Duck Soup: A Comedy Analysis

Comedy has been a form of entertainment since ancient Greece. Comedy often reflects society, so as technology became more advanced it also became more accessible to the public. Leaving the house to see a play transitioned to leaving the house to see a film, which transitioned to staying at home and watching television, and then transitioned to watching videos on an iPhone. Technological accessibility broadened comedy as genre and created notable characters, distinctive styles, and has influenced modern comedians. Bo Burnham began to gain popularity through YouTube. His videos have reached millions of views and from there he was able to develop two comedy specials. Burnham often criticizes current pop culture and social issues by writing satirical

Although the Marx Brothers are known for their physical comedy, the film incorporates farce humor as Groucho Marx, who plays the protagonist Rufus T. Firefly finds himself being appointed as the new leader of Freedonia. Mrs. Teasdale, a wealthy woman who is in charge of Freedonia’s finances sets up a gathering to introduce Rufus T. Firefly. The crowd sings and awaits for his arrival. The scene quickly cuts to Firefly who is seen sleeping in his bed until he hears an alarm. He quickly jumps out of bed, takes off his nightshirt, and reveals he is wearing a suit underneath. Firefly slides down a pole that takes him to where the gathering is being held. He sees aligned rows of performers and British guards awaiting his grand presence. Rufus T. Firefly walks to a British Guard, pulls on a tassel attached to his sword, and asks “Are you expecting somebody?” Firefly stands and sings along with the guards and performers. Mrs. Teasdale enters, quickly walks towards Firefly and says, “Oh your excellency! We’ve been expecting you.” Mrs. Teasdale continues to welcome him to Freedonia. Firefly’s response to Mrs. Teasdale welcome is, “Never mind all of that stuff, take a card.” He holds a full deck of cards in his hands as Mrs. Teasdale takes one card. She asks, “Card? What do I do with the card?” Firefly casually says, “Keep it I have fifty-one left. You were saying?” As the scene continues Mrs. Teasdale discusses all

Sarah Silverman often plays incorporates music into her act, playing simple four chord pop melodies. Her song featured in her special Jesus is Magic, is inspired by 60s pop songs about being in love. The opening line of the song begins with “I love you more than bears love honey.” The composition of the song stays the same, but Sarah Silverman begins to use stereotypes as a metaphor to express her love for someone. “I love you more than jews love money. I love you more than asians are good at math.” As the song continues the tempo begins to slow down and the chord progression becomes more dramatic. “Jewish people driving German cars. Jewish people driving German cars. Jewy people buying German cars. What the cock is that shit? But maybe it’s like Take Back the Night. Maybe it’s like how bleeding hearts grow old and swing to the right. Maybe it’s like when a faggot calls himself a faggot.” Silverman sings the entire tune grinning, the contradiction between the endearing upbeat melody and lyrical content creates an amusing sense