Reflect upon the types of comedy that we discussed this week. Reexamine I.iii by viewing the following clips (6:31—12:21):
ANSWER: What makes this clip funny? If you don’t find it funny, do your best to examine what the crowd might find humorous.
Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew are two messes of characters. Toby Belch comes home late after drinking most nights, which the crowd probably found funny because they could relate to him. Even if they don't drink often, the fact that he's a grown man getting scolded by a woman (like he's still a kid) is enjoyable. However, Andrew Aguecheek stole the show. He’s not smart enough to catch all of the jokes Toby says, and doesn’t understand Toby was kidding about his “talented” dancing. The audience can make fun of Andrew with Toby, and this further characterizes Andrew as selfish. Toby’s making fun of him, teasing him to jump higher and higher at the end of the scene, yet Toby’s trying to set him up with his niece! This is absurd, and the crowd probably ate it right up.
ReplyDeleteAlthough i didn't find this funny I think that people back during this time would defiantly think it was funny. When both characters are dancing they both think that they are actually really good which could make the crowd think they were serious. I think alot more people would have found this funnier then people today because people back then weren't really exposed to a lot of funny things yet, nowadays there are a lot of funnier things then two men dancing and carrying on.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really find that funny at all. I didn't really laugh. However, I know it was supposed to be because they made Sir Andrew the bumbling idiot that we all pictured him as. I don't know what kind of humor this was supposed to be since I haven't been here the past few days. But, I can't wait to see if the rest of the play shows these characters as the drunkard and buffoon I saw in this scene.
ReplyDeleteThis scene isn't particularly funny, I only found my self chuckling slightly at a few parts. I felt Sir Andrew's entrance was the funniest part because it was so absurd. Its 3AM the maid is just criticizing Toby for being drunk and home late constantly, when in pops Sir Andrew like there's some big party. It is obviously meant to be funny because of how over the top and ridiculous the character's behavior is.
ReplyDeleteThis scene was definitely a Farce because of the stupid jokes and actions that don't take much thought or effort.
I didn't think this was very funny at all, but I can see the audience appeal. Sir Belch and Sir Aguecheek are both crazy. They are so absurd that there is appeal in their bizarreness. The other aspect that is funny about it is that both of the characters, although they are idiots, don't realize that they are crazy idiots. When they're dancing and Toby comments on Andrew's "good" dancing, it is funny because he doesn't catch the sarcasm. He thinks he is actually a good dancer. This isn't as funny today as it probably would have been during Shakespeare's time.
ReplyDeleteI didn't find this scene to be the least bit funny, but I can understand how Shakespeare's audiences found humor in it. Aguecheek's drunken stupidity could be seen as humorous, as well as Belch's sexual pun. Aguecheek's embarrassingly poor dancing could also be seen as comedic. It is somewhat funny that Belch is making fun of Aguecheek and Aguecheek doesn't understand the jabs.
ReplyDeleteSir Aguecheeck reminds me like the character Buster in the show Arrested Development. He's just not getting the double meanings in the jokes Mary and Sir Belch keep throwing at him. I honestly feel bad for Aguecheeck right now because he doesn't realize how much of an ass Sir Belch is being to him when he dances! Seeing how comedies are ment for the "average joe" they most likely have went nuts for those dirty jokes with the mistress and one liners that have no real substance. All they want is a good laugh thats directly there. I think this style of comedy in this scene had a mix of dry humor and farse. I saw dry humor because of the amount of sarcasm Sir Belch had to Sir Aguecheeck, and I saw farse in the behavior of Sir Belch and Aguecheeck acting like a couple of drunken loons.
ReplyDeleteJust like many comedies today, we as the audience find enjoyment from watching someone who is drunk act completely ridiculous. Although there are far more technological advances from the time of Shakespeare compared to modern day being drunk or watching someone who is drunk, is something that everyone can pretty much relate too. This clip could be viewed as being comical because Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew come home and are completely wasted. Sir Toby Belch is trying to fix his niece up with Sir Andrew by boosting about his intelligence and wealth and when he enters the scene he is nothing like Sir Toby Belch described him to be. Then as the scene continues Sir Toby Belch comments on Sir Andrew’s dancing “talent” and begins to mock him. Sir Andrew is a horrible dancer, yet he truly believes Sir Toby Belch’s advice to not hide his talent. And further more continues act like a drunken fool. Although I didn’t particularly find this scene funny I can understand how it can be looked at as a comical.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I wasn't really laughing throughout the scene that much; however, this is just because it isn't my sense of humor. I understand how a drunken old man coming home late and getting yelled at by his wife can be funny. The audience at the time probably thought Sir Toby was acting like a little boy. Also Andrew dancing around like an imbecile thinking he is quite talented is also quite funny. Then to add to it, Toby is throwing sexual jokes that are just going over his head. The audience probably would have laughed at Andrew's stupidity along with Toby's indecency.
ReplyDeleteI did not find this scene to be comical enough for me to laugh aloud. However, I believe that society during Shakespeare's time would have found this to be a "knee-slapper." The language and terms used back then are extremely different from the present dialect, therefore it would be challenging for me to quickly catch on to the jokes being made. I do understand the overall idea of the comedy, such as Sir Andrew not realizing that he is being teased, but it is not portrayed in the modern version of comedy. Writers today would most likely change it's delivery. Although the portrayal makes a huge difference in the audiences' reactions, I believe that it all originates from the same topics. Any jokes or situations revolved around sex, teasing, twists on stereotypes, etc. will always have the best outcome of comedy.
ReplyDeleteOk, so just like everyone else whose commented on this clip I would have to say that I found this segment to be not funny....mostly because I found the acting to be a little unconvincing at certain times, but also because I didn't find the actual plot to be that funny either. However, back in the golden age I'm sure the people would have found this to be hilarious, mainly because the character sir Augecheeck has no idea that he's being mocked, and the whole dancing scene was pretty ridiculous. But, for today's standards this would have certainly been a flop at the movies.
ReplyDeleteI literally did not laugh once throughout this scene. I think that the language is too different for modern day viewers to understand quickly enough to laugh. The scene was just so ridiculous that it may have been funny in the past, but now it just looks like crazy drunks speaking gibberish to each other. The only part that was almost funny to me was that Belch kept using his niece as an excuse to drink more. The fact that he got mad when someone wouldn't drink to his niece is actually slightly funny, but not enough to make me laugh. However, I can understand the comedic qualities of this scene in the early 1600s.
ReplyDeleteI did not find this clip funny, pretty much like everyone else who watched it above ^^. But I am sure that during this time period, the audience in the Globe Theatre would have found this scene to be a riot. It has the perfect formula for Shakespearean comedy, drunkenness and sexual innuendo. During this time period, I think that many of the theater goers might have been rowdy and drunk and might have found this scene funnier because of that. Another thing that could have been found funny was the really bad dancing at the end, and the fact that he never catches on that he is being mocked for being a bad dancer.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this clip I can agree with my classmates above. This clip did not seem funny to me at all. I believe this clip was not funny to me nor others due to the dialect and age of the story. When watching this scene it is very hard to understand what both Sir Toby and Sir Andrew were saying at times. Although I did not find this comedic scene very funny, it seems that the audience enjoyed it. I feel as if the language was more modern and we were able to understand more of what was going on, it might be more humerous to us. As a society today we tend to find drunk people, stupid people and sexual jokes to be funny. This scene depicts all of these characteristics except we are unable, as a modern audience, to understand them completely.
ReplyDeleteI found this scene to be only a little funny. I think that it was mainly funny because it was weird to think of how Shakespeare's audience would have reacted to this humor. It's not as funny as modern comedies because Shakespeare wasn't trying to appeal to people in this generation and time period, but he was trying to appeal to the people in his own time period. Although the idea of a drunken idiot and his stupid friend are timeless humors, I found it hard to understand the comedy because of the language and diction used. However, I believe that the audience of the play when it was performed would have understood the language more easily and found it hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI obviously don't find this clip funny because there are a lot more things to amuse me in todays society. I do, however, understand how the crowd of the Shakespearean Era would. In this clip, Sir Andrew's character is so ridiculous that he is entertaining to the crowd. I also think that he portrays the crazy "drunk" friend everyone of the era had or knew. Since the crowd could relate, they were able to laugh with the play. This clip mocks society in a teasing rather than bashing way, therefore, it was found humorous instead of serious.
ReplyDeleteI did not like this clip at all. To me, it was not funny one bit. Humor is all about being able to relate to your audience. If the audience cannot relate to what they are seeing, they will not laugh. Like all the stories you tell in class (ms. t) about your mother in law are so funny to all of us because we all have that one crazy family member that has no connection to anything. This clip really didnt make me connect to anything in my life. Even the dancing part at the end, it was a lot funnier when we read it for some reason. Seeing it in action just made it seem weird.
ReplyDeleteThe clip itself is not really funny at all, but imagining it in a modern version it would be funny. Thinking of that one friend that some people have who they just love to make fun of and make a fool out of. Sir Toby Belch is totally messing around with Sir Andrew, but Sir Andrew has no clue that Sir Toby is completely making a fool out of him, which is humerous to think about. It is very relatable to todays society which does make it funny. Im sure people back then were rolling on the floow when they saw this scene, I feel like if it were in a modern language and we could fully understand what was going on it would be more humerous.
ReplyDeleteTo the modern day viewers this scene wasnt particularly funny but I believe during this time when shakespeare wrote this play his audiences would of found it funny. Its funny to see Sir Augecheek being completly mocked about his dancing and having no idea about it. And it was funny to see the drunkard Sir Toby Belch stumble over his works and try to talk to Andrew. These few parts of the scene may have been funny to Shakespeares audiences back in that time period but to modern day viewers we find different thinkgs funny and thi sscene just wasnt as funny as Shakespeare wanted it to be. Although I can see how the auidences back in that time period think it was funny, to modern viewers its the complete oppisite.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think that this clip was funny. I don't think it would be funny to anyone in today's world. We have a much different society in today's world with different slangs, and things that we find funny. However the audience during that time period found this to be funny because they understand each other better. This clip would have been funnier if they talked with a modern day slang so that today's audience could understand it better. I think that comedy back then was a lot more soft than it is today. It used to be more gentle with less/no curse words...that is why this clip isn't funny to me and most of the people today.
ReplyDeleteThis scene was definitely funnier in my head because I was picturing it to be acted out differently. I think Sir Toby Blech should have had a more scarcastic tone when he is making fun of Sir Andrew because it would appeal more to a modern audience but I can see how the audience back then was amused. The funniest part to me was when Sir Andrew called Maria a shrew, I loved how he didnt't even think twice about it and how he just blurted it out. Anyway, when we were reading it in class today I thought it was going to be more obvious that Sir Toby was blatantly making fun of Sir Andrew but in the movie he had a more encouraging tone than being a jerk and making fun of him. The actually writing is very funny but I didn't like how the director portrayed this scene.
ReplyDeleteNope, didn't laugh one bit. The language difference is just too different for our culture to find that scene funny, but the general idea of maybe dealing with drunks and just being sarcastic with them is a funny thought. Back when this play was being acted out I'm sure the audience found this hilarious but only because it was their type of language style. It's kind of like if you took people from back then and brought them to present day and had them watch The Hangover. They will most likely not laugh because it's just not comical for their time period and they just won't get it. Things that were funny then may not be so funny now and vise-verse. Being "roofied" on a roof top by someone you don't really know is funny now but back in the Elizabethan Era I'm sure they just wouldn't get it.
ReplyDeleteI did not think that this clip was funny because there were some parts where I couldn’t really understand exactly what they were trying to say. I think that the audience of that time period enjoyed it and thought it was funny because it was more modern for their time period so they were able to understand the dialect a lot more than we can today. In class we went over that one of the reasons that we find things funny is when we can relate to what is going on. Since I do not totally understand what happened, I could not relate, and therefore I didn’t find the clip humorous.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really think it was funny, but it's mainly because of the language spoken by the characters. Since they were referencing to a bunch of things that were humorous at that time period, I couldn't really connect with what they were saying simply because I didn't know what most of the things they said meant. I could understand how audiences back then found if funny, though. They used farce, and made Sir Toby a drunken, out-of-sorts guy, and Sir Andrew a very feminine, idiotic and simpleminded character. Sir Andrew doing the weird dances and Sir Toby pretending to encourage him is more of a physical comedy, but maybe it was sillier/funnier to people back then. Also, their references to pubic hair show a comedic interest in vulgarity of the people in the time period. Vulgarity is still a popular comedic topic, but the way they compared the pubic hair to "flax on a distaff," I'm pretty sure that most people living today would be thoroughly confused.
ReplyDeleteI basically agree with what everyone else is saying. It's clearly not as funny as I think Shakespeare would have liked it to be. I did find it a little humorous the way that Sir Toby was mocking Sir Andrew right to his face. It was comical just because Sir Andrew had no idea that Sit Toby was being one hundred percent sarcastic. In a way that was the only way I could see people from modern day finding this scene funny. Otherwise, it didn't really succeed in making the audience laugh. To make it better, Sir Toby might have wanted to be a little more sarcastic and Sir Andrew possibly a little more over dramatic and foolish.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to play this clip, I was really hoping that it would make me laugh because I found it humorous in class, but I didn't laugh at all. I still have a hard time understanding Shakespeare's use of language, so I may have missed some of the humor in it as I tried to make sense of the words. Also, times were different back then and different things appealed to people, than what appeals to people today. I'm sure the people of this period would have found it funny, but it wasn't relevant to my life so I couldn't connect with it. I think the kind of humor was farce because it was just ridiculous, random, and didn't have much to do with the plot. It was Hangover kind of humor, and though I laugh at that movie every time, there was too much of era barrier with this clip.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t find this clip funny at all. I think it was just that their acting was bad or that I had no idea what they were talking about. But I’m sure that the audience from Shakespeare’s time would have found it funny. The only part that would be funny is when Sir Toby made Sir Andrew do really weird dances. It’s kind of like “stupid” humor because they are acting like idiots.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching this video clip I had a different mindset going into the scene. Shakespeare's language is sometimes hard to disect especially in some of the jokes he is presenting due to the confusion in his intellectual writing; however, the modern day society will deffinitly not laugh at the scene that was just presented because these days many of the comedic movies are revolved around dry humor which is in fact my favorite type of movies. The awkwardness that fills up the scene in movies like that is the reason why people laugh at it. I believe even though shakespeare attempted to be funny 12 Nights, the director of this movie did not capture it the right way, therefore not connecting to the audiance.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching this clip you can tell it is meant to be a comedic scene. It features two drunk people interacting which can make people laugh in any time period. This was the only thing that I found funny in the play and the reason for that is that the jokes they were making went over my head. They just didn't make sense to me because they related to the time when it was written and Shakespeare wasn't thinking about what would make teenagers 500 years in the future laugh
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do find the idea behind this scene to be funny, while I was watching it just came across as weird to me. In many cases Shakespeare's language and diction serve to enhance the beauty and poetic nature of his writing; in this scene it seems to just be superfluous and takes away from any humor that a modern audience would derive from it. The only part of this clip that even tempted me to crack a smile was when the maid was making fun of the drunken Sir Andrew but it appeared to be going over his head(at least that is what I think was happening).
ReplyDeletePersonally, I did not find this scene to be humorous. It is quite apparent that the latter was the intention of Shakespeare. And I'm sure he accomplished that feat by having Sir Toby acting in a way that people can relate to. That is why people find humor; being able to relate to a character makes the scenario more real and thus, more entertaining. I did however, find the irony amusing. Here we have Toby making Andrew look like a fool, but at the same time, he is trying to set him up with his niece. Nonetheless, while I did not find the scene to be funny, I am almost certain that the audiences of Shakespeare's era most enjoyed this comedy.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I did not find this scene to be humorous. It is quite apparent that the latter was the intention of Shakespeare. And I'm sure he accomplished that feat by having Sir Toby acting in a way that people can relate to. That is why people find humor; being able to relate to a character makes the scenario more real and thus, more entertaining. I did however, find the irony amusing. Here we have Toby making Andrew look like a fool, but at the same time, he is trying to set him up with his niece. Nonetheless, while I did not find the scene to be funny, I am almost certain that the audiences of Shakespeare's era most enjoyed this comedy.
ReplyDelete