Humorous Characters We Know

This is just something that i wrote discussing humorous characters in romantic plays. If you choose to read it, think about anyone you know who might be such a character.

Congreve writes that “humour is from nature …. humour shows us who we are …. humour is the life” (McMillian 476). Congreve and others credited Ben Johnson with the invention of the “humourous” character, but it can be observed throughout the history of play writing in plays such as: Lysistrata, The Pot of Gold, The Miser, Twelfth Night, The Feigned Courtesans, and The Way of The World.

As early as Aristophanes’ Lysistrata a humourous character can be found in Lysistrata, whose goal throughout the story is her life, she does not alter it or merely speak it. Her nature is to have her men home. She mentions that her plan “concerns a thing I have turned about and about this way and that of many sleepless nights” (Aristophanes 2). She shows how her goal consumes her. Having her men home promotes every action including: summoning all the women, planning the scheme, taking over the treasury, denying the men sex, and seeing her plan to completion. She ends by saying, “May husbands live happily with wife, and wife with husband”(Aristophanes 54). She proclaims the exact sentiment from beginning to end.
The Pot of Gold and The Miser both show a similar humourous character. This character is consumed by their obsession with money and thrift. Euclio in The Pot of Gold thinks of nothing but his money and his pot of gold. Euclio talks of how much he thinks about his pot of gold, he says, “my mind is there all the time” ( Plautus 18). Euclio’s every action spurs from his nature, which is to love money. But as the humourous character may be seen to be developing at this point, the constructed ending shows Euclio “falling out of humour”. At the constructed conclusion Euclio gives the money away aware of the trouble the money has caused him.

The Miser, written some 1300 years later, includes a miserly character who mirrors Euclio in every respect; this is Harpagon. Harpagon’s thrift consumes his whole being. His hidden fortune, the marrying off of his daughter, even his cleaning instructions to his servant tell of his thrift. He says, “ to you I assign the task of cleaning the entire house; above all take care not to rub the furniture too hard, or you’ll wear it out” ( Moliere 200). Harpagon keeps with his nature of being miserly throughout the entire play. At the conclusion, which is a wedding, he is continuing to be miserly by asking to pay no dowry, to not pay the wedding expenses, and for a new suit to be bought for him.

Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night presents a character of different humour. This character’s life resolves around himself. His nature is to care about himself. This is Malvolio. Malvolio’s actions are fueled by his love for himself. He wants to marry Olivia for the prestige and wealth. Malvolio’s nature is ultimately set upon himself so that he cannot laugh at any folly that befalls him. At the end of the play he declares that he’ll “be revenged on the whole pack” of those that did him wrong. This keeps in standing with his nature as he has seen himself wronged and must avenge, because he cares only about himself.

The Feigned Courtesans contains two characters that are of a humourous nature. Galliard is a character whose life is based on adventure and enjoying women. He says, “my passion, like great victors, hates the lazy stay, but having vanquished, prepares for new conquests” ( Behn 96). He evidences these aims throughout the play. But it could be said that he falls out of humour at the end when he marries. Behn, however, tried to keep his marriage less than normal, and may be in keeping with his nature. Sir Signal Buffoon is certainly a more evolved humourous character. His nature is to be a buffoon; his name is Buffoon. Sir Signal Buffoon is repeated tricked by Petro and shows his nature of being a buffoon. His losses during the night scene also show his nature of being a buffoon. Finally at the end of the play, he is reconciled and keeps in good humour with his character by hoping to not be used any further, but not changing at all.
Congreve himself can be seen to be using the humourous character idea that he attributes to Ben Johnson. In The Way of the World, Congreve uses names to ascribe a humour to a character. Witwoud is a person who tried to use wit but doesn’t succeed. Lady Wishfort is a lady who is older and “wishes for it”. Congreve uses the names of characters as a way to divulge information about the character’s nature to the reader.

The humorous character has been in development throughout the play writing history. Congreve mentions that Ben Johnson invented this character, but perhaps it is better said that he polished an already existing convention. The nature of some characters comes from there humours adds to a plays “humor”, which is laughable, is a key to a comedic play.