Watch the video below after (or before) you finish reading The Comedy of Errors, and respond with a comment below. We might not be able to discuss the play next week, since snow might have other ideas; if so, I'll post something for you to do or think about on the blog (not another video--don't worry!).
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For Tuesday: The Tempest, Acts 4-5 (last questions for the class!)
Answer TWO of the following: Q1: What do you make of the elaborate play (or "masque," a 17th century genre where allegorical fi...
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Answer TWO of the following... 1. The final act is peppered with scenes and moments that are often cut or condensed in modern pro... -
Please watch the short video (20 min) on Acts 1-2 of the play, focusing primarily on Cleopatra as an actress, and answer the question that f...
A romantic "comedy" that ended badly was Me Before You with Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin based on Jojo Moyes's book Me Before You is a romance primarily, but it does have a bunch of funny parts, so some consider it a romantic comedy, ends in tragedy. The main character played by Emilia Clarke becomes a home nurse for a man who is confined to a wheelchair. The man, played by Sam Claflin, is the typical cynical and grumpy guy and Emilia Clarke is a super bubbly and spunky girl is is super optimistic about life. Through their time together they obviously fall in love and she leaves her dumb boyfriend for him. However, Claflin's character dies in the end leaving Clarke's character alone for the rest of her life. Clarke's character marries him even though she knows he doesn't have long to live, but they make the most of it. It's sweet, but also super sad and a lot of people didn't like that he died at the end.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a downer! But it's a tragic love story, which makes the romance more sweet...it's doomed, kind of like Romeo and Juliet, never to be properly fulfilled. So do you think the film stages itself like a romantic comedy, only to pull the rug out from under us at the end? Or are the clues that this is going to be tragic there from the beginning? I think The Comedy of Errors starts out tragically, but it quickly establishes its nature of comedy when Dromio walks in. Once that happens, you know it's all going to get resolved, somehow. Does this film do the same?
DeleteIn the Twilight Saga, Bella is in a love triangle with Edward and Jacob. Edward is a grumpy vampire who could kill her with his temptations to feast on humans by the smell of her aroma. Then there is Jacob, who is a Native American that can transform into a werewolf. He is against the vampires and will go to a significant degree to protect Bella. The film uses pathos to connect the audience with the characters’ emotions and draws them into the love triangle. Now the viewers will predict who Bella will be with, and I expected Jacob because of his charming enchanted ways and affection for Bella. Edward comes off arrogant and surly. He reveals little affection towards Bella and seems more absorbed in himself. Bella ends up choosing Edward over Jacob, and it seems the good guy never gets picked. I was hoping she would choose Jacob, who was clearly in love with her and would capture the stars to make her happy. Later in the movie, Jacob was so in love with Bella because he had imprinted on her daughter Renesmee, who she has with Edward. I was still in ah-moment that she did not pick Jacob. I believe both the Twilight Saga and The Comedy of Errors have an identity theme to them. They both demonstrate a character trying to prove themselves to the woman they love that they are who they claim to be and, in the same fashion, keep themselves collected while feeling forlorn.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can definitely see the identity theme, and I think Bevis would have a lot of fun analyzing these films/books. But Twilight isn't really a comedy, so the ending doesn't work as well...it's darker because it's part of a more tragic landscape. But what about a film that bills itself as a comedy but has an unsatisfying ending, or something that doesn't seem to satisfy the demands of comedy, either in identity or some other aspect?
DeleteMarley & Me is an comedy made in 2008. It follows the actor Owen Wilson who plays John and his Golden retriever, Marley. Marley is a rowdy pup who tends to give John and Jenny a pretty hard time. They adopted Marley to see how ready they were to be parents. Eventually the two characters have children over the years. Yet Marley was the same old rowady dog as he had always been. Over those years John would write articles about Marley and this was basically his job. The movie is full of comedy and a little bit of drama. Then when the end comes Marley is euthanized due to stomach issues that couldn't be fixed and just caused the poor dog pain. It wasn't anywhere close to a happily ever after ending, I mean the dog died. This is how I think a lot of Shakespeare plays probably tend to come together, just comedy and a hint of tragedy.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is shocking, since you don't expect the tragic ending. Are there signs in the beginning that this isn't going to be a happy-go-lucky comedy? Or does it really surprise us? (I can't remember--haven't seen it for ages). As we keep reading Shakespeare, I want to be open to the idea that a play or a movie doesn't have to be 'be' anything...that comedy and tragedy are just gestures, and they don't really say what a work can and can't do. Shakespeare never called his plays anything--later people did that for him. So we can't fall into the trap of assuming a play is going to be 'funny' or 'sad' from the beginning. Sometimes, he wants to trick us, because he thinks we prefer being confused and surprised more than being satisfied.
DeleteOne of my favorite romantic comedy movies that comes to mind is Someone Great, a Netflix Original. Jenny Young, played by Gina Rodriguez, is the protagonist of this film. This is not your typical love story and that is what makes it so tragic. Jenny falls madly in love with Nate after they meet at a party. They spend nine years full of love together until one day Nate decides he can’t do long distance when Jenny has an opportunity to work for Rolling Stone Magazine in San Francisco. Their break up happens at the very beginning of the story and the entire time I am watching the movie I think they are going to get together in the end because that’s how every romantic comedy ends. Jenny is so heartbroken by this breakup because Nate didn’t even try to do long distance. Everything reminds her of him because they spent nine years together. Through her breakup she goes through a lot of comical moments. She spills her entire Nate story to a lady on the subway and the lady is annoyed. She does drugs with her friends. Again, I am thinking they have to end up together because she keeps having these flashbacks where Nate seems like a great guy. Then the ending happens. She goes and looks for Nate at this club and when she finally finds him, they are like 5 feet apart facing each other. They stare at each other and she mouths “I love you” and he says it back. I think they’re going to run to each other after this but she walks away. I cry every time because it’s something unexpected. This is not how this film is supposed to end. Then I realize that this film was about how Jenny grew from her heartbreak. She does not need a man who is not willing to fight for their relationship. I still can’t believe this film has a 6.2 rating because what makes it great is that it’s not your typical love story that ends in a marriage.
ReplyDeleteGreat response...why does a romantic comedy have to end in two people (hetereosexual people, at that) getting together? Is there no other happy ending? I think growing from heart ache and pain is the best of all possible endings, though it's not the one we're conditioned to accept. It's a lot like the movie, The Break-Up, where Jennifer Aniston has a messy, terrible break-up with Vince Vaughan that just gets worse and worse. And at the end, they finally make up, but it's too late. They can't come back together. ANd people hated the movie because it was funny, painful, and realistic. People usually don't get back together. Comedy is supposed to reflect real life, and things become less funny if they seem too far removed from the world we experience. And yet, sometimes laughter hurts! And we don't like that, either...
DeleteChloe LaFevers:
ReplyDeleteI recently watched the film Little Shop of Horrors (1986) for the first time, and after reading up on it a little bit afterwards, I think it’s a good example of a story that has potential for a less than humorous “sixth act”. To summarize, Little Shop of Horrors is a dark comedy musical that is the film adaptation of an off-Broadway musical that was based off a 1960s film (it’s been through a lot). The protagonist is a rather shy and geeky fellow named Seymour Krelborn. He works in a struggling flower shop and has a crush on the shop’s florist, Audrey. He comes to possess a plant (which he names Audrey II) that is so curious in nature is causes hordes of people to throng to the shop just to see it. Seymour amasses great fame for his weird plant, which continually increases in size day by day, but the dark truth is that Audrey II is in fact a man-eating plant from outer space that plans to take over the world. Spoiler alert: the plant is defeated and Seymour and Audrey end up together, living happily ever after. Okay so, synopsis aside, the really interesting thing about this film is that the original ending was supposed to be much darker. It was supposed to mirror the ending of the off-Broadway musical, which results in Audrey II devouring both Audrey and Seymour and then going on to succeed in world domination. When the film was first screen tested, however, it became apparent that audiences as a whole neither enjoyed nor accepted this ending. So, an entirely new ending was filmed for the purpose of appeasing the desire for a happy ending. While I’m not saying this “alternative” ending isn’t cute, knowing the background information, it can come off as somewhat hollow. It’s interesting that people can find joy in the film’s irreverence and absurdness right up until its conclusion, and then its ending seems to be subject to a strict formula. In this way, the movie does seem to just ‘end’. And even with this more tragic ending discarded, there are still some elements that seem unfulfilled. While Seymour never outright murders anyone in any version of the story, he can at least be seen as an accomplice in the death of two people (hungry alien plants gotta eat, am I right?). By the end of the film this fact goes relatively unacknowledged, but it’s something Seymour will have to live with for the rest of his life. Another somewhat insubstantial aspect of the film’s ending is Seymour and Audrey’s idyllic “white-picket fence” ever after. Living in rather dismal circumstances in the beginning of the film, Audrey dreams of a home and life straight out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine while Seymour simply dreams of making her happy. Their wishes are granted in the end, but it raises the question of whether or not their fantasies of the ‘perfect’ life will hold up to the test of time. While I cannot stress enough how vastly different they are, I do think on some level Seymour and Audrey can relate to Antipholus of Ephesus and Adriana. While Seymour is as kind and gentle as Antipholus is abusive and cruel, they both have some amount of darkness inside that they have yet to wrestle with. And as for Audrey, I think her situation is similar to Adriana’s in that she is chasing a sort of ‘character’ and ideal that she believes will render happiness if only faithfully acted out.
Yes, what a great example--I've seen this more than a few times, and it's the perfect example of a dark comedy. With so many comedies, the happy ending is predicated on a lot of pain, confusion, and often, violence. Or in this case, death! I can't imagine what kind of life Adriana and her husband are going to have after their 'confusion,' or how the two Antipholuses are going to live near each other, knowing that one spent a night with the other one's wife (who knows what could have happened?). Everyone is an accomplice in this play, just as Seymour is in the movie...and are we supposed to forget about that? Or does the term "comedy" excuse taboos and social evils in the name of fun? If so, that suggests that we actually WANT to do these things and flaunt these values, and grab for any convenient excuse to do so!
DeleteWe see a lot of romantic comedies today that end the same way this play did. Often times in a romantic comedy we expect the two people that were at one time emotionally or physically involved, ending up together in the end. However as we know, that is not always the case. The one that comes to mind is "The Break-Up" starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaugn. As we can tell from the title, the two were at one time together as we can see from the beginning of the movie but they continuously fight over stuff that does not really matter in the long run. After enough fights both have had enough and they decide to separate. Now, throughout the entire movie we are rooting for them to get back together but if you have seen the movie you know that they do not get back together before the end of the movie. Despite what we may expect from the movie, it does not always end the way that we expect it too. In the comedy of errors, we would expect a happy ending but that is not necessarily what we get out of the poem at the end. This is exactly what we see play out in the break up.
ReplyDeleteYes, a great example--I used that film as a response above. What about the ending of the movie surprised you? Do you think this was a complete 180 from the beginning of the movie, or was it always going to be this type of movie? Do we simply expect comedies to end happily no matter what the movie tells us?
DeleteGloria Evans
ReplyDeleteThis was a hard question to answer! I feel like I watch a lot of movies with “unsatisfying” endings, but I couldn’t think of one for the life of me. I finally settled on “La La Land”. This movie is classified as a musical and romantic comedy. We follow Mia and Sebastian as they fall in love and chase artistic success as an actress and jazz pianist, respectively. They begin drifting apart because Sebastian began choosing his modern band over Mia, but Sebastian helps Mia try for success in Hollywood. The ending of the movie fast forwards several years and we see that Seb got his dream of owning a jazz club and Mia became a famous actress. Sadly (or is it sad?), they did not end up together. I wanted the main couple to get together so badly that I felt like I couldn’t even delight in each character’s success. Although their dreams did come true, it felt very bittersweet. The same is true in our play. Even though the characters ended up in the relationships they were supposed to, we saw the ugliness of jealousy, confusion, and a spouse truly not understanding her husband’s character.
Great example: La La Land is a movie that flirts with a lot of different genres, without completely committing to any of them. Which begs the question, does a movie HAVE to fit into a genre? Are genre rules laws, or suggestions? In many of Shakespeare's comedies, the end seems a little forced, as if that's the point--he wants to question whether all the complications can be laughed away, or if there is some lasting damage from all the betrayals and misunderstandings.
DeleteA comedy I that I believe embodies this hollow ending feel is the 2007 film, Superbad. We witness two best friends, Seth and Evan, that ultimately grow apart due to the different colleges that they've chosen. Throughout the film we see hints and reminders that at some point soon, they are no longer going to be as close as they once were. It's heartbreaking in many ways, because almost everyone can relate to a friendship or even a relationship that has decayed or will soon decay. The saying of "Comedy is supposed to reflect real life" has never been more true because of it. What makes it all the worse is when they finally acknowledged their issues at the end of the film. They admit that they love each other, but there's not much left that they can do aside from making the best of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes the film bitter-sweet though is that Seth and Evan are able to form a relationship with their love interests, despite the mostly horrendous night they had with them prior to this. At the end of the film we see Seth and Evan look at each other as they move further away; up until they can't see each other anymore. It's a surprisingly sad feel for this otherwise laugh out loud comedy. Even though I knew that their days as close friends will be coming to an end since the near start of the film; it still gets me every single time.
Great example and a wonderful analysis of the end of the film. Comedy also takes us to a "fantasy world" where the rules don't matter, only to return us home at the end of the play, to a world where the rules remain, and reality reasserts its dominance. That's why a lot of teenager comedies are about growing up, and the movie shows their last big romp as teenagers before the inevitable growing-up process beings in earnest. We'll see this in the forest of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is the prototype for so many comedies that have followed it.
DeleteI feel like I have been using this example for all of my responses, but this movie fits really well into all the questions we have been asked. Once again Big Daddy is a great example of a hollow ending. At the end of the movie Sonny does not get custody of Julian like we all hoped. Yes, Julian does end up moving in with his actual dad, but I still hoped that somehow Sonny would get to be Julian's dad because of the connection the two shared and all the fun they had. This is a lot like the last act where the two brothers finally meet again. They are happy they have met up again, however they are not nearly as happy as you would imagine them being. This is similar to the way I felt about Sonny not getting custody of Julian.
ReplyDeleteWell, like they say, "if the shoe fits, wear it." But in this case, why do you think the film ends like this? Why does it subvert the comedic expectation? Why would the film be "false" if he became his dad? Or why would it be simply a different movie than the one he set out to make?
DeleteSO the movie that I thought of that is a modern day comedy that didn't exactly end as comedy is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. This movie is about a woman who goes on a quest to write an article in a magazine about how to lose a guy in 10 days. The movie has her working with another man who vows he can make her fall for him in just as short of time. The movie tracks each of their efforts but actually ends with the two falling for each other and professing their love. As a result of this, the movie does not end in any sort of comedic way. It ends as a romance would instead. I feel that it relates to The Comedy of Errors because it ends in a unconventional way but also because of the ridiculous antics that the main characters play in each one. They all seem to be fueled in way by their own pride and this makes it comedic.
ReplyDeleteI remember this movie but don't remember how it ends...how DOES it end? What makes it not a comedic but a romantic ending? Because they fall in love? But wouldn't that be the comedic ending--the happy ending that restores "balance" to the world? So if it felt wrong, what made it feel wrong? If the movie had ended with them hating each other, or going their separate ways, would it still be a comedy? Maybe discuss this a little more, since it's interesting to think about how a comedy SHOULD end.
DeleteStacy Haigood-
ReplyDeleteSomething Borrowed is a Rom-Com that begins by revolving around the friendship of Rachel and Darcy. These two girls have been best friends since childhood. Rachel is a brain and Darcy is the pretty girl. Rachel meets a guy, Dex, that she really likes in college and they become study partners. When they go out to celebrate passing a test he meets Darcy and she asks him out. Fast forward and they are engaged, Darcy asks Rachel to be her maid of honor. After a party with a little alcohol involved Rachel lets it slip that she had feelings for Dex. They end up spending the night together. They try to pretend it never happened. Rachel confides in her best guy friend Ethan, who is in love with her. She didn't know. The antics go on. In the end. Darcy cheats on Dex with his friend and ends up pregnant. Ethan is heartbroken and moves to London. Rachel and Darcy lose their friendship. Rachel and Dex end up together but they lose everyone else. His parents are even upset.
Ha, this sounds like so many Shakespearean comedies, esp. A Midsummer Night's Dream, where partners are traded and everyone falls out of love (for awhile). But in this movie, the partners and the balance isn't restored, and you get a happy ending at the expense of everyone else's happiness. Why do you think the movie ends like this? Did it never intend to be a comedy? Or does the comedy end and the end of the film is the actual 'sixth act' which most movies don't show us? Could this be an anti-Romantic comedy? One that says "love is NOT all you need?"
DeleteThe comedy "Lars and the Real Girl" shares a lot of similarities with A Comedy of Errors, as the film has a lot of absurdist humor and ends in a very bittersweet way. The film center around Lars, played by Ryan Gosling, who is a massive introvert and has little to no love life. He lives next to his brother and his wife, who feel sorry for Lars and wish to bring him closer to the family, inviting him to dinner even though he constantly refuses. When Lars claims he's found a girlfriend named Bianca, they're ecstatic that's finally connected with someone. This feeling comes to a screeching halt when "Bianca" ends up being a sex doll Lars ordered online, although Lars is treating her as if he is a real person, pretending to have conversations, wheeling her around in a wheelchair and tucking her into bed. The film centers around Lars' family and the townsfolk going along with this "delusion" in an attempt to finally make Lars feel welcome in society and feel part of a family.
ReplyDeleteTo avoid dragging on for too long since I love this film, the film ends when Bianca suddenly dies of illness, at least according to Lars. They hold a funeral for her, in which Lars is devastated. He's lost his only love and the only woman he's managed to connect with. Although, we're given an idea of how his life moves forwards past the events of the film, as the actual, real-life woman who's been interested in him for the entire movie comforts Lars in his loss and manages to make a connection.
The film is very bittersweet and doesn't end in a very happy way, although we're given the idea that Lars has grown from all of this. The movie shares a lot of traits with A Comedy of Errors, as the events of both are ridiculously absurd in a lot of ways, and everything seems to fall apart come the end of the story; additionally, Lars is much alike the characters found in A Comedy of Errors, as they can be seen as fanatical and can't get out of their own head.
(Also, note to self and anyone reading this. Login before you make a comment. I'm having to retype this whole thing again and I find myself being upset writing about Lars and The Real Girl, which should never happen.)
[yes, logging in does help some people--though others claim they don't have to. But it's an easy process and if nothing else, it identifies you so you don't have to write your name in the responses.]
DeleteThis is a very interesting movie to choose, since it's a true "comedy of errors," in that everyone goes along with the delusion that a man is in love with a doll. If seems wrong, but in the world of comedy, wrong is right. Every comedy breaks the rules of society to examine that society from a backwards lens. Of course, we also know order has to be restored at the doll has to 'die' at some point. What might this movie be saying about the nature of love through a comic viewpoint? Is it necessary to have a 'fake' attachment before you have a real one? Do we all fall in love with ideals before we love flesh and blood? As someone who was antisocial, did he have to do this literally, whereas most of do it more metaphorically? For example, falling in love with that person you don't know and have never spoken with, and over whom you build elaborate castles in the sky...until you ultimately realize that it's never going to work (or they laugh at you, etc.).
A comedy that does not end well is the 1989 movie The Heathers. This movie is a little bit like Romeo and Juliet in the sense that it has all the makings of being a comedy until a very unexpected death; in Romeo and Juliet it's Mercutio, and in the Heathers it's Heather Chandler.
ReplyDeleteWe know from the beginning that this is a dark comedy given the raunchiness of the jokes, and we also know that the romance between the protagonist, Veronica, and JD is going to be a significant part of the film from the very first scene. However, JD turns out to be abusive and homicidal, which kills any support from the audience of their relationship.
Veronica is also trying to become a character all throughout the story. When she is first introduced, we find out that she had abandoned her oldest friend in order to become part of the popular group at school, and is sacrificing not just her old friendships but also her morality to do so. She ends up helping the popular group bully another character in order to maintain her status. When she starts dating JD, she is modelling her image after him.
The story has an incredibly grim ending: JD attempts to blow up their school, Veronica stops him, and JD kills himself. This was not the happy ending audiences were originally expecting. And even if JD hadn't died, him staying alive wouldn't had been much better since he is a murderer and an abusive partner. While the movie is still categorized as a dark comedy because of its absurd humor, there is no "comedic" ending that would have worked for this movie.
Oh man, when I was in high school, this was "the" movie...everyone talked about it. A lot of people didn't like it because it was so dark, but for a lot of people (me included), it felt a lot like high school. It opens like a typical teen comedy until they make Heather drink the bleach and she dies...and then it gets absurdly comic when everyone starts trying to kill themselves in emulation of her. I think this movie tries to see how far you can stretch the fabric of reality in a teen comedy...and by the end, you simply have to let it snap back by having him die and the movie fall apart. I think it was a response to all the reckless teen comedies where terrible things happened, but it all worked out in the end. This movie suggests that things DON'T go back together again, at least, not in a neat and tidy way. The same is true in The Comedy of Errors, where it ends with the family restored but everyone else pretty confused...I doubt Adriana and her husband are going to speak to each other for a long, long time!
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