Comparing The Muppets During The Renaissance And In The Middle Ages

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Carnival is the birth of a whole new life; it is a time of joy and unity. Spectacular, outrageous events are planned throughout the span of the celebration. “Carnival festivities and the comic spectacles and ritual connected with them had an important place in the life of the medieval man (Mikhail Bakhtin, Rabelais)”. These over the top events won over the people’s hearts in the Renaissance and in the Middle Ages. During Carnival festivities, rules were thrown out the window and laugher was the focus point. “A boundless world of humorous forms and manifestations opposed the official and serious tone of medieval ecclesiastical and feudal culture (Mikhail Bakhtin)”. Laughter was not won so easily, effort had to be placed in your scheme; you …show more content…
“The comic rites and cults, the clowns and fools, giants, dwarfs, and jugglers the vast and manifold literature of parody -- they belong to one culture of fold carnival humor (Mikhail Bakhtin)”. These events became a big part for the villagers, much like how the Muppets became a big part of our world. They hold such similarities to these carnivalesque festivities by their actions, and appearance. Jim Henson never allowed his work to be “just good enough” he strived to create wondrous creations that would indeed captivate the audience, and get them to believe in the magic of the Muppets. Mr. Henson’s Muppets do not only fit the appearance of the carnival manifestations, but he also incorporated folk culture into his …show more content…
At this time the hierarchy that has been firmly established gets torned down. What’s considered “right” gets swapped for what is “wrong”. The Muppets take this concept head first with the hit show; Sesame Street. The Muppets are an assortment of colors, symbolism of how everyone in the world is also an assortment of races. They created a way where diversity could be achieved, and how different races much like classes in medieval times can interact with each other during the time of Carnival. Mixing of races and classes back in the day was wrong, and deeply frowned upon, but both, carnival and the Muppets found a way to naturally destroy the

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