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Why does comedy have such an enduring, timeless appeal? How can comic routines that evoked laughter in ancient Rome yield the same results today? Theater director Mel Gordon, who teaches at the University of California at Berkeley, argues that comedy’s universality is based to a great extent on three character types—the Wildman, the Trickster, and the Fool—that occur again and again in various guises throughout history.
By Mel Gordon
In most cultures, dramatic performance means comedy. One reason comedy has such appeal—on stage, in motion pictures, and on television—is that it has familiar character types. You’ve seen all three standard comic types on Seinfeld. They are the Wildman, the Trickster, and the Fool.
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Comic characters have traditionally dominated the imaginative landscape of the popular arts. They range from Hopi Mud Heads, who cover their heads in clay, to buffoons and jesters in the comedies of William Shakespeare, to Chinese acrobats who portray the feats of mischievous monkeys, to wacky sitcom slackers.
While theater scholars and historians have focused the critical lens largely on the heroic and tragic creations of the world stage, ordinary spectators have frequently doted on these creations’ laughter-provoking counterparts. Actors playing the cunning valet Arlecchino from the commedia dell’arte or the conceited Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night had devoted fans in the 17th century. These actors were far more likely to be mobbed by fans after a production than were actors who donned the costumes of more sympathetic characters, such as the charming Young Lover in the commedia dell’arte or the feisty Beatrice in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
One reason for comedy’s universal appeal is its familiar set of character types. With a minimum amount of visual or dramatic cueing, audiences quickly recognize the comic personae that the performer has created and know how to respond to his or her stylistic traits. For the most part, what amused Roman spectators during the reign of Julius Caesar can still garner laughs in contemporary Japan or Mali. Comedy, more than any other dramatic mode, traverses time and place.
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Whether invented by writers or theater practitioners, comic characters invariably fall into one of three pure types: Wildman, Trickster, or Fool. Although some comic masters, such as Charlie Chaplin, exhibit qualities of all three classifications, most comic masters predicate their overall comic image on a single physical typing, as Chaplin did with the Little Tramp. The comic types are described as male, but they define female comedians equally well.
The Wildman is a “manchild” who doesn't know or care about social rules or mores. His body is loose and relaxed. Typically, the Wildman seeks the companionship of animals and children. His wants and goals are those of a needy infant—food, shelter, and the warmth of other human bodies. He engages in clowning and acrobatic display in a manic pursuit of instant gratification. The Wildman is innocuously amoral and unselfconscious.
Chaplin's character the Little Tramp, for instance, is a perfect example of a traditional Wildman, childishly tricking some of his antagonists but the object of ridicule and invective by others. Other historical and contemporary examples are Arlecchino; Harpo Marx; Kramer from the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld; and Samantha from the HBO series Sex and the City.
The Trickster is a loner (or con man) who knows the rules of society but attempts to ignore or manipulate them. His body is outwardly composed, disguising internal tension. He is a schemer, normally suspicious or paranoid about others. The Trickster engages in elaborate ruses and insidious practical joking. Ever watchful, he assumes others share his dark world vision. Sexually, he is immoral, a voyeur, shallow, and often promiscuous.
Historical and contemporary examples are Pulcinella from the commedia dell'arte; Groucho Marx; Jerry and Elaine from Seinfeld; and Carrie from the HBO series Sex and the City.
The Fool is an outsider who knows the basic rules of society but is unable to follow them. His body is tense and hyperanxious. The Fool seeks the friendship and attachments of others who, because of his neurotic or self-effacing behavior, avoid him. The Fool is usually a strict moralist and therefore filled with guilt and frustration over his physical or social shortcomings. Despite an obsessive interest in sex, he is often impotent or a cuckold.
Historical and contemporary examples are Pantalone from the commedia dell'arte; Chico Marx; George from Seinfeld; and Charlotte and Miranda from the HBO series Sex and the City.
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