ASSIGNMENT+1

1. The lecture in class today involved the making of holy water by a Dalang puppeteer. Yet comedy may be introduced by the puppets during the most serious of events. Describe how comedy seems to be communicated by the clown servants in the two videos. The video displayed in class involved continuous music and prayer as the puppeteer created holy water through his puppets and blessed a few citizens of Bali. In two separate videos, clowns and laughter was exhibited in contrast to the seriousness of the video that depicted the creation of holy water. The clowns were portrayed as comical compared to the rest of the puppets in the performance. They were depicted with comical tufts of hair, large bellies, and unusual noses. In addition, whenever displayed with a different character, clowns tended to be displayed only from their waist and above while the other puppets were displayed normally. The height contrast between the two puppets signifies the inferiority of the clowns compared to the other characters and emphasize that the clowns are not to be taken seriously.
 * ASSIGNMENT 1**

During the performance comedy is displayed through the clowns' mannerisms. They speak quickly and seemingly in short sentences or tend to reply with what seems like retorts followed by laughter by the audience. Their quick speech patterns indicate playful banter between two puppets. Multiple times, the clowns also cackle at certain remarks, which indicates the comedic elements in the performances. Finally, the movements and gestures of the clowns help portray the comedy in the performances. The puppets are in constant motion, especially when they are talking, continuously turning their backs to the other character and bouncing up and down. These actions suggest that the clowns cannot keep still because they are full of energy and thus cannot concentrate on their partner. These mannerisms and actions can also been seen in other cultures involving clowns. Clowns in the circus are also characters that are up and about and seem to be bursting with energy. The jester or fool of the court may be seen performing silly motions or saying remarks in plays and works of literature. The clown seems to have a universal meaning in all cultures that is understood by most and thus comedy is not contained to the literal language of a performance thus can be seen even to outsiders.

2. Why do you think the puppeteer elects to use such tactics during these serious events?

Throughout literature, and most notably in Shakespeare's plays such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, comic relief exists within dramatic events to alleviate tension or heightened the emotional impact of the event through contrast between the event and comic relief. The creation of holy water is a critical religious event, and to be blessed with this holy water is also important to the Balinese. As religion plays a critical role in their society, many of the citizens' daily problems and needs are satisfied through a blessing by the Dalang and the holy water. The puppeteer uses comic relief to help relieve the intense emotions that may be present within the audience and alleviate a grim mood in the atmosphere. Furthermore, comic relief may be used to help sustain the audience's attention. The average person does not wish to linger on intense emotions for long periods of time, and the comic relief provides an outlet to remove oneself from the situation, even for a moment.