What is Farce?
Farce is the type of comedy that is characterized by the use of outrageous and ridiculous situations, slapstick and the comic elements of the absurd to amuse and evoke laughter. It sometimes has physical comedy, role switching, and fast talking to give the feeling of confusion and amusement.
The genre of farce should be understood as a type of humor that provides its audience with comic situations and actions that are illogical or even absurd. Although, it is a light-hearted genre, farce can be used to make a political statement and to satirically comment on the society and people’s behavior.
Farce is characterized by:
Exaggeration: It is common to find characters, situations and actions exaggerated to the extent of being absurd for the purpose of making a comedy.
Physical Humor: Loud sounds especially the use of slaps and physical comedy play an important role in producing humor.
Absurdity: The stories are usually absurd and rather incongruous; the emphasis is made on the absurdity of the given situations.
Fast Pace: The plot of the movie is intense and the characters speak quickly and the events happen one after the other.
Mistaken Identities: Misunderstandings and cases of mistaken identities are common in the play, as the characters get into many situations.
Common Examples of Farce
The concept of farce is used in different genres of entertainment including books, plays, movies, and TV shows. Some well-known examples include:
1- “Noises Off” by Michael Frayn
This play is a classic example of farce, which portrays a theatrical production, wherein everything goes wrong. The actors’ private lives affect their work, causing various comic and turbulent situations.
2- “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde
Wilde’s play is filled with multiple confused identities, secret engagements, and sarcastic dialogues. The character’s mistakes, fake relationships and misunderstandings are the main components of the narrative, which make it amusing.
3- “Fawlty Towers” (TV Series)
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom, written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, which depicts the events in the life of Basil Fawlty, a clumsy and occasionally aggressive hotel owner. It is characterized by the physical comedy, wild scenarios and humorous archive of the spoken words.
4-“The Pink Panther” (Film Series)
The comedy film genre that has encompassed the series of Inspector Clouseau films, is an example of farce. The smart and inept detective lands into an abundance of ridiculous and comical situations; most of which are related to slapstick comedy and identity confusion.
Examples of Farce in Literature
Farce also has its roots in various literature works. Many authors tried to make people laugh and at the same time made them think about certain aspects of public life. Here are a few notable examples:
1- “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare
“PETRUCHIO: Come, come, you wasp; i’ faith, you are too angry.
KATHERINA: If I be waspish, best beware my sting.
PETRUCHIO: My remedy is then, to pluck it out.
KATHERINA: Ay, if the fool could find it where it lies.”
In this play, Shakespeare has used farcical aspects through exaggerated characters and events. Throughout the play, the relationship between the two main characters i.e. Petruchio and Katherina and their extraneous actions have been discussed. Petruchio and Katherina’s relationship is filled with brawling disorder and slapstick since Petruchio wants to “correct” the obstinate Katherina. The arguments they have and nonsensical moves they make are funny and make the play a farce.
2- “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde
“Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”
Farce with many mistaken identities and satirical intentions is present in Wilde’s play. The dishonesty of the persons and their misinterpretations of the words of others creates a absurd and ridiculous situation. The statement of Lady Bracknell that Wilde used the strategies of wit and irony to comment on the manners and customs of the society, and through adventures that are farcical at times, give amusement and delight to the audience.
3- “The Pickwick Papers” by Charles Dickens
“Mr. Pickwick took a seat at the breakfast-table, and revelled in the conversation of the Pickwick Club. ‘Good morning, gentlemen,’ said Mr. Pickwick. ‘Good morning, sir,’ said the rest of the members.”
The novel “The Pickwick Papers” by Dickens is full of elements of farce, including ridiculous personalities and comical situations. The incredible events of Mr. Pickwick and his friends are comical due to absurd situations, mishaps and misunderstandings. Due to a humorous nature of the text and funny situations described by the author the novel can be classified as farce.
4- “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare
“Puck: Lord, what fools these mortals be!”
Farce is used by Shakespeare in the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the construction of a comical narrative. It has mistaken identities, magical interferences and such like; intrigues from the fairy world as regards the Athenians lovers’ episodes. Since Puck is given a role of meddling with love affairs of these young people, and the whole story is filled with farce and playing with characters’ emotions, the play gives a rather entertaining impression to the spectators.
5- “The Rivals” by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
“MRS. MALAPROP: He is the very pine-apple of politeness!”
The play is famous for the employment of farce, which is ascertain by the identification of Mrs. Malaprop. The use of words by Mrs. Malaprop in a wrong context mistakenly creates a comical and ridiculous situation. For example, her statement “He is the very pinnacle of politeness!” shows that she instead of saying “pine-apple” uses “pinnacle”, which is the example of farce. The misconceptions between the characters and the play’s main heroes also contribute to the comedic aspect of the play; thus, the play is the vivid example of farce in literature.
6- “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare
“SIR TOBY BELCH: Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
The play “Twelfth Night” is also one of Shakespeare’s comedies containing a lot of farce aspects. The entire play revolves around the female character, Viola, who is in male disguise, which creates a comical misunderstandings. The revelries of Sir Toby Belch and his mischief also add the farcical environment. His sarcastic comment on Malvolio emphasizes the teasing satire at social conventions and pretentions. Hence, the elements of love affairs and Mechanicals’ comic behavior (Sir Toby and Malvolio) contribute to the comedy of the play.
See also: Literary Devices That Start With F
Types of Farce
Farce is a versatile type of comedy that can be divided into several subcategories, depending on the techniques and structure of the story. Here are some of the main categories of farce:
i- Classical Farce
Classical farce originated in Greek and Roman theatre. It constitutes an important part of the European stage tradition existing from the ancient times. Such kind of farce entails stock characters, mistaken identities and obscene situations.
II- Modern Farce
The modern farce is based on the principles of classical farce, however sometimes it adds the modern themes and setting. It continues to be recognized by its elements of the absurd, fast pace, and slapstick.
III- Romantic Farce
Romantic farce falls under the category of romantic comedy but includes a little inflexibility in the relationship. The narratives of romantic farce include romantic relationships, misconceptions, and exaggerated conflicts, that are mainly comical in nature.
IV- Political Farce
The political farces can be defined as the plays that use humor and exaggeration to depict political figures, institutions or events. This was because satire was used to lampoon the political systems, and leaders and the fallacies that were inherent in the political realms of those countries.
V- Situational Farce
Situational farce deals with the humor built around some specific situation that exists in reality or as a mere fantasy. Thus, the comedy is based on how the characters respond to these hilarious situations which includes slaps, tickling and other forms of physical comedy.
Importance of Farce
Farce plays a significant role in literature and entertainment, offering several important benefits and functions:
1- Entertainment and Laughter
Farce is written with the intention of amusing and making the audience laugh. The comical and playful context of the scenes, as well as the main character’s amusement, provide a temporary relief from the everyday problems.
2- Satire and Critique
Fare is related to Satire. The writers use humor to criticize the norms of the society, the leadership, and conduct among the persons. Through exaggeration of certain practices and ideas, the farce can help people to think over the existing norms.
3- Relief from Tension
Farce serves the function of reducing tension and stress of the people. Since farce does not belong to the so called dramatic theatre, it has the advantage of not putting the audience tense, therefore they can simply chill and be entertained.
4- Exploration of Human Nature
Farce distorts the human vice and virtue giving people a humorous view on their defects. Thus, using such components, the authors convey messages about the ordinary people and their behavior, inviting audiences to think about themselves.
See also: Themes in “In Cold Blood”
Literary Terms Related to Farce
1. Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of humor that is physical and can be described with such elements as overacting, falls, and accidents. It is a feature of farce and directly relates to the physicality of the genre and the importance of the ludicrous.
2. Irony
Irony is when something appears to be one way, but really is the opposite, and is generally used to make people laugh or make fun of something. In farce irony is employed to emphasize the ludicrousness of situations and persons, thus giving the humor a richer dimension.
See also: Themes in I Hear America Singing
