There is a pattern of miscommunication in the Who’s on First skit by Abbott and Costello. The premise of the skit is, that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team for Costello. Yet, their names or nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers from Abbott by Costello. For example, when Costello asked the question who’s on first. Abbott answers him with the name of the first baseman ‘Who’. Since the ball players have funny names such as Who, Costello becomes frustrated, angry and louder. What makes this skit confusing and yet very funny is the repetition and the play on words. Also, that both men think they are talking about the same thing, but in reality, they are not. Neither man is actually listening to the other. This skit violates the Maxim of Manner, which states that a speaker avoid ambiguity. This skit is full of lexical and structural ambiguities. During the exchanges between Abbott and Costello each man is misinterpreting what the other is meaning by their answers or questions. For example, in this exchange
COSTELLO: Well then who’s on first?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: I mean the fellow’s name.
ABBOTT: Who.
COSTELLO: The guy on first.
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Costello is asking the name of the first baseman and Abbott answers “Who is on first” to which Costello replies, “I’m asking you who’s on first” but he is really asking, “Whose on first?’ meaning whom a pronoun. Although Abbott understands him as saying the first baseman’s man name ‘Who’ which would be used as a noun here. Which can lead to the violation of avoiding obscurity of expression. Throughout this skit the exchanges between the two leads to many misunderstandings and frustrations due to the play on words. Neither man is actually listening to the other however, each is totally convinced that the other is sharing his perspective of the conversation. Which is what contributes to the humor each man has a different perspective of the
The primary humor style that is evident throughout the skit is low humor. Low humor is a humor style that involves giving ‘inappropriate’ subjects, such as body parts or bodily fluids, a lighthearted and humorous aspect. Since the magician, Flyidini, has things that could be confused with his sexual ‘parts’ coming out of his pants, it puts the label of low humor on it. This is also the main aspect of the skit and what creates most of the humor in it.
Clifford: Please, call me Clifford. Myra: Let me take your coat, dear (takes coat). Sydney: (moves over to shake Clifford s hand) Thank you for sending me your script, I really enjoyed it. Clifford: Thank you, Mr. I m just so honored that you would read my script, Mr. Buhl. Sydney: Not a problem really.
The language in this written is in the apropeiet of the year wher this story talk about, and is popular written. It is very easy to understend for all age who watch the play and is a stage as comedy should be. The language is funny, and it doesn't let you stop laughing. It is a wild and wacky farce and rolling audience with echoing. To many part of pras we can remember and use as a comic tops of our dicenery and in the recent memory.
The fellow contemplates the man's proposal, “Well, sir, I’m tellin’ you, I was so tired and hongry and cold that night I didn’t hardly know what to say, so I said all right, and we decided to do it. Looked like to me ’bout that time a Hundred Thirty-third Street was just workin’ with people, taxis cruisin’, white folks from downtown lookin’ for hot spots” (Hughes 254) The fellow thinks about his past, and his current situation, “Well, sir, I ain’t never been mixed up in nothin’ wrong before nor since, and I don’t intend to be again, but I was hongry that night. Indeed, I was!” (Hughes
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...
Analysis of Dave Chappelle's For What It's Worth Stand-Up Comedy Dave Chappelle’s stand-up comedy can be raunchy, grotesque, and
The comedy of this episode is enjoyable, original, and most of all, funny. For example, when Franklin Sherman was asking his “friend”
The majority of comedy is centered on identity. Comedy, like many other aspects of different cultures contains barriers that are broken only by an understanding of the context of the comedy. In order words, it is unlikely that an African would fully understand a joke by an American comedian if the joke draws from a primarily American historical or social context. Hence, what one can identify with affects what kind of jokes one can relate to. Identity is predicated on the ability to relate because identities are formed through personal interpretations of the environment one finds himself or herself in. These personal interpretations can be highly influenced by a manipulation of the context or amount of representation. Using Bigsby and Ruckus
The first instance of ambiguity between comedy/drama begins directly at the beginning credits of the film, with the brilliant shot of a uniform waltzing party, in carousel motion, or a perfect circle. From my perspective, I was unable to recognize w...
is the first thing that Mr. Birling says in the act, and is our first
At the end of the scene a comedy genre is hinted at. The words by
For some, the punchline to this joke falls flat. Others react with shock and disgust. Finding a listener who both understand the joke and thinks that it is funny is quite difficult, but immensely rewarding. Before explaining the format of the joke, or why anyone would find it funny, the requisite knowledge for understanding it needs to be explained.
This play shows the importance of the staging, gestures, and props making the atmosphere of a play. Without the development of these things through directions from the author, the whole point of the play will be missed. The dialog in this play only complements the unspoken. Words definitely do not tell the whole story.
The clown contributes towards the humourous entertainment of this play through his numerous puns and jokes. He is a source of laughter, not because we are humoured by his "foolery"; for he proves to be no fool at all; but rather because he amuses us with his brilliant wit. Having mastered the art of jesting, Feste is sensitive of his profession, always aware of the circumstances he is in and the appropriateness of this folly.
minimal discussion was able to convey the clarity of the theme for The Catcher In The ...