Comedy As A Way Of Correcting The Ills Of Society A Critical Reading Of Wole Soyinkas The Trials Of Brother Jero And Harold Pinters The Caretaker

Abstract Many a time some readers and theatre-goers tend to have a misleading understanding of comedy. To such people comedy is all about laughter and the riff-raff of society. They never associate humour with criticism and as such the utilitarian aspect of comedy as an instrument for correcting the ills of society is often overlooked. In much the same way they often tend to overlook the art and skill with which comic writers are able to present the unpleasant in a pleasurable manner and the offensive acceptable. This paper expatiates on the meaning role and some dramatic techniques used in comedy through a critique of Wole Soyinkas The Trials of Brother Jero and Harold Pinters The Caretaker.