Abstract By comparing the clowns that appear in the plays "Hamlet", "Macbeth", and "As You Like It", the role of the clown is elaborated as something greater than comedic relief. In all instances, the clowns play a double role that works to appeal to a particular audience of Elizabethan England, a wider social and cultural group of theatre-goers than typically present at play performances. In doing so, the clowns work to participate within the play itself, and within the audience as well. This is achieved through humour that speaks outside the context of the play and towards immediate cultural knowledge of the audience. The clown also uses this same kind of humour within the play, as a way to clarify what is happening within the story itself. The clown acts as a mediator between characters and as a mediator between the play itself and the audience. The clowns of the dramatic plays, such as "King Lear", "Hamlet", or Macbeth, the clowns' role serves to provide the audience a break from the tension and violence of the narratives as well as to address the audiences own cultural understandings of these plays. In the comedies and the dramas, the clown is always more knowledgeable about what is happening and so acts as the interpreter for the characters, and for the audience.
Abstract John Wayne Gacy raped and murdered 33 young men and boys in a quiet suburb of Chicago between January, 1972, and December, 1978. This paper discusses how in prison he took up the hobby of oil painting with most of his subjects in paintings being clowns and Disney characters. It focuses on his painting "Skull Clown" and how it can be considered a well-composed and disturbing piece of prison art that conveys Gacy's self-concept and rouses anger in the viewer.
From the Paper "The composition of Gacy's "Skull Clown" is striking. Composition is the placement or arrangement of elements within artwork, and is generally used to communicate ideas or feelings within a viewer (Denys). The chosen subject of a clown indicates that this painting represents Gacy himself. Positioning the clown in the focal point of the work shows that the subject is the center of attention, and the use of a nearly all black background suggests that he is alone. Gacy's use of bright colors on the clown's hat and collar represent his desire to be happy. The overall composition of "Skull Clown" is good, but the painting is very unsettling. "
Abstract The author analyzes Boll's depiction of relationships, both familial and religious as contributors to the management of one's life.
From the Paper "Several of the motifs that preoccupy Heinrich Boll's earlier works and, presumably, much of his emotional investment, are rekindled in The Clown, published in 1963. The nature of the family structure, Catholicism, and learning how to live in a modern post-war world are all thematically revisited, but in less abstract and more definitive terms than previously. Familial relationships and religious relationships are both important aspects of the novel, but it is the way in which these contribute, or fail to contribute, to one central human task that is preeminent - - the task of learning how to function in life."
Tags: management, function, responsibility, relationships, family
Abstract This paper is a brief analysis of how Shakespeare uses Falstaff for comedic relief. It analyzes the character of the clown and his role as related to the rest play's characters.
From the Paper "It is often assumed that royal kingdoms have their own jesters to provide entertainment for the royal family. Part of this assumption stems from such things as literary works. In Shakespeare's King Henry IV Part 1 and King Henry IV Part 2, there also exists such a jester, a clown if you will, that is one of Shakespeare's most enduring comic creations. So enduring is this character that Shakespeare even brought him back from death in another play simply for his comic relief. John Falstaff is a stand-up comic, and like any comic, he depends on his writer to achieve their wanted effect. Shakespeare, as Falstaff's writer, achieves his comic relief through his subject, who then imparts it upon his royal friends."
Abstract This paper discusses the "Out of the Inkwell" series (1919-1921) by the Fleischer brothers, which was developed in order to demonstrate Max Fleischer's invention of the rotoscope. The paper specifically looks at the oftentimes puzzling relationship between the protagonist of the shorts, Koko the Clown, and his creator, Max Fleischer, who, more often than not, subjects Koko to strange and often painful situations.
From the Paper "This finale presents a puzzling situation, whose hand comes from off-screen to interject in the life of the live-action creator of this world? This places not only Koko but Max as well as the creations of a more powerful orchestrator than even Max the animator. The mysterious hand could possibly represent Max Fleischer the filmmaker, instead of Max, Koko's animator in the shorts, but the conclusion is certainly left unclear. Still, it is moments like these that cement the Out of the Inkwell series in my mind. Unlike the later Disney cartoons, which seemed to exist only as exercises in progressing realistic cartooning, the Inkwell shorts are imaginative and funny, not restricted to laws of reality or logic. The series delights in showcasing the line between the real world and the animated world, how an animated clown can jump all over it."
Abstract The parallel stories of Lear's and Gloucester's sufferings at the hands of their own children reflect anxieties that would have been close to home for Shakespeare's audience. This paper explains that many of William Shakespeare's plays feature a clown of some sort, and "King Lear" arguably has two such clowns: the Fool himself and Edgar in his later disguise as Tom O'Bedlam. This essay focuses on the character of the Fool in the play, and how he can be compared to Cordelia. The author of the paper considers the contribution he makes to the play and his importance to the play as a whole in terms of the influence he has over events and other characters. The paper concludes that "King Lear" would not be the same without the character of Fool.
From the Paper "The word 'pined' again makes the Fool sound like a dog or puppy and suggests that there is some sort of connection between Cordelia and the Fool. They are linked in the text emotionally not only because the Fool is clearly upset when Cordelia is banished, but also because they are closest to Lear and loved most by him. It is noticeable that Cordelia and the Fool do not appear on stage at the same time at any point in the play."
Abstract At first, the role of foppish characters in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" appears to be a trivial one. However, an examination of the human need for laughter sheds light on the importance of these clownish personalities.
Abstract Analyzing various Disney films and the concept of animation and its development since the 1900s, this essay focuses on various best-sellers including "Shrek," "Monster, Inc.," "Mulan," "Chicken Run," "Snow White" in the context of Walt Disney's rise to fame. It also discusses others in the business, including the Fleisher Brothers, with Ko-Ko the Clown.
From the Paper "Snow White is shown in the traditional role of mother to the Dwarfs as she cleans and cooks for them. But she also is a heroic figure who battled the frightening dark shadows of the forest and found her way into the light. Her indomitable spirit and optimism is inspiring even to the most jaded viewer. Disney utilized multi-plane technology with 250,000 paintings on celluloid cells hand finished by hundreds of men and women artists. Mirth, melody, beauty along with color, music, laughter and romance all combine to make this first feature animated film as vibrant today as it was in 1937 when it premiered."
From the Paper " INTRODUCTION
Max and Dave Fleischer started in animation in the silent era and continued into sound and through the heyday of short film animation. They were one of the few silent studios aside from that of Disney to last into the 1940s, continuing beyond studios like Van Buren or Ub Iwerks (though Iwerks did return to the Disney fold and work on animated films after his own studio folded). The Fleischer's created a number of characters of lasting value, two of the most notable being Betty Boop and Popeye, and form the silent era, Koko the Klown. Betty Boop was a character who epitomized a certain attitude in the Depression years, though in some ways she was out of her proper time and is more a flapper of the 1920s than the showgirl of the 1930s. She can be seen as evoking the sort of optimism needed in the years.."
Abstract This paper delves deep into the circles of characters and the roles that they play within themselves and in relation to each other in William Shakespeare's comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The paper shows that the innermost circle includes the mechanicals (the clowns with Bottom as the focal point); the next circle consists of the lovers; another circle belongs to Theseus and Hippolyta and the final circle belongs to the fairies.
From the Paper "The clowns and Bottom make up the first circle. Bottom is virtually unaware of all of the events happening around him, and he unfortunately becomes the punch line of a cruel joke when Oberon, the fairy king, decides to play a joke on his wife, Titania, by making her develop a passionate infatuation with Bottom through the use of magic. The audience cannot help but feel sympathetic towards him because much of the humor derived from him rests upon his lack of awareness coupled with the sense of confidence with which he moves through the play. The clowns serve as a backdrop against which he operates."
Abstract This paper examines Picasso and Beckman through the study of two works by each artist: Picasso's "Three Musicians" and "The Three Dancers" and Beckmann's "Self Portrait as Clown" and "Self Portrait in Tuxedo".
Abstract This paper offers a definition of 'verismo' opera and describes its origins and characteristics. The paper sites two operas, "Cavelleria Rustican" and "I, Pagliacci" as examples of verismo opera and provides a summary and analysis of their stories, musical styles, differences and similarities, and structure.
From the Paper "Verismo is an Italian word for "realism" and was applied to a movement in Italian literature in the late 19th century that grew from a renewed commitment to the rejuvenation of Italian culture . Although this may appear to be a boring sentence from a history text, first consider that Verdi was Italian opera, for all practical purposes, and that his final three operas (Aida, Otello, and Falstaff) were composed over a twenty-two year period (1871-1893). Veristi (writers, poets, playwrights) were particularly interested in new subject matters that reflected the life in lower classes, life in southern regions of Italy, local customs, and regional language and idioms . Veristic plays were called scene populari and served as the basis for many of the verismo operas to come."
Abstract This paper explains that, in a world of complexity and near incomprehensibility, nothing compares to straightforward, insightful analysis of current events and news media, plainly expressed with words, particularly nouns, adjectives and even verbs, space permitting. The author gives examples of over-simplification, glossing over and distorting the truth for purposes of humor such as "The Onion" headlining article, which satirically reports of the success of the National Gay and Lesbian Recruitment Task Force in socializing children to become homosexuals. The paper concludes that an ideal society demands that its citizens first look to the news media for knowledge because, if instead people seek information from clowns and jesters, then they may soon become the same buffoons whom they adore.
From the Paper "Chapter five of "America" seeks to ridicule the judicial branch of the American federal government. The salient technique of the chapter, as well as the rest of the book involves oversimplifying the processes of government, glossing over important concepts of our government, and in the worst cases, severely distorting the truth, in effect, putting laughs over substance. For example, in its explanation of the judicial theory of "strict constructionism," "America" comments that a believer in such an idea "interprets the Constitution according to the language and original intent of the text at the time of its writing, in much the same way as a fundamentalist views the Bible." Is that so? Not in most professional opinions, I would venture."
Abstract This paper discusses the work of William Shakespeare, focusing primarily on one of his trademarks, the use of humour and wit. From Falstaff to Beatrice, Shakespeare's wittiest characters set the bar for scathing humor that is still unmatched to this day. The paper then discusses one of Shakespeare's most humorous plays, 'As You Like It', which contains perhaps two of his wittiest characters, Rosalind and Touchstone. While Rosalind is the heroine and the focus of the play, and one of Shakespeare's most charming creations, Touchstone, the jaded and cynical clown, is perhaps the wittiest character in the play.
