Editing Slapstick (section)

==Early uses==
[[File:Skämtbilden och dess historia i konsten (1910) (14578297507).jpg|thumb|upright|1841 advertisement for [[Punch and Judy]] showing Punch with his slapstick]]
Slapstick comedy's history is measured in centuries. [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] incorporated many chase scenes and beatings into his comedies, such as in his play ''[[The Comedy of Errors]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Comedy of Errors |url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/C/bo155656586.html |access-date=25 February 2025 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |quote=The Comedy of Errors is a farcical tale of separated twins and mistaken identities. This slapstick play is a staple of the genre, including madcap bawdiness, love at first sight, reunions, and happily-ever-afters}}</ref> In early 19th-century England, [[pantomime]] acquired its present form which includes slapstick comedy: its most famous performer, [[Joseph Grimaldi]]—the father of modern [[clown]]ing—"was a master of physical comedy".<ref>{{cite news |last=McRobbie |first=Linda Rodriguez |date=July 31, 2013 |title=The History and Psychology of Clowns Being Scary |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-and-psychology-of-clowns-being-scary-20394516/ |access-date=26 Nov 2024 |work=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref> Comedy routines also featured heavily in British [[music hall]] theatre which became popular in the 1850s.<ref>David Christopher (2002). ''British Culture: An Introduction''. p. 74. Routledge,</ref><ref>Jeffrey Richards (2014). ''The Golden Age of Pantomime: Slapstick, Spectacle and Subversion in Victorian England''. I.B.Tauris,</ref> 

In [[Punch and Judy]] shows, which first appeared in England on 9 May 1662, a large slapstick is wielded by Punch against the other characters.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Judith|title=Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2018-2019|date=2017|publisher=Hachette UK|page=351}}</ref>