Frye, Northrop (1973) [1957]. "First Essay: Historical Criticism". Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton University Press. p.39. ISBN 0-691-01298-9. alazon, which means imposter, someone who pretends or tries to be something more than he is. The most popular types of alazon are the miles gloriosus and the learned crank or obsessed philosopher. No, but love hath, as it were, milked my thoughts and drained from my heart the very substance of my accustomed courage. It worketh in my head like new wine, so as I must hoop my sconce with iron lest my head break, and so I bewray my brains; but I pray thee, first discover me in all parts, that I may be like a lover, and then will I sigh and die. Take my gun, and give me a gown. Tragedy: refers to a type of drama that explores serious, sometimes dark, and depressing subject matter. The senex iratus or heavy father figure is a comic archetype character who belongs to the alazon or impostor group in theater, manifesting himself through his rages and threats, his obsessions and his gullibility. Published in 1588, this Elizabethan comedy features another good example of an alazon. This time in the form of Sir Tophas. He’s a knight who is described as pompous and willing to over- exaggerate his exploits. The knight is used as comic relief in the play. In one particularly humorous moment in Act III, Tophas declares his love for Dipsas, a hideous sorcerous. Here is a quote from that part of the play. Tophas is responding to Epiton, who asks him if he’s in love with Dipsas:

Aside: a dramatic device that is used within plays to help characters express their inner thoughts.

Some travellers are apt to advance more than is perhaps strictly true; if any of the company entertain a doubt of my veracity, I shall only say to such, I pity their want of faith, and must request they will take leave before I begin the second part of my adventures, which are as strictly founded in fact as those I have already related. Here, readers can get a glimpse of Tophas’ style of speech and how comedic his conversations can be. Throughout both plays, he engages in bombastic and over-the-top speeches. He is often, without realizing it, the butt of jokes.

Baron Munchausen from Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia by Rudolf Erich Raspe Dramatic Monologue: a conversation a speaker has with themselves or which is directed at a listener or reader who does not respond. Victor L. Cahn, Shakespeare the Playwright: A Companion to the Complete Tragedies, Histories, Comedies, and Romances, Praeger, Westport, 1996. p.468. Captain Parolles is a deceitful character who brags about his triumphs in war but actually turns out to be a coward. This is one of the central features of characters known as alazons. He’s abandoned by Bertram in this play, the only person who was willing to trust him. This was despite the fact that other characters had encouraged Bertram not to trust him to begin with. This character, exemplified through Il Capitano in Commedia dell’arte, The Captain, whose title likely doesn’t belong to him, was unsympathetic and annoying. He bragged about his military experiences and pretended to have accomplished more than he did. The word alazon comes from the Ancient Greek meaning “boaster.”Miles Gloriosus" redirects here. For the Plautus play, see Miles Gloriosus (play). The "braggart soldier" Pyrgopolynices in a 2012 production of the play Miles Gloriosus Examples of Alazons Ancient Pistol in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry V, and Henry IV, Part II by William Shakespeare

In the novel, " A Confederacy of Dunces", the main character, Ignatius J. Reilly, believes himself to be better than everyone because of his apathy towards modern society and his Medievalist views. Carlson, Marvin. 1993. Theories of the Theatre: A Historical and Critical Survey from the Greeks to the Present. Expanded. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-8154-3. Alazons are usually used as a type of comic relief. These characters are clearly outrageous and admit to absurd deeds the reader, and the other characters, aren’t meant to take as fact. Depending on the character, they may be more or less likable. Someone like Falstaff is incredibly likable, while Pistol may be less so. In the PC game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, there is a non-playable character named Miles Gloriosus, willing to brag about his accomplishments as soldier. He falls from whatever remaining good reputation he has by the end of the play and is forced to beg for help. This gets at the heart of his true nature. He’s nothing but talk, and as soon as he encounters a difficult situation, his “bravery” abandons him. Here is a quote from All’s Well that Ends Well:Here, readers can get a sense of Parolles’ confidence as he speaks to Bertram and his style of speech. His usual function is to impede the love of the hero and heroine, and his power to do so stems from his greater social position and his increased control of cash. In the New Comedy, he was often the father of the hero and so his rival. More frequently since, he has been the father of the heroine who insists on her union with the bad fiancé; as such, he appears in both A Midsummer Night's Dream, where he fails and so the play is a comedy, and Romeo and Juliet, where his acts are successful enough to render the play a tragedy. Shakespeare uses the type most notably with the bombastic and self-glorifying ensign Ancient Pistol in Henry IV, Part 2, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry V. [4] Other examples are "fashion's own knight", the Spaniard Armardo, in Love's Labour's Lost, the worthless Captain Parolles in All's Well That Ends Well, and Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Sir Tophas of John Lyly's Endymion also fits the mold.

Academic Drama: a theatrical movement that was popular during the Renaissance in the 16th-century. It was performed in universities. Act: a primary division of a dramatic work, like a play, film, opera, or other performance. The act is made up of shorter scenes. Ancient Pistol is one of the best comedic characters in Shakespeare’s plays. He appeared in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry V and Henry IV, Part II. He’s described by Falstaff as his “ancient,” or his ensign, and first appears in the Boar’s Head Tavern uninvited. He’s pursued by police in this same play because he assaulted a man who died. He’s also punished along with Falstaff at the end of Henry IV, Part II. The character of Baron Munchausen is based on a real-life person who fought for the Russian Empire. He became a celebrity after the Russo-Turkish War. The stories about his character inspired Rudolf Erich Raspe to adapt the man into a literary character. His exploits in the book are fictional. They feature his outrageous achievements and travels, much of which are clearly an exaggeration. Here is a quote from the book:In the play Miles Gloriosus ("Boastful Soldier") by Plautus, the term applies to the main character Pyrgopolynices. This foolish Miles Gloriosus brags openly and often about his supposed greatness, while the rest of the characters feign their admiration and secretly plot against him. Heavily borrowing from Plautus, the Stephen Sondheim- Burt Shevelove- Larry Gelbart musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum features a warrior named Miles Gloriosus. Frye, Northrop. 1957. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. London: Penguin, 1990. ISBN 0-14-012480-2. One might say: “The alazon in this story is particularly funny.” Or, “Did you hear what he said? He’s like a modern-day alazon.”