How do Alan Bennett and the director of Talking Heads invoke both humour and pathos?

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How do Alan Bennett and the director of Talking Heads invoke both humour and pathos?

Alan Bennett and the director invoke humour and pathos in numerous ways in each of the Talking Head speeches.

In all the Talking Heads, there are recurring themes, such as loneliness (A Cream Cracker under the settee) and exaggerated pride or self-confidence (Her Big Chance).

None of the characters are truly happy, although the little happiness can come their way through surprising means. Graham finds happiness when his mother doesn’t leave him for Mr Turnbull, although, ironically, in the future he may have been happier if she had.

Each person has a secret, which is hidden, yet perhaps subconsciously known, and isn’t revealed, Grahams slightly fragile mental state, Doris wish to die, Susan’s alcoholism and loss of faith and Lesley’s promiscuity, and lack of talent.

Although none of the character aims to be funny, Bennett makes them speak in a way which causes the audience to laugh at the situation (sometimes absurd), that they are in, or their choice of words. For example, Grahams mothers comment about the man at Tescos, or Susans flower arranging account at the church. A lot of humour comes from the characters seriousness retelling of stories in a language, which they perceive to be so, yet to us, they aren’t.

Some of the humour in the Talking Heads is humour, which could be deemed as inappropriate to laugh at, mainly because it deals with serious social issues such as racism.

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Many of Bennett’s characters are pathetic in their own different ways. In “A Cream Cracker under the settee”, Bennett creates pathos by making Doris seen so helpless and sad. She lives a very isolated life, and is very lonely. From her talking about her cleaner, it shows that she is incapable of looking after herself. The reaction to this by the audience is sympathetic, because she wants to do things by herself, but isn’t physically capable of doing so. Doris doesn’t want to accept that she is incapable of doing thing for herself, and is told, by Zulema, not to ...

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