Monty Python's Use Of Farce

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Farce is a technique used to mock things; it is an exaggerated humor of things and Monty Python is certainly full of that. We see examples of farce throughout the film in a mockery of courtly love, the knight’s code of chivalry, and the quest. In the very first scene we see a great example of farce, an example which extends throughout the whole movie. Initially King Arthur “rides” in on a horse, or so we think until he is actually visible when we find out that King Arthur is pretending to ride a horse. He has a man following behind banging coconuts to imitate the sound of a horse's hooves as well as carrying all of King Arthur’s belongings to authenticate the duties a horse would do. By doing this, the movie is mocking the idea that …show more content…

The movie includes excessively long names of characters who are not significant. The credits mention an apology for the credits and say that “all responsible have been sacked” and later in the credits they mentioned that the people responsible for the sacking have also been sacked. During one scene a man is making rounds through the town to collect the dead who have been dying from the plague. In this scene a customer brings a very old man out of his house over his shoulder and tries to place him on the cart of dead bodies when the old man continually insists that he is not dead. The customer is adamant about putting him on the cart because he will not take long to die and this brings a light hearted feeling to the somber subject of the plague. One of the greatest examples of farce in this movie is when Sir Arthur is trying to pass through the woods. He comes across the knight who will not let him pass and a fight ensues. During the fight King Arthur manages to cut off the knight’s arms to which the knight responds “Just a flesh wound” making light of a situation that would normally ensue chaos. King Arthur has now broken the chivalric code by attacking an unarmed