Farce is Philosophy

What is it about?

Is farce just superficial fun? In this paper I try to show, on the example of Shakespeare's early play The Comedy of Errors, that farce reveals important philosophical truths. By unsettling the very foundations of human social life through confusions and errors, farce demonstrates that what we think we know for certain actually depends upon normality and convention.

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Why is it important?

Although it has become more acceptable in recent years to write about so-called popular entertainment in literary studies, the perception that there are 'higher' and 'lower' forms of art is still widespread. This is true even for Shakespeare's own body of work, in which The Comedy of Errors is often dismissed as an immature apprentice piece because of its strong farcical bend. Paradoxically, this is probably because it is Shakespeare's funniest, most entertaining play. In this article I try to expose this rather snobbish sentiment as ridiculous by showing that fun and artistic/philosophical significance are not mutually exclusive. 'Popular' art should therefore be the subject of critical study and appreciation just as much as 'higher' art.

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