AQA · A-Level · English Literature

    Course version: 7717 · Version from Sept 2026

    In all cases society itself (as represented in the texts), and the…

    Full specification wording

    Aspects of comedy: In all cases society itself (as represented in the texts), and the behaviour of men and women in it, are ridiculed.

    Comedy often targets the social world rather than isolated individuals, exposing folly in manners, hierarchies and gender roles.

    Checked against the AQA 7717 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 3 of 18

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    Comedy often targets the social world rather than isolated individuals, exposing folly in manners, hierarchies and gender roles. Ridicule works through exaggeration, inversion and wit: characters embody social types, and their behaviour reveals the absurdity of prevailing norms. In Twelfth Night, Malvolio's puritanism and social ambition are mocked, while Viola's disguise exposes the constraints placed on women. In The Taming of the Shrew, courtship rituals and patriarchal authority are both performed and questioned.

    What earns the marks

    • Identifies specific social groups, institutions or conventions that the text holds up to ridicule.
    • Analyses how language, disguise, exaggeration or inversion produce satirical effect.
    • Examines the representation of male and female behaviour and the gender expectations being mocked.
    • Considers the role of the audience in recognising and sharing the joke at society's expense.
    • Evaluates whether the ridicule ultimately reinforces or challenges the social order represented.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Claiming the text ridicules society without locating specific targets.

      Put it right by naming the convention, character type or institution being mocked.

    • Confusing ridicule of a character with ridicule of the social values that character embodies.

      Put it right by distinguishing individual folly from satirical critique.

    • Ignoring gender by treating male and female behaviour as interchangeable.

      Put it right by analysing how expectations differ and how the text exposes that difference.

    Exam tips

    • Anchor each point in a short quotation or precise stage moment that demonstrates the ridicule.
    • Use critical vocabulary such as satire, parody and dramatic irony accurately and sparingly.
    • Keep returning to the question of what the laughter reveals about the society represented.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Aspects of comedy: In all cases society itself (as represented in the texts), and the behaviour of men and women in it, are ridiculed. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    How do comedic playwrights and authors typically use the behaviour of men and women to ridicule society itself?

    Listen

    Comedy often targets the social world rather than isolated individuals, exposing folly in manners, hierarchies and gender roles. Ridicule works through exaggeration, inversion and wit: characters embody social types, and their behaviour reveals the absurdity of prevailing norms. In Twelfth Night, Malvolio's puritanism and social ambition are mocked, while Viola's disguise exposes the constraints placed on women. In The Taming of the Shrew, courtship rituals and patriarchal authority are both performed and questioned. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Identifies specific social groups, institutions or conventions that the text holds up to ridicule. Analyses how language, disguise, exaggeration or inversion produce satirical effect. Examines the representation of male and female behaviour and the gender expectations being mocked. Considers the role of the audience in recognising and sharing the joke at society's expense. A common slip: Claiming the text ridicules society without locating specific targets. Instead, naming the convention, character type or institution being mocked. Exam tip: Anchor each point in a short quotation or precise stage moment that demonstrates the ridicule.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart. The first box states that society and the behaviour of men and women are ridiculed. An arrow leads to a box listing the targets: social conventions, hierarchies and gender roles. An arrow leads to a box listing techniques: exaggeration, inversion, wit, disguise and satire. An arrow leads to a box saying characters embody social types. An arrow leads to a box saying behaviour reveals the absurdity of prevailing norms. An arrow leads to a box saying the audience recognises and shares the joke. A final arrow leads to a decision box asking whether the ridicule reinforces or destabilises the norms.
    A sequence showing how comedy targets society, uses techniques such as exaggeration and disguise, and leaves the audience to judge whether the ridicule reinforces or destabilises social norms.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. The first box states that society and the behaviour of men and women are ridiculed. An arrow leads to a box listing the targets: social conventions, hierarchies and gender roles. An arrow leads to a box listing techniques: exaggeration, inversion, wit, disguise and satire. An arrow leads to a box saying characters embody social types. An arrow leads to a box saying behaviour reveals the absurdity of prevailing norms. An arrow leads to a box saying the audience recognises and shares the joke. A final arrow leads to a decision box asking whether the ridicule reinforces or destabilises the norms.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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