Amour.
Joke Poo:
What does Romeo call Juliet when he’s ordering takeout in Verona?
Marinara.
Alright, let’s analyze this joke and see what we can extract for comedic enrichment.
Joke Dissection:
- Premise: The joke sets up a question about a French translation of Shakespeare’s Othello. This creates a false expectation of something complex or related to literary translation.
- Punchline: The answer “Amour” is deceptively simple and ironic. It plays on the fact that “Amour” means “love” in French, a stark contrast to the tragic, jealousy-fueled relationship between Desdemona and Othello, ultimately ending in her murder. The humor lies in the extreme understatement and the juxtaposition of the word’s meaning with the play’s events.
- Key Elements:
- Othello: The play itself, its themes of jealousy, betrayal, and tragedy.
- Desdemona: A symbol of innocence and doomed love.
- French Translation: A specific detail, but essentially a red herring leading to the pun.
- “Amour” (Love): The central irony and source of the humor.
Comedic Enrichment Possibilities:
Here are a few options, ranging from a new joke to a witty observation:
Option 1: A New Joke (Based on factual tidbit)
Why did Shakespeare briefly consider writing Othello in Italian?
Because then he could have had Desdemona call him Amore…and then claimed it was all just a historical drama about pasta sauce preferences.
- Reasoning: This joke is based on a historical tidbit – Shakespeare was very much influenced by Italian literature and culture during the Renaissance. This uses the Italian word for ‘love’ to further mock the tragedy of the play.
Option 2: Witty Observation
It’s ironic that the closest Desdemona ever got to “amour” was right before Othello gave her a very close shave. Of course, “close shave” is an understatement when your husband smothers you to death. I guess you could say their marriage was definitely over.
- Reasoning: This observation plays with multiple layers of meaning. It juxtaposes the idea of “amour” with Desdemona’s death, using dark humor to highlight the tragedy. It also uses the English puns ‘close’ shave and ‘over’ to draw on the dark nature of the play.
Option 3: Amusing “Did You Know?”
Did you know that in some early productions of Othello, Desdemona’s death scene was considered too disturbing for audiences? Stage directions were often modified to make it appear more like a fainting spell. So, technically, you could argue that those productions did end with “amour”… of a sort…between the director and the audience’s fragile sensibilities!
- Reasoning: This “Did You Know?” uses a historical fact about the play’s reception to create a humorous contrast. It suggests that attempts to soften the tragedy ironically led to a form of “love” (amour) between the director and the audience, in the sense that the director tried to cater to the audience’s sensibilities.