farce
Comedy of absurdity
A farce is a comedy built on absurd situations, improbable coincidences, and physical humor—mistaken identities, doors slamming, people hiding in closets.
The genre values chaos over wit.
Extended to any situation that's absurdly inadequate or a mockery of what it should be: The trial was a farce.
To farce, rarely used, is to stuff—the original meaning, surviving in "forcemeat."
Tartuffe's comic creator
- doorsHinged passage barriers
- mistaken identityWrongly recognized as another
- misunderstandingFailure to grasp meaning
- coincidenceUnplanned matching of events
timing · entrances · exits · hiding · chase · ensemble · stock characters · plot twists
Exaggerated physical humor
- buffooneryLudicrous or silly conduct
- clowningPlayful comic behavior
- pratfallsStaged comedic falls
- anticsAbsurd, attention-seeking behavior
tomfoolery · gags · hijinks · shenanigans · horseplay · mugging · physical comedy · sight gags
Inviting scorn through absurdity
- ludicrousAbsurdly unreasonable or inappropriate
- preposterousCompletely contrary to reason
- nonsensicalWithout coherent meaning
- absurdWildly illogical
laughable · risible · outlandish · grotesque · incongruous · mockery · travesty · shambles
Deceptive outward show
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
- shamFraudulent imitation
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
fraud · imposture · put-on · subterfuge · duplicity · fakery · humbug · bluff
Disgraceful public affair
- hearingPerceiving sound waves
- inquiryRequest for information
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- circusTraveling entertainment with performers
theater · spectacle · sham · rubber stamp · kangaroo court · show trial · whitewash · dog and pony show
Molière
Tartuffe's comic creator
- doorsHinged passage barriers
- mistaken identityWrongly recognized as another
- misunderstandingFailure to grasp meaning
coincidence · timing · entrances · exits · hiding · chase · ensemble · stock characters · plot twists · disguise
slapstick
Exaggerated physical humor
- buffooneryLudicrous or silly conduct
- clowningPlayful comic behavior
- pratfallsStaged comedic falls
antics · tomfoolery · gags · hijinks · shenanigans · horseplay · mugging · physical comedy · sight gags · timing
ridiculous
Inviting scorn through absurdity
- ludicrousAbsurdly unreasonable or inappropriate
- preposterousCompletely contrary to reason
- nonsensicalWithout coherent meaning
absurd · laughable · risible · outlandish · grotesque · incongruous · mockery · travesty · shambles · circus
pretense
Deceptive outward show
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
- shamFraudulent imitation
hoax · fraud · imposture · put-on · subterfuge · duplicity · fakery · humbug · bluff · cover-up
scandal
Disgraceful public affair
circus · theater · spectacle · sham · rubber stamp · kangaroo court · show trial · whitewash · dog and pony show · grandstanding
forcemeat
Ground meat filling
breadcrumbs · herbs · seasoning · sage · thyme · onion · celery · chestnut · giblets · dressing
farcetragedy
Disastrous or sorrowful event
drama · Greek tragedy · high drama · classical tragedy · opera
farceseriousness
Earnest, weighty demeanor
solemnity · legitimacy · dignity · gravitas · sobriety
- tragic farceCalamity rendered absurd
- comedic farceAbsurd humor through exaggeration
- theatrical farceExaggerated comedic stage production