1. What makes you laugh? Why? How would you define comedy?

2. I'm trying to get my book published by Random House, so I've been going door-todoorPranks 3. Discuss the definitions on your table and answer the following questions on sugar paper. 1. Do these definitions match your ideas of comedy ? Why/Why not? 2. Do the definitions identify a particular feature of comedy? 3. What films/plays/books match these definitions? Why? 4. Does the era or time period influence the definitions? 5. How would you change these definitions? 6. Are there different types of comedy? 4. 4 minutes per table.Move to a different table And read the definitions. Do you agree or disagree? What can you add to the comments on the sugar paper? 5. Stand by your favourite definition 6. Byron (poet) All tragedies are finishd by a death, all comedies are ended by a marriage. 1788-1824 7. Charlie Chaplin (comedian)Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up but a comedy in long-shot.1889-1977 8. Eric Idle (comedian and Actor) Life doesnt make any sense and we all pretend it does. Comedys job is to point out that it doesnt make sense, and that it doesnt make much difference anyway.Born 1943 9. Peter Ustinov (Actor) Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.1921-2004 10. Lenny Bruce (Comedian) The only honest art form is laughter, comedy. You cant fake ittry to fake three laughs in an hour-ha ha ha ha hatheyll take you away, man. You cant.1925-1966 11. Moliere (Playwright/Actor) The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.1622-1673 12. Stephen King (author) A tragedy is a tragedy, and at the bottom, all tragedies are stupid. Give me a choice and Ill take A Midsummer Nights Dream over Hamlet every time. Any fool with steady hands and a working set of lungs can build up a house of cards and then blow it down, but it takes a genius to make people laugh.Born 1947 13. Woody Allen (writer/director/actor Comedy just pokes as problems, rarely confronts them squarely. Drama is like a plate of meat and potatoes, comedy is rather the dessert, a bit like meringue.Born 1935 14. Bombeck (Humourist/comedian)There is a thin line that separates laughter from pain, comedy and tragedy, humour and hurt.1927-1956 15. Phillip Sidney (poet) Comedy is an imitation of the common errors of our life.1554-1586 16. Comedy is: 1.Something that makes you laugh.2. A separate dramatic genre. 17. Comedy Through Time Comedy, is argued, to have originated from Ancient Greece. The Greeks celebrated the feast of Dionysus. Actors would dress up and parade, pretending to be drunk thus creating slapstick comedy. Put your timelines in order. Can you identify modern day examples that match the descriptions? 18. Timeline1. Earliest Origins: A key element is slapstick comedy. Laurel and Hardy or Just for Laughs/Youve been framed. 2. Satyr Plays: The satyrs interferes with the normal story for comic effect. Miranda/Mrs Browns boys. 3. Old Comedy: Political Satire which made fun of the politicians. The politicians could be identified. Have I got news for you? 4. Middle Comedy: Continued with satire. It became less obvious who the characters were imitating from real life. 5. New Comedy: Conflict between generations e.g. My Family and Harry Enfield. 19. Timeline 6. Roman Comedy: Use of stock characters e.g. The Big Bang Theory. 7. Shakespearean Comedy: develops key elements such as disguise, conflict, resolution and reconciliation e.g. Some Mothers do Have em and Ten things I hate about you. 8. Jonsonian Comedy: showed the interaction of people of different classes and were often critical of politics e.g. Two Broke Girls. 9. Restoration Comedy: cross-dressing and bawdy comedy e.g. Catherine Tate. 20. Timeline 11.Eighteenth-century Comedy: comedy of manners, pokes fun at recognisable characters but not very political. 12.Nineteenth-century comedy: The comedy of manners continues to be developed but becomes mainly focused on the upper classes e.g. Keeping Up Appearances. 13.Twentieth-century comedy: Influenced by the rise of films. Social comedy and satires are developed e.g. Have I got news for you? Come fly with me. Benidorm. 21. Elements of Dramatic Comedy Match the elements of dramatic comedy to the meaning. Identify examples of comedy elements. Can you think of examples of shows or jokes that match the dramatic elements of comedy? How far is comedy different to tragedy? Consider the comedy elements. Are the comic elements present in a tragedy e.g. Romeo and Juliet. 22. An Introduction to Shakespearean Comedy 23. What elements of dramatic comedy have you found?What elements of comedy are missing? Are the elements of comedy used differently or subverted? If so why? 24. What elements of comedy did you find? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.An example of slapstick comedy Confusion of identity Dramatic Irony Trickster Folly Disorder Stock characters 25. Researching Context Your task: Produce a presentation in pairs or a display exploring your category on the sheets. 26. Names 1. Twelfth Night or What you will. 2. Viola 3. Orsino 4. Olivia 5. Sebastian 6. Feste 7. Andrew Aguecheek 8. Maria 9. Malvolio 10.Toby Belch 27. Mindmap the different elements of comedy 28. Read the summary of the Twelfth Night What elements of comedy are present in the main story of the Twelfth Night? 29. An Introduction to Twelfth Night BBC Shakespeares version https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=SJcCLr19tIs Helena Bonham Carter https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=yQIdfuROV7E