Comedy
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Comedy is a branch of the dramatic genre that is characterized by its
main characters who are faced with the difficulties of everyday life and
that is why they face the difficulties by making people or their "public"
laugh, moved by their own defects towards happy outcomes where
human weakness is mocked. Comedy originates in the Greek world, but
it developed throughout the Middle Ages and the modern age, until
reaching the present day.
Like other dramatic genres, comedy is determined by the dramatic
action of the main character; hence it is not unusual to find characters
with a tragic role in comic plays, as long as they are, so to speak,
secondary characters.
As characteristics, the main character is usually common and represents
an archetype, that is, a liar, a charlatan, a braggart, a rogue, a lover,
etc.; he is also gullible and unconscious and, unlike tragedy, where the
main character has a deep ethical sense, in comedy the main character
considers his morality as a quality that is not very important, which
allows him to be very vital, although this is rather an obstacle for the
character.
For this reason, his dramatic conflict is usually with society, as well as
with himself, so he fights to overcome the obstacles that prevent him
from fulfilling himself or with that same society.
Comedy is, along with tragedy, one of the classical forms of Greek
drama, and one of the three dramatic genres called realistic.
Traits of comedy
Purpose: Comedy exaggerates our vices and defects, with a moralizing
and educational intention. Comedy, then, ridicules vices or bad habits in
order to correct them through laughter. However, it does not try to
correct them in those who practice them, but rather represents them
with a preventive method to avoid the rest of us acquiring them.
Theme: Although the recurring themes in comedy are deception, theft,
mockery and fraud, the themes are usually problems of ordinary
people who have defects, weaknesses and vices.
Conflict: It is commonly generated by a character flaw of the
protagonist. This character flaw is contrary to the social welfare of the
community in which the protagonist lives. Social well-being is relative to
time and place. The character vice of the main character leads him to be
a transgressor of that society, since he exceeds the limits of what is
"convenient" and therefore must be punished; this means that the
vicious character is socially punished, that is, he is made to look
ridiculous.
Protagonist: Basically a character of low moral quality who embodies
some vice or defect of human beings - greed, irreverence or rebellion,
etc. - but extremely complex. In the case of Tartuffe, what Molière
criticizes is the hypocrisy that is represented in this character, the
prototype of the prude who pretends to live values that he does not
really have and who only pursues his own well-being at the expense of
the harm he causes to others. Simply put, a vicious character who is
ridiculed.
Outcome: It is happy for some of the forces that oppose the protagonist
or for all of them, except for the one who embodies the defect that must
be punished, that is, made to look ridiculous.
At the cinema
As a film genre, it implies that the development of plots is done in a
humorous tone and that they generally end happily. It proposes
episodes of everyday life touched with a touch of humor, or absurd
situations that are not very credible but lend themselves to humorous
play. There are different types of comedies:
Romantic comedy, which revolves around love affairs: The
Philadelphia Story (1941) by George Cukor, The Secret of Living
(1936) by Frank Capra
Burlesque comedy, based on continuous gags: The Gold Rush
(1925) by Charles Chaplin
Sophisticated comedy, based on the psychology of the characters:
Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex and Were Afraid to Ask
(1972) by Woody Allen
Parodies, burlesque imitations of previous situations or films:
Casino Royale (1967) with Woody Allen, The Naked Gun (1988) by
Zucker.
Animated comedy (cartoon), in this type of film the characters can
imitate cartoons. Some examples would be: Tex Avery or The Mask
saga.
In the comic strip
Main article: Comic strip
The comic strip is one of the most important comic book genres, which
also influences other genres, such as adventure comics or costumbrista
comics.
On television
television comedy Sitcom, Stand-up Comedy, Telecomedy.
Types of Comedy
I. Character comedy: Usual stereotypes of certain groups are taken,
and the interactions they have with each other are played with a
bit. The degree of “faithfulness” of stereotypes can make them
very realistic, or lead them to farce. Within this category is Gigolo
por Accidente.
II. Fish out of water: A character with a certain activity, tastes or
ideology is placed in a completely opposite environment or
situation. The best example is Bulletproof Nanny.
III. Surreal Comedy: The plot is set in a situation so openly impossible
or far-fetched that the discrepancies themselves generate humor.
A clear case is Brazil.
IV. Tragicomedy: This is where a dramatic story or one with solemn
overtones is mixed, which becomes comical when these situations
are identified with reality, and their inadequacy is discovered. To
do so, just watch Dog Day Afternoon.
V. Slapstick or visual comedy: This is where laughter is generated
by accidents, ridicule or misadventures of the protagonists, usually
in the form of physical gags. The most extreme form of it is
Jackass.
VI. Black Comedy: This is one in which solemn or serious topics such
as death or violence are mocked. It is usually a form of criticism.
The clearest example is Snatch.
VII. Farce: It is a character comedy taken to the limit, where
stereotypes are exaggerated and situations are taken to ridiculous
limits. The line that separates it from surreal humor is sometimes
very thin. A typical example is The Meaning of Life.
VIII. Sexy Comedy: This is one in which eroticism and sexual themes
are used as a framework for the plot. A typical example is
Satiricosissimo.
IX. Parody: It is one that takes elements from a film, or genre
thereof, and overuses them to generate a ridiculous vision. The
clearest one is A Scary Movie.
Literature
wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy
http://cine3.com/2011/02/28/los-tipos-de-comedia/