A comedy is a work thats intended purpose is to make an audience laugh. Not all comedies are created equally though. Some comedies are better than others. This is based on the characteristics of a comedy and how they are executed within the work. After reading and analyzing The Taming of the Shrew and The Importance of Being Earnest as comedies, I have come to the conclusion that The Taming of the Shrew is a better comedy. One of the typical characteristics of a comedy are puns. A pun is a deliberate confusion of words or phrases for humorous effect. We can see puns all throughout Taming of the Shrew. One example of this is when Grumio and Petruchio have a misunderstanding at Hortensio’s gate. The misunderstanding happens when Petruchio asks …show more content…
A satire exposes and criticizes foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggerating, or ridicule. The satire in the Taming of the Shrew occurs when Petrucio states “I come to wive wealthily in Padua; if wealthy, then happily in Padua.” (Shakespeare 1.2.76-7). This brings to attention the problem with the motivation for marriage in society back then. This same problem is also brought to attention within The Importance of Being Earnest. This satire occurs when Lady Bracknell expresses that “A moment, Mr. Worthing. A hundred and thirty thousand pounds? And in the Funds? Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive young lady, now that I look at her.” (Wilde 63). Both of these plays bring up the same problem with society. However, the Taming of the Shrew brings more attention to the problem because there is more of an exaggeration. Baptista wants his older daughter married off first but requires there to be love in the relationship. He then will allow his younger daughter to marry the man with the most property and money. This is brings more attention to the problem because of the irony that the girl he wants married off quickest has to be loved but his second daughter has to marry someone with
A comedic work of literature is often just one that was meant as pure enjoyment for the reader. Other times, comedy is meant to shed light on a serious situation or instance the public refuses or is uncomfortable talking about in a non-comedic setting. However, the greatest type of comedy is one that makes the reader think, one that provokes “thoughtful laughter” from them. “The Importance of Being Earnest”, a satirical play written during Victorian Era Britain by Oscar Wilde, is such a piece literature. By poking fun at the time period in which his characters live in during one particular scene, as well as illustrating the unsubdued hilarity of a character during that scene, Wilde is able to elicit thoughtful laughter from his audience, ultimately showing them that life is far too serious and needs to be taken more lightly.
Jonathan Swift's 1729 essay, A Modest Proposal, was a true example of satire at its best. Many readers at the time rejected the essay because they failed to understand the irony. It is presently one of the most well known works of satire and is a classic example of the technique most commonly used today. The entire essay from the title down to the last sentence were meant to be taken ironically, which is a rare form, but very effective when trying getting a point across. This essay will explain why the text was meant to be taken ironically and why Swift used irony instead of straightforward statements.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines satire as: “literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn.” Besides this definition satire can also be seen as the particular literary way of making possible the improvement of humanity and its institutions. In the three works: Moliere’s “Tartuffe,” Voltaire’s “Candide,” and Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” the authors indirectly criticize and ridicule human behavior and characteristics but with the goal for improving these faults rather than just demolishing them.
As this chapter is thoroughly look through one can make slowly find all the satire woven into this
The Taming Of The Shrew by William Shakespeare is an introduction in the everpresent battle of women to be loving and caring wives, while at the same time holding on to our independence. Its plot is derived from the popular 'war of the sexes' theme in which males and females are pitted against one another for dominance in marriage. The play begins with an induction in which a drunkard, Christopher Sly, is fooled into believing he is a king and has a play performed for him. The play he watches is what constitutes the main body of The Taming OfThe Shrew.
Yet, even in evaluating how anger is emotionally imposed on the audience due to the absurdity of the proposal, it’s impossible to disregard the role of humor. There are obvious elements of humor throughout the proposal and amusement in the very nature of the proposal is expected. However, any sense of humor abruptly disappears at the heart of the critism. When the proposer begins stating “I can think of no one objection that will possibly be raised against this proposal” the humor stops and the voice of Swift, as well as sharp criticism, begins. Although humor may be an integral part of the proposal and certainly a partial indication of the use of Horatian satire, the fact that humor isn’t present throughout the whole proposal suggests that the use of hilarity is secondary. Rather, this contrast of humor and emotionally imposed irritation only helps to emphasize the role of anger. This is especially evident when one considers the irony that litters the humorous proposal.
William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is an interesting story that demonstrates the patriarchal ideas of how a marriage is suppose to be according to society, what is acceptable of a woman's role in a relationship. It's a story that has many things to show for it's been remade, and remade, even slightly altered to better relate to the teenage audience.
Racism is a belief that one race is superior or inferior to another race. And it is defined as hatred by one person to another due to their difference in skin color, beliefs, language and so on and so forth. One factor that promoted racism is darwinism. Today racism influenced hatred and discrimination. I am going to use two articles “Are prisons obsolete?”
During the Age of Enlightenment, people began believing in and relying upon rational thought instead of religious dogma to explain the world. This newfound emphasis on rationality promoted a breadth of freedom in speech that was previously unknown, a fact which was utilized by philosophers such as John Locke, Rousseau, and Sir Isaac Newton. In addition, the Age of Enlightenment produced famous writers who didn’t agree with the irrational politics and old traditions of their respective countries, and instead relied upon wit and satire to expose the corruption and poor human condition existing around them. These Enlightenment writers use irony in their satires to get their interpretations regarding the human condition across.
A satire is a piece of work that is designed to ridicule or tease a group or organization, generally for the purpose of being humorous. “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a play by Oscar Wilde, is a satire, ridiculing class, gender, and marriage. This essay will describe some points from each of these sections, as well as give a brief synopsis of the play these examples come from.
There are two vastly differing works of literature that employ similar elements of satire, whether the story is long or short, essay or novella. In these two works, the authors bring light to ongoing social, political, and philosophical issues of their time and age. The two works I am referring to are Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay, A Modest Proposal, and Voltaire’s novella, Candide, or Optimism. In both A Modest Proposal and Candide, there is a portrayal of irony, cold logic and reasoning rather than emotion, and misguided philosophy. Exploring the issues within these texts can implement a better understanding of not only the literature itself, but also the historical context and the issues of the time. By delving even deeper into
Satire is defined as the use of a variety of elements such as sarcasm, irony, ridicule and humour to mock and criticise a subject by bringing its flaws to light as means to encourage change. In Gulliver’s travels human vice and folly are held up to ridicule, scorn and deride in an attempt to "shame men out of their vices" (Bullitt., 14).
Another ethical approach to the influenza vaccine shortage is the fairness and justice (egalitarian) approach better described by Velasquez et al., (1996), this approach also focuses on the fair and equal distribution of good and service. The impact of our action is measured by the impartiality to those involved. Instead of focusing on the saving of the most life, this approach is focused in ensuring that the scarce flu vaccine is equably distributed. This approach minimizes discrimination and unfair allocation of the vaccine, and priority given to those who will come in direct contact or even spread the virus. According to the egalitarian approach, priority should be given on a first come, first serve basis. However those
Firstly, Beatrice and Katherine’s strikingly different behaviors were influenced by their father figures. Beatrice has a healthy relationship with Leonardo, her uncle, who she lives with, that Katherine lacks with her own father. There is no mention of her parents, and it is safe to assume that Leonardo is the only father figure in her life. In much ado about nothing, the characters run around and get engaged and then married
Krause, K. & Coates, H. (2008). Students’ engagement in first-year university. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(5), 493-505. Retrieved August 13, 2010