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Shakespeare in Jest
Shakespeare in Jest draws fascinating parallels between Shakespeare's humour and contemporary humour. Indira Ghose argues that while many of Shakespeare's jokes no longer work for us, his humour was crucial in shaping comedy in today's entertainment industry.
The book looks at a wide variety of plays and reads them in conjunction with examples from contemporary culture, from stand-up comedy to late night shows. Ghose shows the importance of jokes, the functions of which are remarkably similar in Shakespeare’s time and ours. Shakespeare's wittiest characters are mostly women, who use wit to puncture male pretensions and to acquire cultural capital. Clowns and wise fools use humour to mock their betters, while black humour trains the spotlight on the audience, exposing our collusion in the world it skewers. In a discussion of the ethics of humour, the book uncovers striking affinities between Puritan attacks on the theatre and contemporary attacks on comedy.
An enjoyable and accessible read, this lively book will enlighten and entertain students, researchers, and general readers interested in Shakespeare, humour, and popular culture.
The book looks at a wide variety of plays and reads them in conjunction with examples from contemporary culture, from stand-up comedy to late night shows. Ghose shows the importance of jokes, the functions of which are remarkably similar in Shakespeare’s time and ours. Shakespeare's wittiest characters are mostly women, who use wit to puncture male pretensions and to acquire cultural capital. Clowns and wise fools use humour to mock their betters, while black humour trains the spotlight on the audience, exposing our collusion in the world it skewers. In a discussion of the ethics of humour, the book uncovers striking affinities between Puritan attacks on the theatre and contemporary attacks on comedy.
An enjoyable and accessible read, this lively book will enlighten and entertain students, researchers, and general readers interested in Shakespeare, humour, and popular culture.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
January 11, 2022
This was a very pleasant book to read. I appreciated Indira Ghose's discussion of different comedic troupes within Shakespeare's canon and enjoyed her research into the philosophical and historical origins of various comedic exchanges. While Ghose's stated intent is to show how comedy from Shakespeare's time affects comedy today, I feel this book works better as an examination of the past. The references to modern comics, TV shows, and movies feel forced and unnecessary; particularly because Ghose does include some very interesting analysis on the joke present within Shakespeare's work.
Ghose first 2 sections (on Joking Relationship & Women and Wit) are more reliant on pop culture references and construct a general framework of how Shakespeare approaches comedic situations, the next 3 chapters (on Clowns and Wise Fools, Black Humour, and Humour and Ethics) examine specific comedy troupes and the ethics present (or not) in Shakespeare's jesting; these 3 chapters are where Ghose does her best work. The modern connection that works the best is Ghose's observation about the similarities between Puritan critics of theatre and contemporary proponents of cancel culture/censorship; both groups mistake art for truth and are offended when art presents a situation that they find morally offensive. Ghose is right to make this comparison and provides an interesting exploration of the balancing act between the restorative and harmful nature of comedy.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning a little more about key comedic exchanges in Shakespeare's plays or exploring comedy from a slightly more philosophical perspective!
Ghose first 2 sections (on Joking Relationship & Women and Wit) are more reliant on pop culture references and construct a general framework of how Shakespeare approaches comedic situations, the next 3 chapters (on Clowns and Wise Fools, Black Humour, and Humour and Ethics) examine specific comedy troupes and the ethics present (or not) in Shakespeare's jesting; these 3 chapters are where Ghose does her best work. The modern connection that works the best is Ghose's observation about the similarities between Puritan critics of theatre and contemporary proponents of cancel culture/censorship; both groups mistake art for truth and are offended when art presents a situation that they find morally offensive. Ghose is right to make this comparison and provides an interesting exploration of the balancing act between the restorative and harmful nature of comedy.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning a little more about key comedic exchanges in Shakespeare's plays or exploring comedy from a slightly more philosophical perspective!
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review