Arsenic And Old Lace Analysis

When reading through Arsenic and Old Lace I didn’t catch the humor at first. When just reading through the events that happen, it sounds very dark and demented, until later in the script when the crazy events keep happening and it’s impossible not to find comedy in their absurdity. Watching the film version also brought to my attention the comedic value in the character’s reactions to what is happening. I felt that Arsenic and Old Lace expressed comedic most predominately through farce, situational, and character centered comedy. The most effective form of comedy for me personally, especially in the film rendition of Arsenic and Old Lace, is farce comedy. The best example of this is the character Mortimer, played by the actor Cary Grant. His reaction to the aunt’s actions were hysterical. The reason behind this is the fact that his reactions were over the top, but still justifiable. I felt as though I could still connect with Mortimer, especially given the circumstance that he found himself in. This makes it more relatable to the average person, which is important in comedy. Mortimer’s very exaggerated facial expressions and actions put his character over the edge to be considered farce comedy. I think I agree with the majority of the class (based on

Especially when you can’t think the situation can’t get any more absurd for Mortimer, another variable is introduced that throws a wrench in the works. For instance, just when Mortimer seems to have everything figured out between his serial killing aunts and this insane Teddy, his criminally insane brother Johnathan walks into the picture. You wonder how this situation could possibly get any worse, Officer O’Hara walks through the door. These circumstances are so absurd and crazy that you can’t possibly imagine them happening in life. This is comedic as you have no choice but to laugh at how dire the situation seems at every