Comedy of Ideas
In the course of writing different pieces of works, writers always have underlying motives. The effects that are brought about in the works of various authors, mostly something that is anticipated and predetermined even before the work is done. Among the results brought about in the different pieces of writing include humor, drama, conflict, horror, thrill among others. The works that are characterized with a lot of humor are what is referred to as a comedy. Essentially they are said to be comic. Although comic works are primarily intended to be humorous, they also have a messaging aspect of them and are meant that at the end of the day the audience must have some insight to gain from the piece of work. There are different divisions of the comic works, each group serving a different purpose. The primary unit that will be focused on in this work is the comedy of ideas, with relation to its meaning, the opinions regarding the themes it represents how it was viewed in the socialist community and the factor regarding the formulation of its plot.
A comedy of ideas is a term that is typically used to define plays that are characterized by series of debates which entail serious and humorous fashion, concepts and theories. The comedy of ideas falls into the high category of comics. The comedy of ideas involve situations in which the characters argue regarding critical and sensitive subjects including political ideas, religious issues, the question of sex and the concepts relating to the issue of marriage, among other topics. In comedies of ideas, characters employ their thinking capacity and wisdom to challenge their opponents. The language that is used is usually that of mockery, to mock the opponents regarding their views and ideas on the subject at hand. Mostly, in the comedy of ideas, the characters use their wits and words in a subtle way to satire people, institutions, and ideas. This type of comedy is ordinarily intellectual and challenges the conventional thinking regarding different issues. The comedy of ideas is the highest type comic drama of comedy classification.
The unique and exciting factor regarding the comedy of ideas is that it concerns real-life severe issues and concerns. Most of the problems that this type of comedy addresses are issues that cause controversies in the society. The primary aim of this comedy in addressing these issues is to enable the individuals who these problems concern to be at a point from where they can apply critical thinking to be able to choose the best alternative about the mater. The characters that are in these comedies are meant to represent specific ideas and issues that are addressed in the comic. In the comedy, the characters are presented to be conflicting. This factor is intended to address the issue of conflicting ideas regarding problems in the society. Behavior and language of characters within the comedy are used to satire the foolish and nonrealistic philosophies that people have on issues within the community.
Due to the communistic nature of the Soviet Union, the idea regarding comedy of ideas took a different approach. The characters in the comedy were used for the sake of representing the aspects of mass tendencies and class interest. At the time, the factor of material plenty was stressed as an element that was supposed to be achieved by the Soviet Union. The factor was defined by the society. The idea of God was represented as an idea to be resisted. This could be more due to the element that communism denies the existence of God. The result of the comedy that was produced was that which the individual character was overshadowed by that of an act. The ideas that were represented were however sometimes fictional. In essence, in communism, the intended purpose of the comedy of ideas was to enforce the idea that the communist ideology was meant to be the ideology to be embraced. Additionally, because the people lived in a communistic manner, the government had to find a way to make all the people work most efficiently. In essence, productivity was the ultimate factor that was intended. Letting people be religious would hinder the factor of productivity as the population would spend time praying instead of working. For this reason, therefore, the consideration regarding religion had to be regulated if not burned. For this purpose, therefore, the comedy of ideas was used for the sake of presenting the notion of absence of God.
The plot in a comedy of ideas is presented in a manner that an argument is centered on the topic at hand. There will always be one side with ideas that are not so good or practical, where the other party will be in possession of practical and realistic ideas. The comedy will then involve the two sides arguing regarding the subject matter, with both sides actively supporting their views. The way a concept is discussed in the play is meant to bring out the difference in thinking capacity of the parties. One is intended to portray the inefficiency in that manner of carrying out the idea or having misinformed opinions on the subject. Through language and actions, the other party is then meant to ridicule the inferior thoughts. The language that is used in this type of comedy is that of satire. The langue is filled with mockery, irony, and ridicule towards the person with the wrong choice. The actions and happenings that are engaged in the course of the film are supposed to elaborate the more magnificent idea and demean the alternative thinking. At the end of the comedy, the outcome should always be that of the greater idea. In essence, the party that was for the inferior alternative, by that instant should have realized the logic behind the underlying topic, especially with relations to the way of thinking and reasoning.
The comedy of ideas, just like any other comedy, is characterized by the aspect of humor. The comedy of ideas falls under the high level of comedy due to the nature of idea and contents that it contains. Apart from the humor aspect that is present in the comedy of ideas, the comedy serves the purpose of debating issues by employing satire. Its nature has made it relevant and important. The comedies were commonly used in the Soviet Union to protect the Soviet communists’ ideology and demean capitalism. Additionally, it was vital in disregarding the existence of God and turning the people against religion. The plot in the comedies of ideas is always structured in a manner that at the end of the play, the issue is communicated and clear judgments passed efficiently.