  Drama
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| Gooble gobble! The holidays are upon us, and that means family drama is imminent. Want to know a good way to alleviate that drama? Let your inner comedian shine. The same goes for written drama. Dramatists have used comic relief for centuries to cushion the blow of the intensity of their productions. While an abundance of comedy might change the tone of the piece in unintended way, a sprinkle of humor can go a long way. |
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Sometimes, you just gotta laugh in the most stressful of times. I'm not just saying that because the holidays are nipping at our heels. I'm saying it because laughter plays a large role in drama. It might seem odd to laugh in the middle of a serious scene or weave satire into a morally murky situation. Still, comic relief works and appears in various works written throughout time. Comic relief is tempered by the author's style and what is considered funny at the time the piece is written, but it always serves the same purpose: to ease the intensity of the drama and/or provide emotional contrast.
The first question is how comic relief is defined. After checking several disctionaries (including writers' gloassaries), the only common thread among them was that comic relief interrupts the drama. After that, there are infinite ways of explaining what happens when the interruptions are made. Some suggest that comic relief parallels the dramatic content, while others say it relieves the intensity. In most modern pieces, comic relief is more often used for the latter purpose. That's not to say that using it for other purposes is forbidden territory. You can use comic relief to develop character foils and even heighten drama.
From there, it's a question of how to add comic relief to your work. There are a few ways I've seen it done, and the most effective examples will fall into one of these categories. The first is to play up plays on words. Puns or jokes that exist within dialects of a language are some examples of this. This is the most subtle comic relief route, but it can be an opportunity to play with words. It's also an ideal method if the drama involves someone being immersed in an unfamiliar culture and the locals having a little fun with him or her. The next one is to have a character or characters engaged in amusing or absurd banter. This is the most common type of comic relief seen, especially in contemporary porductions. It's not as easy as it looks, however. A fine sense of timing makes all the difference in dialogue-rooted comic relief. The other major type of comic relief is of the physical variety. Yes, even physical comedy can have its moment in the spotlight with drama pieces. If you use physical comedy in a drama piece, be careful not to have your characters engage in action that is over the top. Having a character trip is fine. Making that poor soul trip over, faceplant in the evening's meal and roll over the family pets is a bit much (unless the character is established as being klutzy early on). With any use of comic relief, be sure it fits your character and/or the situation. Some dramatic scenes (such as those involving a death in progress) are not well suited for comic relief, and more reticent characters may make humourous lines fall flat. When you write up a scene with humor included, make sure it makes sense. Otherwise, the humor won't wash with the readers.
Another factor to consider is the tone of the piece. With tone, there are two different routes you can take: sticking with a serious tone while adding humorous moments (as seen in the previous paragraph) or developing a subtly humorous tone. With the latter, most tones will either be understated or will embrace dark humor. An understated tone works well to highlight absurd moments in a dramatic piece, while dark humor gives an almost irreverent quality to events that clash with the audience's moral stance. Humorous tones work best when used in small amounts. A continuous stream of an understated tone might leave the aduience wondering if/when the punchline is coming. Dark humor can be used throughout a work more effectively, it's more likely to be seen as comic relief when used more sporadically.
Though comic relief is often taught in association with Shakespeare's tragedies (the entrance of Porter in MacBeth, the gravedigger's banter in Hamlet), it is certainly not limited to literature classics. A good example of comic relief in recent times comes from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. My stance on fantasy work aside, I'm glad I saw this film because it has some vivid moments. of comic relief seamlessly woven into the battle drama. As the army of Sauron advances on Helm's Deep, Legolas and Gimli exchange words in the otherwise silent waiting for the army to come closer.
Gimli: [failing to see over the wall] What's happening out there?
Legolas: Shall I describe it to you?
Gimli: [turns] Hmm?
Legolas: Or would you like me to find you a box?
[Gimli laughs]
Lines can be seen on the film's IMDB page.
Numerous other lines make Gimli the main comic relief character, although some might say his banter with Legolas fulfills the objective better. I'm inclined to say the latter, as the two characters have good comic chemistry. Legolas plays it completely straight while Gimli has a little wiggle room to ham it up. And no, the use of the word little was not intended as a pun.  These two are not the only characters to bring comic relief. My favorite example is when the Ents marched on Isengard. One of the Ents caught on fire, and after the river was unleashed, the Ent decided it would be a good time to extinguish himself.  Given that the whole movie was a series of battles, a little comic relief does make it more palatable. True, there might have been some anachronisms in the moments of such relief, but after all the (PG-13) carnage, few viewers will even bother to nitpick those moments.
As you prepare to deal with uncomfortable questions from your relatives or worry about travelling to wherever you will be celebrating the holiday, try to find the funny moments. When the drama of the season is at its most intense, a sprinkle of humor can work wonders, especially if it comes in the form of a relative doing silly things after imbibing or seeing someone trip over his own luggage at the airport. You never know. Those incidents might give you an idea for adding a little oomph to a drama piece that's running out of fuel.
Until next time,
(sig by the artist formerly known as Terryjroo) |
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Yay, feedback! I love feedback! Let's take a look at your thoughts on talking to your characters (and more importantly, having them talk to you).
From Davina  : This is a fantastic idea! Lately I've been so bored with my characters because it seems they are all just various versions of myself. This will really help me get into their heads and let them be far more interesting individuals. Thanks for this!
You're welcome. I've struggled with the same problem for years and only recently have begun to understand how to correct it. It takes some time to separate yourself from your characters. I hope this helps you with that metamorphosis.
From Satuawany  : Ah-ha! Excellent newsletter. Myself, I find that doing exercises like that definitely helps me fill out plot holes here and there, on top of everything else. Talking to them also gets you to where you know how to "pay attention to them" and you start to see all these wonderful details that sneak into a story, and therefore provide vivid characterization.
Of course, there are hazards. Some characters find out they like talking to you so much, they just keep doing it. All the time. Pretty soon, every other story you write has them popping up, saying, "Oooh, can I be in this one?"
Suggested topic for next newsletter: "How to keep a tight rein on characters that are too eager to tell you all about themselves."
or
"Let somebody else talk, will you?"
Hmmm...I admit I've yet to have that problem. I'm tempted to leave that in the hands of another editor. So far, my characters have talked but not at super great lengths. I have a bad feeling about Genevive
| a character for a mere idea of a White House-centered story; I have no idea what's going to happen, and she's already knocking on my brain. Sheesh! |
From Jaye P. Marshall  : This was a very informative issue of this newsletter. I never before thought of corresponding with my characters, but I can see how that would focus the writer's concentration on "what makes them tick".
Good job.
As long as it doesn't show what makes them go boom, we should be okay. And hey, they probably give you someone nice to talk to. I know some of my characters make better conversationalists than half of my coworkers. Have fun with them!
From StephBee  : Great discussion about characters and how to flesh them out, Stik! I loved the questions to ask our characters. The answers might be surprising.
Yeah, the answers surprised me as well. I initially thought Camilla and Phil started dating right after they met at the Mimosa, but it turns out romance was a rather far off thing for both of them. Likewise, Camilla's attitudes toward infidelity took me a bit by surprise. After talking to her, though, she makes a lot more sense to me, which is vital because the story requires a greater suspension of disbelief than most. Hopefully with Camilla less suspension will be necessary.
From spidey  : An excellent newsletter! I've often had the problem you discuss (not understanding a character), and I believe this method will really help me. Thanks! I always enjoy your insightful and helpful newsletters.
Good to hear from ya, Spidey, and let us know how it goes! Sometimes people wonder if mods have time to write with all we do around the site. I think members would enjoy seeing our contributions to the writing aspects of the site.
My last issue of 2008 will explore the connection between drama and the economy. Yes, it is a lean time for drama writers. Along with a detailed discussion of that, I'll also offer suggestions for keeping the drama fresh when escapism is a higher priority.
And if you happen to miss or misplace a newsletter, feel free to stop by "The Drama Box" [13+]. |
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Drama: November 26, 2008 Issue [#2743]
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