Gülmenin Gölgesi: “Ağalık” Adlı Karagöz Oyunu Üzerinden Bergsoncu Bir Mizah Okuması

Abstract

Humor has played a functional role in different layers of social life and, as a carrier of cultural heritage, has maintained a distinctive presence in traditional Turkish performing arts. In this context, Karagöz presents an important narrative field that reflects the multilayered nature of humor through role reversals, wordplay, misunderstandings, and conflicts among stock characters. This study examines the Karagöz play “Ağalık” within the framework of Henri Bergson’s theory of laughter. Based on Bergson’s view that laughter arises from mechanization, repetition, and incongruity in human behavior, the comic elements of the play have been analyzed systematically. The play begins with Karagöz getting stuck on a rope and being rescued by Hacivat, then develops as he entertains an Acem, earns a large sum of money, and adopts the identity of an “ağa.” This new status transforms his relations with his wife, Hacivat, Çelebi, Ak Arap, Türk, Beberuhi, and the concubine, producing humor not only through language but also through shifts in social roles. The analysis shows that verbal, situational, physical, and character-based comedy are closely intertwined in the play. Thus, “Ağalık” stands as a strong example of humor’s both entertaining and critical functions, while also showing that Bergsonian distinctions should be approached flexibly, rather than rigidly, in improvised and type-centered texts such as Karagöz.

Authors

Rugeş DEMİR

Keywords

Humor, laughter, Henri Bergson, Karagöz, Ağalık.

Publication Information

Volume 0, Issue 24, 2026

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19240475

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