，未经官方许可，网站谢绝转载。对于侵权行为，未经同意的情况下，51Due有权追究法律责任。主要业务有essay代写、assignment代写、paper代写服务。

51due为留学生提供最好的essay代写服务，亲们可以进入主页了解和获取更多essay代写范文 提供北美作业代写服务，详情可以咨询我们的客服QQ：800020041。