Comedy conventions
Characteristic features of comic drama, including mistaken identity, wordplay, physical humour, lower-status characters, confusion leading to resolution, and typically happy endings with restoration of order.
Real World
Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' exploits mistaken identity when Viola disguises herself as Cesario, creating cascading comic confusion across class and gender that resolves only when disguises are removed and marriages restore social order.
Exam Focus
When analysing comedy conventions, explain what social anxieties or tensions the humour exposes — top-band responses treat comedy as critique, not just entertainment.
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