Abstract
This paper identifies one characteristic of comedy and two characteristics of tragedy and demonstrates their application to scenes from four plays considered some of the greatest tragedies ever penned, Shakespeare's "Oedipus Rex," "Macbeth," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Hamlet;" and from two films, the comedy, "Pretty Woman," and tragedy, "The Path to War." The author explains that one characteristic of comedy is the exaggerated or wry manner in which human folly or foolishness is underscored, and two characteristics of tragedy are the struggles or suffering of the protagonist over moral issues and the raising of questions about the meaning of human existence. The paper states that the "Path to War" and "Oedipus Rex" are pure tragedy based on circumstances and errors in judgment; whereas, "Pretty Woman" is a film that is a comedy because its light-heartedness and innocence completely overshadow its tragic characteristics.

From the Paper
"Perhaps the most appropriate starting point for demonstrating that a comedy and tragedy are not necessarily mutually exclusive, though they have long been considered the main divisions of drama is "Romeo and Juliet". Indeed, although "Romeo and Juliet" is hailed as one of the greatest love tragedies ever written, it, almost deceptively, appears to be a comedy for the most part. In fact, had Shakespeare not used the prologue to announce that the play was about star-crossed lovers; the audience may well have been completely deceived in expecting or hoping for a happy ending, particularly since the opening scene itself is a witty one that mocks human foolishness through a dialogue between Sampson and Gregory from the house of Capulets."

Tags:romeo, macbeth, foolishness, suffering, existence

Abstract
This paper examines the scholars and the de-contextualization of Dante's "Inferno" - with special emphasis upon canto III. The paper summarizes the scene when a fearful Dante first enters Hell and discusses its significance in terms of understanding Dante and his world. The paper also looks at how intellectuals view Dante's "Inferno". The writer believes that the work stands out as a classic example of the medieval allegory play taken to new rhetorical heights. The writer concludes that it is also an example of how even the simplest works, if powerfully wrought, can spark wide discussion among academics who seek out meanings unimagined by the author.

From the Paper
"Ultimately, the canto, like the rest of the cantica, is a potential mirror into the world in which Dante Alighieri lived as well as a mirror into his own inner turmoil as a devout Christian seeking a purpose to his life as well as answers to questions that presumably many devout Christians were asking in the fourteenth century. To start with, the canto (in the original Italian, anyway) was written in the demanding terza rima rhyme pattern (Scott para.2) and, even in English translations, the text can be difficult to follow as Dante tries to bend the language into shapes and forms to which it does not adhere willingly."

Tags:Christian, medieval, allegory, Italian, hell, bible, devout

Abstract
This paper explores and compares the psychology of the Ego and masks that are worn by two of Shakespeare's characters; Malvolio(Twelfth Night) and Angelo(Measure for Measure). Using concepts of the Ego laid down by Freud and Jung the author demonstrates how Shakespeare uses this flaw, of imagining oneself as an ideal persona, in both a comedic, and later, tragic play. The paper cites examples from Shakespeare's plays to demonstrate his points. Also, the author references known critics in the field of literary criticism to further elucidate his meaning. The author concludes that by using the Ego as a flaw, Shakespeare created characters that are easy to relate to and provides valuable insight on how to deal with ones mask.

From the Paper
"In C.G. Jung's book, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, he described what can happen to one who is "possessed" by what Freud would call the Super-ego. This is an idea Shakespeare was well aware of. He used the concept in his writing as a means to bring about both comedy and later to develop a more sophisticated plot, with a more developed conflict. This flaw of imagining oneself as an ideal persona is supported by critiques of Shakespeare's comedies. Richmond, states that Shakespeare's comedies suggest, "that we should test higher sentiments against the implication of facts"(p.2). He argues that Shakespeare finds virtue in what might be called compromised relationships and only destructiveness in single-minded commitment to an ideal. This is not because this harsh world will not tolerate ideals, but because ideals are self-destructive. Through the characters of Malvolio, in Twelfth Night and Angelo in Measure for Measure, Shakespeare explores this character theme, and creates, not only internal conflict, but external as well ."

Tags:comedy, ego, english, flaw, jung, literature, measure, pyschology, shakespeare, tragedy

Abstract
This paper delves into three of David Ives' plays from "All in the Timing", and explores the validity of the techniques Ives uses in his plays. The paper questions if his unusual techniques make the plays more meaningful, or are they just instances of cleverness. This paper argues that Ives' plays are more clever than meaningful. The paper asserts that these plays are more novelty, more like comedy sketches than really rich plays that you can return to again and again for insight.

From the Paper
"The plays of David Ives are certainly clever and comic. There is no doubt that Ives gives us inventive scenarios that smartly use language and test our knowledge before we chuckle. But what does it all mean, anyway? What do we gain from the techniques he uses in the one-act plays of "All in the Timing?" Are they meaningful works, or simply highfalutin vignettes? To answer these questions, let's consider three of his plays: "Words, Words, Words," "Variations on the Death of Trotsky," and "The Philadelphia." By examining these works, it will be clear that the devices Ives uses do little more than facilitate the telling of humorous sketches, and that they don't generate any substance or lasting meaning."

Tags:ives, techniques, meaning

Abstract
This paper examines Aristotle's definition of comedy using two classical cinema comedies - "Sherlock, Jr." and "Bringing up Baby" - to illustrate this definition. The paper explains that Aristotle believed that comedy shows people engaged in ridiculous activities, but this ridiculousness is not painful or destructive and the comic action must be without bad intent. The paper looks at how in each movie the lead character is ridiculous, but always portrayed without malice. The paper points out that in "Bringing up Baby", a longer film than "Sherlock Jr.", and one in which sound allows for the speedy development of more characters, the subordinate characters draw heavily on classical models such as Shakespearean figures like Dogberry and Verges in "Much Ado About Nothing". The paper notes that these characters too are ridiculous although not malicious, and clearly inferior in the nonsense they act out, but saved in the end through the resolution of the plot. In conclusion that paper shows that Aristotle's definition is general, even imprecise, but it is clearly a definition which is well illustrated in these two films.

From the Paper
"These people act without malice. Keaton wants to be a detective, but is outdone by the "sheik," who gets him blamed for the theft of a gold watch, and by his girlfriend, who shows his innocence. In his dream, he is a great, if bumbling detective. Grant tries mainly to avoid Hepburn, but cannot extricate himself from her. Hepburn means well, repeatedly offering to help him get the funding for his museum which is his main hope. Sherlock Jr. begins with scenes of Keaton sweeping the theatre, beset by people who claim to have lost money in his trash pile. The scenes are funny: they show an inferior person, an inept sweeper, being ridiculous. They do little, however, to advance the main plot."

Tags:ridiculous, characters, Hepburn, Cary, Grant, silent, movies

Abstract
This paper examines how Samuel Beckett is one of the most important and influential playwrights of the twentieth century. It looks at how in most of his plays, he reflects an existential feeling that life is essentially absurd and that the only positive elements in it are discovered through the creativity of individuals who attempt to create meaning or else use humor to deal with this absurdity. It analyzes how death also receives a similar treatment in his plays and while the reality of death is exceptionally sad in its terrible finality, it is also dealt with in a humorous fashion. It evaluates how this combination of sadness and humor lead Beckett himself to label his own plays as "tragicomic," since these contradictory elements of tragedy and comedy seem to appear at the same in the same amount often in the same passage. It shows how Beckett's portrayal of the reality of human death is at once hysterical and depressing, whimsical and terrible, as he embraces both the absurdity of life through human creation and mourns the inability of human to triumph completely over those limitations.

From the Paper
"Fittingly, in his play Waiting for Godot, his characters deal with death in a fashion that is both absurd and laments the true tragedy of the brevity and absurdity in their lives. Indeed, early in the play, the characters are considering what they should do with themselves since they are bored by the repetition of days in the strange and unnamed place where the scene is set. In this moment, Vladimir and Estragon decide that they might choose to hang themselves from the tree that is in the center of the stage. While this suggestion of suicide may seem quite grim, it is in reality extremely comic, since the tree is so small and pathetic that it could never hold a man's weight enough for him to be hanged. In a way, this joke about death is little more than a game that the two characters use to pass the time and one that results in great comedy."

Tags:life, tragicomic, sadness, humor, humans

Abstract
This paper explains that George Etherege, like other Restoration comic dramatists, makes much of the distinction between verbal and physical comedy in his play, "The Man of Mode". The author points out that Etherege gives his characters strong wit and sharp tongues as a means of conveying the humor of the play; characters constantly engage in witty repartee. The paper relates that, although the actions of the characters and the physical form aid Etherege's words in conveying the comedic aspect of the play, it is really the words and the tone in which they are spoken that bring out the humor; thus, the predominant form used by Etherege is verbal.

From the Paper
"Etherege's rake-hero, Dorimant, is, by definition of the rake-hero, the wittiest character in the play. Nearly all his conversations involve a form of witty bantering. The first incidence of this comes in the beginning of the first act. Here Dorimant engages in a humorous conversation with the Orange-Woman, a person we may assume he has known for some time and has often confided in her from her line, "Lord, would the ladies had herd you speak of them as I have done" (2208). Although, throughout this conversation, Dorimant's language may come across as severe and degrading, it can be made into humorous teasing between old acquaintances through proper tone. The Orange-Woman's response to also shows that nature of the conversation is a teasing one. Thus the scene is not one of ill feeling between the characters, but one of fun and humor. The scene contains little physical action and relies on the wit of the characters and the way they deliver it to make it humorous."

Tags:restoration, verbal, physical, repartee, humor

Abstract
This paper begins with an explanation of what is meant by allegory and then discusses the use of allegory in Dante's "Inferno", using Robert Pinsky's translation of the text. Specific examples are cited and analyzed to demonstrate the allegorical and symbolic concept of Dante's writing.

From the Paper
"When Dante writes of the dark woods so hard, tangled and rough he is referring to the fact that he feels as if he has lost himself. This is reiterated by the words "the rightroad lost". When we are lost in the woods we have lost the right road. The rightroad lost is symbolic of a dark night of the soul as in one falls to side of the road or spiritually loses one's way."

Tags:narrative, literal, meaning, representative, sustained, medieval, morality, play, episode, literature, genre, historical, political, ideas, characters, personify, abstract, concepts, didactic, purpose

Abstract
The author of this paper contends that imagery in Shakespeare's work is important. It is in and through the images and the verbal pictures in the speech and thought of his characters that Shakespeare illuminates the structure of meaning in his plays. The paper examines Shakespeare's use of trees in the comedy "As You Like It" to reveal the balance between nature and art.

From the Paper
"Yet a final scene under a tree takes place that summarizes the essence of As You Like It. "Under an old oak, whose boughs were mossed with age," Orlando rescues his brother Oliver from a snake (4.3.105). Toward the final act of the play, sudden changes occur. The presentation of balance between art and nature is met with the tone of suddenness. The story jumps from one scene to the next and characters changing unexpectedly beginning with this scene under the oak tree. Out of nowhere an act of bravery and unselfishness is displayed by Orlando as he rescues his brother, Oliver, whom he is envious of in the beginning of the story. This then obviously changes Oliver's initial intention of killing Orlando. The play picks up its pace from this scene and characters are quickly changing, transforming into something they aren't necessarily from the beginning of the play. In this scene under the tree which somehow triggers the sudden changes that takes place in the play, Shakespeare reveals that real transformation is still based on human ability and this is where the balance happens. Humans should not let itself be fully controlled by its nature. Art does not fully control human nature either. Balance is achieved in the human being's ability to have nature and art working hand in hand within itself."

Tags:forest adam prynne puritan, love poems, orlando jaques touchstone oliver paradox speeches scenes comedy bravery unselfishness

Abstract
This paper anlyzes Dantes "Purgatorio". Dante's Divine Comedy depicts three possibilities of life after death: Inferno, or Hell, where the unsaved spend eternity, Purgatorio or Purgery, where the saved who still have some sins to account for go, and finally Paradiso, or Paradise, the final destiny of the faithful. The Canto's of each possibility are told through the viewpoint of Dante and Virgil, who make the journey together. The discussion that follows is focused on the insights and meaning derived from the two artists' journey through Purgatorio.

From the Paper
"The main, spiritual meaning of Purgatorio focuses on the fact that it is a transitory state between the death of the body and the spirit's ascendance to heaven. In contrast to Inferno, the souls doing penance here have the hope of its end and of their final admission into paradise. The atmosphere in this place also substantiates the feeling of hope. The souls here are praising and worshiping God. The joyous atmosphere is further substantiated by the four holy stars that Dante sees when entering Purgatory. These symbolize virtues rather than sins."

Tags:philosophy, sin, hell, evil, devil, divine, comedy