Dario Fo uses laughter as a political weapon to educate his audience. Discuss this statement in reference to 'The Accidental Death of an Anarchist".

In the play Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Dario Fo expresses his political concerns, using humour as a way of educating his audience. He incorporates stock characters such as the Maniac and the superintendent to address issues like abuse of power, while using farce and satire to emphasize his point. All of these combined help to leave the responder thinking about the issues in contemporary society. The Maniac has the main and most important role …

…In summing up, Dario Fo uses a combination of Commedia characters, important political themes and performance techniques to both entertain and inform his audience. Accidental Death of an Anarchist creatively uses a comic, grotesque and satirical style to avoid any catharsis, thus stimulating the audience towards political change. By incorporating 'laughter as a political weapon' Fo is able to successfully 'educate his audience' about the political issues that can still be related to society today.