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Humor in a shakespeare play
Difficult word and meaning in as you like it by shakespeare com
Humor in a shakespeare play
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The Character of Touchstone in As You Like It
As You Like It features, like so many of Shakespeare's plays, a professional clown, Touchstone, and it's worth paying some attention to his role for what it contributes towards establishing and maintaining the upbeat comic spirit of the play. For the jester is the constant commentator on what is going on. His humour, pointed or otherwise, thus inevitably contributes to the audience's awareness of what is happening, and the way in which other characters treat him is often a key indicator of their sensibilities.
Touchstone is one of the gentlest and happiest clowns in all of Shakespeare. He comments on the action, makes jokes at other people's expense, and offers ironic insights about their situation. But throughout As You Like It, such traditional roles of the fool are offered and taken with a generosity of spirit so that his remarks never shake the firm comic energies of the play. When he ridicules Orlando's verses, Rosalind laughs along with him. When he points out to Corin (in 3.2) that the shepherd must be damned for never having lived at court, Corin takes it as good natured jesting (which it is). When Touchstone takes Audrey away from her rural swain, William, there are apparently no hard feelings (although much here depends on the staging). In this play, the professional jester participates in and contributes to a style of social interaction which is unqualified by any more sober and serious reflections. This makes Touchstone very different from the bitter fool of King Lear or from the most complex fool of all, the sad Feste of Twelfth Night , both of whom offer comments that cast either a shrewd, melancholy, or bitter irony on the proceedings.
Touchstone himself becomes the target of much humour by his immediate attraction to Audrey, the "foul" country lass. There is something richly comic here, seeing the staunch apologist for the sophisticated life of the court fall so quickly to his animal lust. But the satire here is very good humoured. Touchstone himself acknowledges the frailty of his vows and does not attempt to deceive anyone about his intentions.
Conflict with reality and appearance brings to surface the elements of the traditional commedia dell’arte in the form of mistaken identity, which enriches the farcical plot-lines that occur in the play. The very embodiment of mistaken identity establishes that what may be seem real could be quite the opposite, however the characters in the play are unable to distinguish this as their vision becomes distorted by their fall into the deception of appearance. It is this very comedic device that enables the conflict between Roscoe (Rachel) and Alan, or Charlie and Alan’s father to occur which is a significant part of the comedic nature of the play as the unproportional situation is what sparks laughter from the audience, and so it is the presence of mistaken identity alone that conveys the play into a light-hearted comedy. Furthermore, Peter O'Neill quotes that ‘using humour can provide a degree of safety for expressing difficult ideas or opinions which could be particularly effective…’. In the circumstances of the quotation Richard Bean effectively c...
Few historical figures stand out in the same degree as that of Alexander the Great. He was a warrior by 16, a commander at age 18, and was crowned King of Macedon by the time he was 20 years old. He did things in his lifetime that others could only dream about. Alexander single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in just over a decade. There were many attributes that made Alexander “Great.” He was a brilliant strategist and an inspired leader; he led by example and was a conqueror at heart. In looking at his early childhood, accession to the throne, conquests, marriage, and death one can see why Alexander the Great is revered in historical contexts as one of the greatest figures of all time.
But dancing got the attention of girls, therefore Gene’s brother Fred taught him to tap. Fred and Gene entered talent shows for money; as well as displaying their skills in vaudeville shows. Later in the early 1930s, Gene enrolled into the University of Pittsburgh to study law. He spent his summers at the YMCA as a stage and dance coach. After graduating college, his mother decided to run a dance school. Gene joined his mother at the Kelly School of Dance, later renamed the Gene Kelly Studios of the Dance, to teach tap and ballet. During this time, he took ballet classes in Chicago and New York, to help him become a better choreographer. Gene found the opportunity to practice choreographing by creating routines for vaudeville acts that passed through Pennsylvania. Sooner or later, New York would welcome Kelly’s work on
Gene Kelly was and American actor, singer, film director, producer, dancer and choreographer who was born August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States where he grew up and began his dancing career. He is the best dancer of all time as his moves are outstanding and can make the littlest dance moves into big and mouth dropping.
Alexander the great was the son of Philip II (ruler of Macedon) born in Pellia. Alexander was tutored by Aristotle. When he was 10 years old, Alexander bought a horse from a thessaly trader. The horse was hard to tame but eventually, Alexander managed to tame it. On the age of 16, his education with the philosopher Aristotle ended and his father trusted him to be the regent of the city while he was off fighting the Byzantines. There was also an incident where Alexander insulted his father for marrying the daughter of a general who proclaimed that alexander wasn’t Philip’s true son causing Alexander to be exiled. Alexander managed to come back though. His father was assassinated in 356 BC. 16 years old Alexander then succeeded his dad and carried out an expansion plan for the kingdom which was caused because they heard of Philip's death and revolted.
However, the typical Shakespearian’ fool is quick witted, a master of comedy, and able cause laughter without the accumulation of grudges, and effectively evading the build-up of ‘debt’. Despite being briefly present in “Hamlet”, Sterne’s jesterous Yorick succeeds in being an adequate conduct or vessel through the story itself. He encapsulates and exhumes the quintessential qualities of a typical jester, in that Yorick is able to slip the conversation onto a tangent whenever the topic of his ‘debts’ is brought in to a conversation; he manages to evade these conversations as if it were a “hop, skip and jump” to him (27). However, the reality of his economic social status inevitably awaits Yorick “until, he is trapped in a social chimney corner.” When in due time Yorick will be trapped and utterly incapable to slip the topic in to a tangendental digression. Nevertheless Yorick shows his capability or fulfilment in the role of a jester by ignoring all modes of reality through his comedy, however it results in his violent death. Although demonstrating that the fool can submerge themselves in laughter, rather chapter 12 proves that reality will down the fool in
In 356 BC, Alexander III of Macedon, a future King of Macedonia, was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. Alexander III, commonly known as Alexander the Great, is considered one of the utmost military geniuses of all times (Plutarch). Alexander’s leadership and supremacy influenced later conquerors and emperors, to follow his brilliant actions. Plutarch presented the young life of Alexander as he grew into the dominant leader he was and his presence changed the way Greek culture viewed their previous and future kings. Alexander was destined for greatness ever since he was a young boy due to his courage and marked his footprints in history. At the age of 16, he was a warrior, at age 18, he became a commander and by the time he was
Negotiation is a process of discussion aimed at conflict resolution in which two or more parties attempt to resolve the conflict (incompatible goals) in a process that is mutually agreeable. Though the concept seems easy to understand, it is difficult to implement in practical scenarios. There are various hurdles in negotiation process such as differing views on what is right and wrong, what is fair and just, differences among parties in expressing themselves, understanding each other’s communication and ultimately the procedure in which negotiations are conducted. In addition to these factors, negotiations are further complicated whenever people from different cultural backgrounds are involved.
Many characters undergo a change in William Shakespeare’s play, “As You Like It”. Duke Senior goes from being a member of a court to being a member of a forest and Orlando changes from a bitter, younger brother, to a love-struck young man. The most obvious transformation undergone, is undoubtedly that of Rosalind. Her change from a woman to a man, not only alters her mood, candor, and gender, but also allows her to be the master of ceremonies.
The essentially healthy emotional intelligence of Rosalind and Orlando and their suitability for each other emerge from their separate encounters with Jaques (in some editions Jacques), the melancholy ex-courtier who is part of Duke Senior's troupe in the forest. Both Rosalind and Orlando take an instant dislike to Jaques (which is mutual). And in that dislike we are invited to see something vitally right about the two of them.
The androgyne is a strong figure that mentally joins the female and male characteristics together as one (American Heritage). Androgyny does not only refer to the physical senses it also refers to the cultural and social aspects of daily life. There are two main types of androgyny that were applied during the Renaissance which are referred to as mythic and satiric androgyny (Orgel, 38). Satiric androgyny mainly deals with "feminized male figures and unfixed, unstable individual identities, and is essentially negative," (Hermaphrodites, 1). Mythic androgyny consists of "cross-dressers, water imagery and the fluid individual identity, and is essentially positive," (Hermaphrodites, 2).
Opposing interests, exchange of goods or service, and terms of agreements, are but a few reasons conflict can arise between parties. These controversies can stem from business or personal relationships, and be held in formal or informal settings, but all require some form of resolution in order to satisfy or assuage the parties involved. Negotiation, or bargaining, is a common method used to obtain resolution. A variety of strategies can be employed in this process, some with more favorable outcomes for both parties than others. A negotiation, often referred to as an art, involves both skill and science, and the use of both determines the process taken for the bargaining, as well as the outcome (Stoshikj,
An important fact to remember about Alexander the Great was his tactical intelligence. He always led his men to victory, never without fail. He even showed respect towards those around him. With all of his effort he “tried his best to set an example for others around him. After he had defeated the king of Persia Darius, he had gained his wealth.” (“A Hero’s Hero” 6). Alexander inspired to be like the Greek hero Achilles, who was a strong and loyal leader, much like what Alexander set out to be.
King Lear is not the only one of Shakespeare’s plays to contain a comical scapegoat; in the Merchant of Venice, Gobbo is used to bring comedy and irony to an otherwise serious play, although his supposedly comical exploitation of his father’s blindness in the first act may also prepare us for the theme of cruelty which is evident in the play. We may further suggest that the fool’s surreal and absurd comments in King Lear ("thy bor’st thine ass on thine back o’er the dirt") imply the disorder within the hierarchy as a whole. However, as Touchstone in As You Like It is used as a comedic device by Shakespeare, so the fool is sometimes used for comic effect, employing the Elizabethan/Jacobean euphemistic "thing" as a synonym for penis. The fool in King Lear is an example of Shakespeare using the fool as a voice to bridge the gap between the audience and the stage. The "all-licensed fool" makes many of his quips at the expense of the king. Due to his role as Lear’s amusing sidekick, he was able to get away with this unlike any other, as is shown in the confrontation between Lear and Kent in act one scene one. Lear is the absolute ruler of the country - what he says is as good as God’s word – which reflects the Divine Right of Kings, a Medieval doctrine which was still extant in the early seventeenth century although it was beginning to come under sig...
Integrative negotiation is often referred to as ‘win-win’ and typically entails two or more issues to be negotiated. It often involves an agreement process that better integrates the aims and goals of all the involved negotiating parties through creative and collaborative problem solving. Relationship is usually more important, with more complex issues being negotiated than with Distributive Negotiation. Integrative negotiation is the process of defining these goals and engaging in a process that permits both parties to maximize their objectives.