high comedy
Witty social satire
High comedy is comedy that appeals to the intellect rather than relying on physical gags or crude humor.
It typically features witty dialogue, sophisticated wordplay, and satirical observations about society or human nature.
Oscar Wilde's plays exemplify high comedy, as do many drawing-room comedies about upper-class manners: The show's high comedy depends on the audience catching subtle verbal ironies.
Verbal wit techniques
- reparteeQuick, clever conversation
- banterPlayful, teasing exchange
- quipsBrief witty remarks
- punsJokes using sound similarities
witticism · cleverness · raillery · epigram · bon mot · double entendre · riposte · verbal sparring
Formal reception space
- mannersCustoms of polite conduct
- nobilityTitled ruling class
- gentryHighborn but not noble
- gentilityRefined social standing
hauteur · debutante · soiree · ballroom · blue blood · patrician · foppery · dandy
Harsh public mockery
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- parodySatirical imitation
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- skeweringPiercing with a pointed rod
spoof · ridicule · critique · travesty · send-up · pastiche · social commentary · exaggeration
Author of stage dramas
- dramaturgyArt of theatrical structure
- repertoireWorks ready to perform
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- farceAbsurd, laughable situation
proscenium · ensemble · staging · timing · delivery · script · production · performance
wordplay
Verbal wit techniques
puns · witticism · cleverness · raillery · epigram · bon mot · double entendre · riposte · verbal sparring · innuendo
drawing room
Formal reception space
gentility · hauteur · debutante · soiree · ballroom · blue blood · patrician · foppery · dandy · grandeur
lampoon
Harsh public mockery
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- parodySatirical imitation
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
skewering · spoof · ridicule · critique · travesty · send-up · pastiche · social commentary · exaggeration · hyperbole
playwright
Author of stage dramas
- dramaturgyArt of theatrical structure
- repertoireWorks ready to perform
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
farce · proscenium · ensemble · staging · timing · delivery · script · production · performance · scene
- comedyjokes, humor, puns, sarcasm, stand-up
- theater termsplay, actors, stage play, limelight, directing
- French theaterRacine, Tartuffe, classical tragedy, Andromache, Horace
high comedylow comedy
Humor from physical mishaps
slapstick · farce · broad comedy · physical comedy · bathroom humor
high comedytragedy
Disastrous or sorrowful event
melodrama · tragicomedy · pathos · gravitas
high, higher, highest, highly, highness, comedy, comedies, comedian, comedians