Experiencing Humour

Abstract

The following thesis focuses on how humour is used in the selected performances to evoke and influence audience and performer’s self-reflection. The theoretical part of my thesis is based on the existing research of humour made by authors such as Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer, Jean-Paul, and Ivan Vyskocil. The practical part of my thesis applies the findings from the theoretical part on particular theater plays of Aristophanes, William Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, and a film by Bong Joon-Ho. The outcome of my research will underline how humour emphasizes the core self-reflective message focused on analysing society and human nature depicted in the selected performances. In the last part of my thesis, I analyse interviews given by students at DAMU KATaP, where they speak about their experience of how humour, which was incorporated in their authorial performances, enabled them to self-reflect. The thesis is finished by providing a conclusion about the role of humour in performance and its influence on audience and performer.