I agree with the course's definition of slapstick. However, reflecting on these identifiers inspired a few thoughts, and I'd love to get others' opinions on this.
Regarding exaggeration: The course spends time talking about exaggeration as a way to ease audience's nerves in regards to the violence. By making it over the top, it transcends reality. Precursors such as vaudeville were brought up as well. What I think is also interesting is the difference between acting for the camera and acting for the stage. We see the earliest slapstick at a time when theatre is arguably among the biggest c