Lastly on the point of Falstaff’s character, the thoughtfulness with which it requires to construct such a formidable personality comparable to Shakespeare’s audience, is imperative to the understanding of his reverence for Falstaff over Hal. It is also noteworthy that the virtue of a character is not pertinent to his/her appreciation from the standpoint of literary or intellectual admiration. In the movie The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger received a lot of praise for his portrayal of the Joker. To suggest that a writer or producer favored the Joker over Batman, is not a statement of outlandish proportions. The liveliness and realness of the character may thus well contribute to a more positive appreciation than the overall morale of the character. …show more content…
There is no aspect of morality which cannot in some way be broken down, on a fundamental level, to empathy of the human experience. In other words, humans feel more of an ethical obligation to a gorilla than to a spider than to a plant. To that end, empathy is the most fundamental tool in influencing cultural norms and moral behaviors. While empathy is created by various means, Shakespeare employs comedy in order to make a connection between Falstaff and the audience. Comedy is often overlooked as frivolous rather than for the benefits it can have on empathy, intimacy, trust, bonding, and self-fulfilment. In so far laughter provides an empathic connection, and empathy provides insight to morality and understanding of other’s points of view, comedy is able to provide insight to new knowledge through empathic understandings. Nonetheless, the blueprint whereby an author makes someone laugh in order to influence their understandings is not such an easy feat. Creating a relatable character through humor is something even the best of writers have struggled. As George Lucas found out with Jar Jar Binks, whom he predicted to be a fan favorite, there is a fine line between the audience laughing with at a character and laughing at them. Shakespeare, on the other hand, was nearly flawless in his portrayal of Falstaff--who is widely loved among his readers. He is portrayed by Shakespeare as harmless and childlike, almost incomprehensibly aware of his own mishaps: “Hal, if I tell thee a lie, spit in my face, call me horse.” () Yet, as though by pure luck, seems to spout out lines of comedic genius. One line of particular wit, came as an explanation as to how he escaped battle by faking his own death:"The better part of valor is discretion.” (Henry IV Act 5 Scene 4) Yet, considering all his types of humor, perhaps his most lovable is that of self-deprecation. It
Many of the topics we discussed throughout the semester highlight the influences on how a person forms empathy and to what level of complexity and depth a given individual experiences empathy. Mainly, in the film Life’s First feelings, which discusses studies on empathy in infancy. Empathy is cultivated
Not only can we learn from the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird, but also in the poem Sympathy because we can relate to what the author is talking about. Through these examples, it is clear that authors can best create empathy in their readers by developing strong characters that go through problems that the reader can relate to or learn
The tragic hero is a literary device used to show the flaws of human nature; however this model can also pertain to real-life individuals in our society. For example, a Shakespearean tragic hero in real-life would be Robin Williams, a famous comedian who was adored by all. Essentially, nobility is distinguished by being upper class and having elevated character. In Robin Williams’ case he satisfies both specifications; as a child Williams grew up in a rich family and he obtained respect and notoriety by making others joyful . Additionally, Williams hamartia, or his fatal error that ultimately brings about his doom, lies in the depression that he struggles with his entire life.
It’s hard to understand much else about the why’s and how’s of laughter, but they seem to know, simply, that it works. This means that in order for readers to further understand the reality of things like humor in Kesey’s book, oneself should have to ignore their feelings and sacrifice the pleasure and ask questions that help people to discover what it is about humor that is so powerful. Laughter does not only play a major role in the story, but in life as
To Suffer or Not to Suffer As human beings, we try to eschew from the suffering and adversities that plague human morality. Nonetheless, society remains drawn to the surplus of tragedies in plays, movies, and literary works. Not only do these works provide an escape from our own hardships, but suffering and tragedy is a significant aspect to the development of human society. Personally, I have experienced my own share of sorrow, trauma, and difficulties in life. While they may not be as severe as those faced by the characters in A Doll’s House and Never Let Me Go, a pervasive theme still manifests in the presence of suffering.
Values and beliefs are defining principles of the way in which we view a person, action or relationship. Often, we are encouraged to think again about these values and beliefs, after being exposed to challenging and insightful events, people, or material. William Shakespeare's tragedy, “Hamlet,” written in the Elizabethan era, encourages us to think about our values and beliefs surrounding revenge, love and loyalty. After examination of these concepts, the reader develops new insights into their values and beliefs, and come to fully support the statement that “ the most significant texts encourage us to think again about our values and beliefs.”
Empathy is one of the things that bonds us as human beings; being able to feel for somebody else’s problems when they clearly do not affect us at all is why valuing literature is so important.
The conception of humor as an expression of superiority is further developed by Thomas Hobbes (1651). Hobbes identifies humor with sudden glory and stated that “The passion of laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly” (Feinberg, 1978; Berger, 1993). This statement on humor formed the benchmark of Superiority theory of humor. Hobbes’s idea of humor built on the ideas of Ludovici (1933) and Rapp (1951). Ludovici proposed that superiority humor results from the awareness and recognition of having adapted to the societal norms in a better way in comparison to the others person who is being laughed at.
Humor and irony play very important roles in Everyday Use. The humor found
(“The Dark Knight” par. 6). The common stereotypic traits of heroes and kings in modern films compared to similar characters in famous medieval romantic
Throughout William Shakespeare’s 1597 History “The First Part of King Henry the Fourth”, the importance of individual reputation proves to be a catalyst for character advancement and plot development alike. King Henry’s repeated emphasis on the superior characteristics of himself and Hotspur earlier in the scene establish a dichotomy between the ideal leader and Prince Henry. In a rebuttal to his father 's disapproving tone, Hal vows to reclaim both his honor as a prince and his honor as a son. Shakespeare’s use of language through lines 129-159 in act III.2 foreshadows events to come while reinforcing Prince Henry’s earlier assertion that he will be the victor when battling Hotspur.
All of these touchy subjects use humor as a mechanism to cope, allowing humor to tell a sad story. A prominent example in the story was Brod. “[Brod] had to satisfy herself with the idea of love—loving the loving of things whose existence she didn't care at all about. Love itself became the object of her love” (80). She had experienced many life difficulties and hardships which contributed to her hopelessness of finding and having love.
Dramatic irony grabs the attention of the audience by adding more suspense. Soliloquies let the audience know the feelings and thoughts of a character, making them more attentive. Allusions give the audience something to think about and this makes them feel more involved. Overall, William Shakespeare’s marvelous job of the use of literary devices in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet will add to his legacy, not to forget, the title of greatest English-playwright does him
As a result, the experience of Shakespeare’s plays in the theater took a populist turn” (Octane 1). This shows that Shakespeare brought many new elements to playwriting, which seemingly improved plays because “Audience members engaged with the events taking place on stage, becoming vocal and often raucous” (Octane 1). This suggests that the new elements in Shakespeare’s writing sparked emotion in audience members as if the events were real. If an author can spark emotion in so many audience members, it shows that their writing style is extremely effective. Additionally, “Shakespeare is also credited as having invented genres that mixed both tragedy and comedy.