Shakespeare in Jest

Indira Ghose

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000432633
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism of Shakespeare
• Index: Literature

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.

Index

Note: Page numbers in italics indicate a figure on the corresponding page. Page numbers followed by “n” indicate a note.

alliteration 2, 24

ambivalence 72, 166

Anatomy of Melancholy, The 8

antics, bumbling 2, 3, 139, 148

Antony, Mark (Antonius, Marcus), 56–8, 112–3

Apophthegms 9

Aquinas, Thomas 8

Aristotle 5, 7–8, 51, 159

Armin, Robert 82, 84, 94–5

Art of English Poesy, The 7

Art of Rhetoric, The 7

As You Like It 34, 44, 49, 54, 72, 94

Ascham, Roger 29

Asteismus (Merry Scoff) 7

audacity 30, 105, 122

audience: addressing 33, 112, 118–19, 231; appreciation 14, 30–1; late-night 108; laughter 64, 145, 157; manipulation 31, 33, 64, 82, 87, 123, 125; pleasure/delight, invoking 41, 60, 116, 122; response 5, 25, 59

Augustine of Hippo (St. Augustine) 6

Baron Cohen, Sacha 90–1, 162–3

Beckett, Samuel 151

Book of the Courtier, The 27

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm 91, 162

Borgia, Cesare 122

Bracciolini, Poggio 10, 25

buffoon 8, 25, 85, 88, 94, 138, 146, 159

Burton, Robert 8

Caesar Strabo, Gaius Jul...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• List of figures
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• One Joking relationships
• Two Women and wit
• Three Clowns and wise fools
• Four Black humour
• Five Humour and ethics
• Further reading
• Index