Friday, February 17, 2017

O Comedy Where Art Thou?

I absolutely think that comedy enhances the modern world. My choice for this post is the Coen Brothers' film, O Brother Where Art Thou? (OBWAT), and it fits Aristotle's requirements for a comedy well enough to make my point.

The protagonist, Ulysses Everett McGill, of OBWAT is by no means a spotless hero, but he has loads of charm. He is a witty man who was thrown in prison for practicing law without a license, so he is very charismatic. Everett manages to escape, and the movie details his road back to his family, to remarry his wife. The film does end with him reconnecting with his wife, so it ends with the promise of a marriage, the way a true Aristotle comedy should. (However, she is sort of bickering with him, even in the last scene). 

This happy, but realistic, ending provides one of the reasons comedy enhances our world: it gives us something to draw hope from. People can look at Everett, someone who is in a bad situation with a seemingly unreachable goal, and watch him succeed using skills he already had. 

The same way that we can value tragedy for reminding us of the shortcomings of man, comedy can make us think that we can overcome the obstacles that are in our way. In modern days, comedies also usually make us laugh and uplift us. I am not sure why people perceive tragedy and suffering as more important or poetic than comedy and happiness, but I can say with confidence that OBWAT tells just as complex a story has many renowned tragedies without having to end in spectacular deaths.

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