The Humour Styles in Shrek

There are many different types of humour in the film Shrek which include blue humour where jokes are made in reference to the toilet, sarcasm where someone tells someone else something when they don't really mean it, black humour where jokes are made about other peoples miss fortune and ironic humour where the outcome is unexpected.

The first type of humour explored in the film is blue humour, this type of humour is used quite a lot in the film because it appeals to the younger audience. Some examples of this humour are when Shrek is reading a fairytale book and he rips of the last page and uses it as toilet paper. Or when Donkey asks Shrek if he farted and Shrek replies 'if it were me, you'd be dead.' Another is when Donkey tells Shrek not burp in front of the Princess and the Princess returns it with an even louder burp.

It is not only Blue humour that's funny, black humour is also explored because we often laugh at other peoples miss fortune. Some examples of this are when Lord Farquad is threatening the Ginger Bread Man, where he has his legs in his hands and he says 'run, run, run, run as far as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Ginger Bread Man.' This is funny because it is obviously not possible for him to run away because he has no legs. Another example is when Shrek squeezes the guts out of a bug and uses it as toothpaste. This may sound disgusting but they make it funny and suitable to watch.

The third type of humour is ironic, this is funny because it is unexpected and unpredictable. Most of these jokes are only understood by a more mature audience. However, the younger audience will often laugh without even knowing what they're laughing at. An example of ironic humour is when the Pig is telling Shrek who Lord Farquad is and he says 'he huffed and he puffed and he..... signed an eviction notice.'

The last type of humour which is used in the film is sarcasm, this is used commonly in the film and in normal life. It is most often used to cover up a lie or as a joke. When used as a joke facial expressions are made to make it more obvious. An example of sarcasm in the film is when Donkey asks Shrek if he could stay at his house and Shrek says 'of course' in a sarcastic voice. So Donkey asks in an excited way 'really?' Then Shrek quickly replies in a loud voice 'NO!' It is funny because Donkey's ears poke straight up when Shrek says of course and then go straight back down when he finds out that Shrek's joking.

In conclusion, the film Shrek has many different types of humour and the main four are black humour, blue humour, ironic humour and sarcasm. They all have a main part in the film because they make it funny and therefore interesting to watch. Without the humour, the film wouldn't have been such a big hit to all age groups.

Toby Welford