The meme juxtaposes two very different reactions to an unspecified situation, embodied by characters wearing historically different attire. The top figure is screaming and seems to be in a modern setting, wearing a hat with feathers, while the figure below has a stoic expression, resembling a Renaissance portrait giving a nonplussed reaction. This contrast between dramatic and underwhelmed responses is often found amusing as it highlights the disparity in how different people (or in this case, different eras) might react to the same event.