Comic relief
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the charity organization, see Comic Relief.
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Comic relief often takes the form of a bumbling, wisecracking sidekick. A sidekick used for comic relief will usually comment on the absurdity of the hero's situation and make comments that would be inappropriate for a character who is to be taken seriously. For example, in the first two James Bond films starring Roger Moore, an American sheriff named J.W. Pepper serves as comic relief.
The appropriateness of comic relief in some works is debatable, as some find them annoying or unwelcome additions. A notable example is Jar Jar Binks featured in Star Wars: Episode I. The presence of the aforementioned character, among other issues, turned many fans from the franchise.
A more well-received example is seen in the science fiction movie Forbidden Planet. In this film an amusing diversion is provided by the enlisted cook, his quest for contraband whisky, and his encounters with Robbie the Robot. One of these encounters provides an alibi for Robbie, who was a suspect in an episode of sabotage (preceding a terrifying energy monster attack) in an effort by unknown parties to prevent the commander from communicating with his base for further instructions. Another example of comic relief is the porter in Macbeth.
But, the best example that is easily understood is in the old Star wars (4,5 and 6) where Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford) provides humorous scenes in the serious plot. When he is with Chewie, they are always cracking jokes, which releases the tension from the serious plot.
William Shakespeare often included comic elements in his tragedies; the recurring character Falstaff and the door-keeper in Macbeth are examples. Sometimes his inclusion of puns or jokes in otherwise serious scenes can seem inappropriate to a modern audience.
Children are often used as the source of comedy relief.
Also in the WWE , the face wrestlers de - pants the heel wrestlers in a match so the heels cant control the match.
Alexander Cabot III, R2-D2, C-3P0, Orik, Shaggy, and Scooby-doo are examples of Comic relief.
An example of comic relief in videogames is the HK-47 in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Comic relief characters are not that common in opera but the sacristan in Tosca or Papageno in The Magic Flute would be two examples.
