Some Comments on "Humour" from my journal

     The word "comedy" comes from a Greek word "komos" which means rejoicing. Comedy is confused with humour. Humour, which comes from the word "humors" means a pleasant attitude and ability. At first, humour was a celebration of Dionysus, the god of wine, joy. In Renaissance comedy almost disappeared. In the Elizabethan comedy, errors and obsessions came into comedy. In the 17th and 18th century, comedy and tragedy were separated. In Modern comedy, it is from love tragedies to obsessions and even every-day problems. 
     In Shakespeare's plays, it is important to see behind the humours, because it has a serious tone. "Humour is a painful thing told playfully." Shakespeare used humour to overcome the ignorance. In Shakespeare's times, there were a political and religious forces, so he used humour as a weapon. To overcome Puritanism, he creates a character called Malvolio in Twelfth Night. With sharp humorous sentences, Shakespeare explains Malvolio's puritanical arrogance as grandiosity. At the end of the play, Malvolio becomes an unfortunate stupid man. 
     Shakespeare's humour helps us to recognize the truth. He generally uses "fool" in humorous language. Giving an example, in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", the humour consists on the artisans. They want to look intelligent but they destroy the grammar in their play Pyramus and Thisbe. ( I see a voice, I can hear my Thisbe's face. Act5,Scene1)  But the major humour is between the young Athenians. They lose their dignity and become ridiculous. 
    Our bodies and their humours are part of the natural world, but they are not always in harmony. Nature's elements can destroy the life they created such as an earthquake or flood. But human culture were supposed to act as vectors to health. 


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