Back when I was getting my theatre degree, I was forced to take a bunch of "history of the theatre" courses. (Most degrees are like that, I'm sure… there's always survey/history courses you have to take to "give you the basics" of the curriculum. I'm convinced they exist to weed out the uncommitted. If you can suffer through those stultifying classes, then you've got what it takes to complete the degree.) One of the things I remember from those history lessons was the "definitions" of classical comedy and tragedy.
Comedy and Tragedy were very well defined in Classical theatre (for the purposes of this post, that's roughly the Greeks through Shakespeare). In Tragedy, the protagonist has some fatal character flaw which is his ultimate downfall. His destruction often brought others down with him, those implied or complicit in his guilt and his flaw. But, in the end, as the joke goes… "The bad end unhappily, the good, unluckily." Comedy was a little more free form, with absurd situations abounding and confused identities, hidden loves and other conventions keeping it all together for the audience. In the end, the lovers were reunited, vows exchanged and the happy couple was presumed to live happily ever after.
Both Tragedy and Comedy served to uphold and reinforce the social order. The fatally flawed protagonist of the tragedy MUST die, because his flaw is a threat to society. Often, there was a reflection of the characters flaw, or it's detrimental effect, in the physical world of the play (plagues, unending winter, war, etc.). By the end of the play, he and any who shared in his guilt must die to purge society of these ills and restore order to the world. (Check out the end of Hamlet for a great example of this.)
In Comedy, all the playfulness of the exchanged identities and star crossed lovers are resolved at the end, so that a wedding can take place and society can continue on as it was intended. It's all right to have a little fun when you're young and sow a few wild oats, but eventually, you need to put away those childish toys and join the real world. (Try A Midsummer Night's Dream for this one. And yes, if you read this last week, I had linked to Taming of the Shrew. Brain fart, I guess.)
So, over the holidays, Dani dragged me to Rumor Has It. She does that regularly. While we both share the SF/Fantasy/Action movie gene, she also feels the need to subject me to the random romantic comedy.
But, back to the whole Comedy thing. I was struck by just HOW classic this one really is in terms of structure. (Yeah, yeah, if you haven't seen it and really WANT to, then watch out, cause I'm talking about the ending now).
If you really want a synopsis, go to the site. Suffice it to say that Anniston's character (Sarah) is confused about her relation ship with Ruffalo (Jeff), and that's complicated when she meets Costner's character (Beau), who turns out to be the real-life basis for the Dustin Hoffman character from The Graduate. (Confused? Sorry 'bout that.)
By the end of the movie, despite overwhelming evidence that there's MUCH more chemistry and interest in the relationship between Sarah and Beau, she realizes that there's "nothing really there" and she runs back home to throw herself at Jeff and promise her undying love and devotion. Sure enough, the social order is preserved and a wedding WILL ensue.
So you see… it really IS a comedy.
Just not a very good one.
Comedy and Tragedy were very well defined in Classical theatre (for the purposes of this post, that's roughly the Greeks through Shakespeare). In Tragedy, the protagonist has some fatal character flaw which is his ultimate downfall. His destruction often brought others down with him, those implied or complicit in his guilt and his flaw. But, in the end, as the joke goes… "The bad end unhappily, the good, unluckily." Comedy was a little more free form, with absurd situations abounding and confused identities, hidden loves and other conventions keeping it all together for the audience. In the end, the lovers were reunited, vows exchanged and the happy couple was presumed to live happily ever after.
Both Tragedy and Comedy served to uphold and reinforce the social order. The fatally flawed protagonist of the tragedy MUST die, because his flaw is a threat to society. Often, there was a reflection of the characters flaw, or it's detrimental effect, in the physical world of the play (plagues, unending winter, war, etc.). By the end of the play, he and any who shared in his guilt must die to purge society of these ills and restore order to the world. (Check out the end of Hamlet for a great example of this.)
In Comedy, all the playfulness of the exchanged identities and star crossed lovers are resolved at the end, so that a wedding can take place and society can continue on as it was intended. It's all right to have a little fun when you're young and sow a few wild oats, but eventually, you need to put away those childish toys and join the real world. (Try A Midsummer Night's Dream for this one. And yes, if you read this last week, I had linked to Taming of the Shrew. Brain fart, I guess.)
So, over the holidays, Dani dragged me to Rumor Has It. She does that regularly. While we both share the SF/Fantasy/Action movie gene, she also feels the need to subject me to the random romantic comedy.
But, back to the whole Comedy thing. I was struck by just HOW classic this one really is in terms of structure. (Yeah, yeah, if you haven't seen it and really WANT to, then watch out, cause I'm talking about the ending now).
If you really want a synopsis, go to the site. Suffice it to say that Anniston's character (Sarah) is confused about her relation ship with Ruffalo (Jeff), and that's complicated when she meets Costner's character (Beau), who turns out to be the real-life basis for the Dustin Hoffman character from The Graduate. (Confused? Sorry 'bout that.)
By the end of the movie, despite overwhelming evidence that there's MUCH more chemistry and interest in the relationship between Sarah and Beau, she realizes that there's "nothing really there" and she runs back home to throw herself at Jeff and promise her undying love and devotion. Sure enough, the social order is preserved and a wedding WILL ensue.
So you see… it really IS a comedy.
Just not a very good one.
Comments