Comedy can be found all around us, it's something that all of us love to see and hear, so much so that we even pay for the pleasure of this popular form of entertainment.
We find Comedy in the papers we read, the films we watch, live on stage and even in our everyday conversations.
There are many variations of comedy, but whichever way it is presented to us, the sole purpose remains the same. And that purpose is to entertain and amuse us by making us laugh.
Enjoying Comedy
It's a well known fact that all of us love to be entertained and experience laughter. Laughter is a human behaviour which is triggered by the brain as an emotional response to things that we find funny.
When we experience the emotional response we call laughter, our response can range from a snigger to an uncontrollable fit that can reduce us to tears.
The reason why we love to laugh so much is that when we experience the emotional response of laughter, the brain releases endorphins that in effect make us feel good and give us a sense of well being and happiness.
Different Forms of Comedy
Comedy is a subject that can't easily be described because of its many variations and styles. For example some people enjoy cerebral fare such as irony or black comedy, while others may prefer scatological humour or slapstick.
Most good comedy contains variations on the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and the effect of opposite expectations. Comedy can be enjoyed in many forms apart from traditional live comedians as explained below.
- Comedians - A comedian or comic is a performer who entertains an audience by telling jokes, talking about amusing situations or by acting the fool.
- Films - Many comedy films are just there to make you laugh. However, some are a political or social commentary.
- Sketch Shows - Sketch shows are a series of short comedy scenes called sketches. These sketches can be between one and ten minutes long, depending on how long it takes to deliver the punch line. Sketch shows are usually performed by a group of comedians or actors, either live On Stage or in studios which are recorded and then televised.
- Musicals and Plays - Like films, comedy musicals and plays are there to make us laugh. However musicals and plays are performed live on stage.