Abstract
Comedy of manners, as a genre which emerged in the Restoration period, was popular in the twentieth century, too. Although some qualities have changed over time, the main characteristics remained the same. Noël Coward, a twentieth century playwright, has contributed to the genre with his plays that evoke the sense of comedy in the audience. In his Present Laughter, loyalty is an important term which has the power to reunite couples and maintaining businesses. Garry Essendine, who is in the middle of the events, has two circles around him: the inner circle in which the comrades of Garry try to protect and be loyal to him and the outer circle in which the members try to get in to the former one. By defeating threats like two one-night stand guests, the inner circle’s aim is to keep their loyalty for their own benefits such as maintaining the business. Due to restricted studies about the concept of loyalty in the literature, we will focus, in this study, directly on loyalty as a comic element and the loyal comrades of the main character who contribute to the resolution in Present Laughter. Finally, we will show that the term loyalty is used in this play to protect the main character from a threat which comes from the outside of the orbit in which the satellites circle around.
Keywords
References
- Burns, G. J. (1999). Private Lives: The Presentation of Marriage in English Drama 1930 - 1990. (Publication No. 0800949) [Doctoral dissertation, University of New South Wales]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
- Coward, N. (1954). The Collected Plays of Noël Coward: Play Parade Vol. IV (Tonight at 8.30, Present Laughter, This Happy Breed). London: William Heinemann.
- Coward, N. (1979). Plays: Four (Blithe Spirit, Present Laughter, This Happy Breed, Tonight at 8.30). London: Methuen.
- Dinçel, M. S. (1989). Technical and thematic developments in three representative comedy of manners: Wycherley's The Country Wife, Etherege’s The Man of Mode and Congreve's The Way of the World. (Publication No. 7647) [Master's thesis, Hacettepe University]. Yükseköğretim Kurulu Ulusal Tez Merkezi. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/tezDetay.jsp?id=uPiaa6yuHLAaAEcfwxFOgQ&no=uPiaa6yuHLAaAEcfwxFOgQ
- Gray, F. (1987). Macmillan Modern Dramatists: Noel Coward. London: Macmillan.
- Gray, F. (2006). Always Acting: Noël Coward and the Performing Self. In M. Luckhurst (Ed.), A Companion to Modern British and Irish Drama, 1880-2005 (pp. 225-236). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
- Hirst, D. L. (1979). Comedy of Manners. London: Methuen.
- Hoare, P. (1996). Noël Coward: A Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Kaya, K. (2012). Alan Ayckbourn’un ‘Absurd Person Singular’ Oyununda Evlilik Kurumu. Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 36(2), 121-138. Retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/cumusosbil/issue /4347/59452
- Lahr, J. (1982). Coward, the Playwright. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
- Mander, R. (Ed.). (1957). Theatrical Companion to Coward: A Pictorial Record of the First Performances of the Theatrical Works of Noël Coward. New York: The Macmillan Company.
- Merriam-Webster. (2004). Loyal. In Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11. ed., p. 738). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
- Paterson, A. M. (1978). High Comedy in the British Theatre of the Nineteen Thirties. (Publication No. 10868003) [Master's thesis, University of Glasgow]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
- Rebellato, D. (1999). 1956 And All That: The Making of Modern British Drama. London: Routledge.
- Rogers, C. S. W. (1972). Dramatic Structure In The Comedies Of Noel Coward: The Influence Of The Festive Tradition. (Publication No. 7231427) [Doctoral dissertation, The Florida State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
- Royce, J. (1908). The Philosophy of Loyalty. New York: The Macmillan Company.
- Yaravintelimath, C. R. (1975). The Comic Vision of Noel Coward. [Doctoral dissertation, Karnatak University]. INFLIBNET Centre. http://hdl.handle.net/10603/93811
Abstract
Restorasyon döneminde ortaya çıkan töre komedisi, bir tür olarak yirminci yüzyılda da popülerliğini sürdürmüştür. Zamanla bu türün bazı nitelikleri değişse de temel özellikleri aynı kalmıştır. Bir yirminci yüzyıl oyun yazarı olan Noël Coward, seyircide güldürü hissini uyandıran bu türe uygun oyunlar yazmayı başarmıştır. Sadakat, çiftleri yeniden bir araya getirme ve işleri sürdürme gücüne sahip önemli bir terimdir. Olay örgüsünün tam ortasında olan Garry Essendine'in çevresinde iki çember vardır. Bunlar, Garry'yi korumaya ve ona sadık kalmaya çalışan arkadaşlarının ve ailesinin içinde bulunduğu iç çember ve üyelerinin ilk çemberin içerisine girmeye çalıştıkları dış çemberdir. İç çemberdekilerin amacı dıştan gelen tehditleri yenerek tiyatro işini sürdürmektir. Bu tehditler, Garry’nin tek gecelik ilişki yaşadığı ve daha sonra başına bela olan kişilerdir. İç çemberdekilerin sadakati ise kendi çıkarlarını korumak üzere geliştirilen bir savunma biçimidir. Sadakat kavramının literatürdeki kısıtlı çalışmalar nedeniyle, Present Laughter'daki sadakatin komik bir unsur olarak ele alınıp, ana karakterin sadık arkadaşlarının çözüme katkılarına direkt olarak odaklanmak önem arz etmektedir. Sadakat kavramı ana karakteri, uyduların etrafında döndüğü yörüngenin dışından gelen tehditlerden korumak için kullanılan bir araçtır.
References
- Burns, G. J. (1999). Private Lives: The Presentation of Marriage in English Drama 1930 - 1990. (Publication No. 0800949) [Doctoral dissertation, University of New South Wales]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
- Coward, N. (1954). The Collected Plays of Noël Coward: Play Parade Vol. IV (Tonight at 8.30, Present Laughter, This Happy Breed). London: William Heinemann.
- Coward, N. (1979). Plays: Four (Blithe Spirit, Present Laughter, This Happy Breed, Tonight at 8.30). London: Methuen.
- Dinçel, M. S. (1989). Technical and thematic developments in three representative comedy of manners: Wycherley's The Country Wife, Etherege’s The Man of Mode and Congreve's The Way of the World. (Publication No. 7647) [Master's thesis, Hacettepe University]. Yükseköğretim Kurulu Ulusal Tez Merkezi. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/tezDetay.jsp?id=uPiaa6yuHLAaAEcfwxFOgQ&no=uPiaa6yuHLAaAEcfwxFOgQ
- Gray, F. (1987). Macmillan Modern Dramatists: Noel Coward. London: Macmillan.
- Gray, F. (2006). Always Acting: Noël Coward and the Performing Self. In M. Luckhurst (Ed.), A Companion to Modern British and Irish Drama, 1880-2005 (pp. 225-236). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
- Hirst, D. L. (1979). Comedy of Manners. London: Methuen.
- Hoare, P. (1996). Noël Coward: A Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Kaya, K. (2012). Alan Ayckbourn’un ‘Absurd Person Singular’ Oyununda Evlilik Kurumu. Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 36(2), 121-138. Retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/cumusosbil/issue /4347/59452
- Lahr, J. (1982). Coward, the Playwright. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
- Mander, R. (Ed.). (1957). Theatrical Companion to Coward: A Pictorial Record of the First Performances of the Theatrical Works of Noël Coward. New York: The Macmillan Company.
- Merriam-Webster. (2004). Loyal. In Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11. ed., p. 738). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
- Paterson, A. M. (1978). High Comedy in the British Theatre of the Nineteen Thirties. (Publication No. 10868003) [Master's thesis, University of Glasgow]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
- Rebellato, D. (1999). 1956 And All That: The Making of Modern British Drama. London: Routledge.
- Rogers, C. S. W. (1972). Dramatic Structure In The Comedies Of Noel Coward: The Influence Of The Festive Tradition. (Publication No. 7231427) [Doctoral dissertation, The Florida State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
- Royce, J. (1908). The Philosophy of Loyalty. New York: The Macmillan Company.
- Yaravintelimath, C. R. (1975). The Comic Vision of Noel Coward. [Doctoral dissertation, Karnatak University]. INFLIBNET Centre. http://hdl.handle.net/10603/93811
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | December 22, 2021 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2021Volume: 45 Issue: 2 |
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