In Search of Comic Relief

My manuscript, MIST OF KAVALA seems to be harboring a  village idiot.
But don't we all need a little levity?

The comic relief can tell truths where another character would pay dearly, and when he says something particularly profound, the foreshadow sends shivers through us. We swallow the bitterness and ask for more because every statement is mixed with babble and fun.

Alas! The more we love the idiot, the more he becomes a valuable tool for the writer to pull out from under us. Comic relief, aka, expendable.

I'm going to make a case here, with popular Turkish television.

You know how I've been watching my soap, Kuzey Guney?
(spoiler alert)

Enter: Ali Guntan

Ali is all fun and jokes, and more dear to Kuzey than a brother.
In the season two finale, Ali takes a bullet, and it's pretty much Kuzey's fault.
I swear I used up a whole box of tissues from all the crying.

Says me: A curse on both your houses!

Well, that would be Mercutio's line, really.
And doesn't everybody want to play Mercutio?

Obviously, Ali was not the equivalent of Mercutio, but he played the same role.

Without Ali, the writers had to come up with another comic relief - Yunus, a particulary talkative taxi driver. His character doesn't carry the same weight, but he's still useful to the audience for a laugh, and to connect some important dots.

There are some good writers over there at Ay Yapim, I tell you.

Another, less useful example of comic relief is part of my other favorite show, Muhteşem Yüzyıl. In the murderous harem of Hürrem Sultan, eunuchs Gul Aga, Sumbul Aga, and Kiraz Aga provide respite from the drama - a sort of palate cleanser, if you will. The source of clever phrases and comic actions, these guys aren't killed off, but they're frequently sent away.

Now I doubt my village idiot will be as masterful as Mercutio, but my gosh, my characters are tiring me out! Anti-heros, village idiots...  At this rate, it feels like I'll never finish this story.

And so I end with this quote from English poet John Dryden:

"Shakespeare show'd the best of his skill in his Mercutio, and he said himself, that he was forced to kill him in the third Act, to prevent being killed by him."

DUMAN & Anatolian Rock

Duman photo via Hurriyet Daily News

I wanted to post about DUMAN because they were at IstanbuLive in NY, but now I have double the reason:

My New Adult Turkish soap, Kuzey Guney had a scene with Duman song - Ruyanda Gorsen Inanma.

I used up half a box of tissues on that scene, partially because of the song. (I used the other half of the box on the next scene, when the girl came to find/save Kuzey.)

Now I'm compelled to post something.

A little history:
DUMAN - the direct translation of the word is smoke, but the name comes from one of their titles: Halimiz Duman. The phrase is a Turkish idiom meaning “our situation is dire". So DUMAN means dire as well as smoke.

As a writer, I <3 double meanings. Don't you? 

Music by DUMAN is also double edged. It falls into the weird but satisfying category known as Anatolian rock. The style mixes up rock and grunge with a type of Turkish folk music called the türkü.

Ruyanda Gorsen Inanma is a good example of DUMAN's distinctive sound. The base is a melancholy türkü, but instead of the saz (lyre), there's an electric guitar. 

Lyrics from DUMAN, and my own translation of Ruyanda Gorsen Inanma.
Note: This song is poetic and chock full of idioms. I chose my understanding over direct translation.

arkadas sen bu degilsin                       My friend you aren't this (ref:sad state)
gorunus sadece giysin                         Appearance is only a garment
arkadas niye gucendin?                      My friend why did you let them break you?
alistim, karistim ben sana                   I got used to you, I got mixed up with you
ruyanda gorsen inanma                      If you see this (ref:sad state) in your dreams don't believe it

arkadas sen bu degildin                      My friend this wasn’t you
bilinen sadece ismin                            The incident was only what you named it
arkadas niye degistin?                        My friend why have you changed?
alistim ay ay ay ay ay                          I got used to you
karistim ben sana                                I got mixed up with you
ruyanda gorsen inanma                      If you see this in your dreams don’t believe it

arkadas sen bu degilsin ey ey ey         My friend you aren’t this
yasayan sadece fikrin ey ey ey            What you experience is only your idea
arkadas niye gucendin?ey ey ey          My friend why did you let them break you?
alistim vay                                           I got used to you
karistim ben sana                                I got mixed up with you
ruyanda gorsen inanma                      If you see this in your dreams don’t believe

sana boynumuzu egeriz sanma           Don’t think we’ll surrender to you (ref:enemy)
hakkimizi gelir aliriz zorla                 We will come claim our right forcefully
saklayacak yuzum yok yok                  I won't hide myself away no no
ruyanda gorsen inanma                      If you see this in your dreams don’t believe it
ruyanda gorsen inanma                      If you see this in your dreams don’t believe it
ruyanda gorsen inanma                      If you see this in your dreams don’t believe it

Scene from Kuzey Guney with actor, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ:




Speaking of the saz - Kivanc sings a türkü and plays the saz some other episodes.
I'm saving my thoughts on that for next time. ;)