COMEDY and Drama What are similarities between comedy and drama? What is comedy? What is drama? How is comedy different form drama? How is drama different from comedy?
When discussing a drama, an individual’s first thought is of if the drama is a comedy or a drama. These are the two basic forms of categorizing drama, and it divides it in immense forms. Although you
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These two all-inclusive dramatic modes are the most common when asked to classify. There are many factors in which comedy and drama become easily to distinct, but there are also many differences as well. Comedy generally depicts human weaknesses in a comical way. It mocks the faults that humans experience on a day to day basis. Since nobody is perfect, in one way or another, we can all relate. This generally brings an atmosphere of joy and laughter to a person interpreting the comedy. Comedy exhibits the absurdity in things such as hypocrisy and vanity in people and often misconceptions in life. Antidotes for human weaknesses are what make us smile and laugh. While comedy may exhibit absurdities, drama paints an image of human greatness. It usually includes somebody of a noble stature, who fails because of a tragic flaw or downfall. The …show more content…
Like tragedies, comedies were performed in outdoor theaters. Unlike dramas and tragedies, comedies are lighthearted and not serious. Comedies center around an ordinary character who experiences trouble in life and is thoroughly flawed. Unlike the hero of a tragedy, the hero of a comedy is an all-around flawed human being who, because of the flaws, encounters situations that turn the world upside down and make for outrageous humor. High comedy consists of satire, which criticizes life while low comedy introduces plot devices like mistaken identity and misunderstanding to create humorous situations.
In one sense, both comedies and tragedies are dramas because both genres are acted out on stage or on film. Today, drama has come to refer to a genre of play or film, which is serious, somber or sad in nature. Like a tragedy, calamitous circumstances befall the hero of the story. The plot unfolds in the hero’s reaction to these circumstances. Hope is maintained throughout and unlike a tragedy, the hero ekes out some form of triumph in the end, overcoming the circumstances that threatened to destroy the hero at the outset of the
According to Aristotle, “Comedy can be any colloquy or performance generally intended to amuse or stimulate laughter”. In modern times, comedy can be found in different forms, such as television, movies, theatres and stand-up comedy.
In the movie, the three main types of comedy I recognized were farce, parody, and satire. Farce is comedy designed to provoke the audience into simple, hearty laughter and often uses highly exaggerated or caricatured character types and puts them into improbable and ludicrous situations. It also makes use of broad verbal humor and physical horseplay. Some examples of farce in the movie are:
A tragedy is a wretched event that puts a person in despair. Tragedy is a genre which consists of continuous tragic happenings that ultimately lead to an unhappy ending. Arthur Miller expresses that what makes a tragic hero is their attempt to take fate into their own hands, which ends up being the reason for their ruin; while those who accept their fates tend to be the lucky and are spared a demise. Miller claims there are tragic consequences for a man who questions his position, regardless of whether he wants more or thinks he deserve less. The film, Crash, is an example of a tragedy, because one character tries to alter their own fate, and other characters have reservations of where they lie on the social spectrum.
If we seek to justify Shakespeare's King Lear as a tragedy by applying Arthur Miller's theory of tragedy and the tragic hero, then we might find Lear is not a great tragedy, and the character Lear is hardly passable for a tragic hero. However, if we take Aristotle's theory of tragedy to examine this play, it would fit much more neatly and easily. This is not because Aristotle prescribes using nobility for the subject of a tragedy, but, more importantly, because he emphasizes the purpose of tragedy -- to arouse pity and fear in the audience, and thus purge them of such emotions.
Othello has been described as one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays because the play focuses on its themes of good and evil, military, politics, love and marriage, religion, racial prejudice, gender conflict, and sexuality; but the controversy and debate surrounding Othello is “Why is Othello a qualification for a tragedy?”
Humor Humor is when an object or phrase is considered funny or hilarious. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions of humor is, “something that is or is designed to be comical or amusing.” What people find funny differs because there are so many types of humors that can be expressed in different ways. Humor will often lead to laughter, but some people may find a subject amusing while others may find it offensive. It can be making a racial slur or even a Yo Mama joke.
Tragedy, irony and modernism are only a few interpretations of the valued play The Taming of the Shrew by the respected writer William Shakespeare. However, one of the most intriguing and popular of these analyses is comedy. Shakespeare is recognized for writing several plays with comedic genres, a few of which include Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors. Comedy, being a complex genre, is composed of many different concepts. This particular play can be interpreted as a Shakespearian comedy, a screwball comedy, a farce, or slapstick.
Comedy differs in the mood it approaches and addresses life. It presents situations which deal with common ground of man’s social experience rather than limits of his behaviour – it is not life in the tragic mode, lived at the difficult and perilous limits of the human condition.
What is comedy? Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia says: "A comedy depicts the follies and absurdities of human beings." Webster's Dictionary defines comedy as: "A drama or narrative with a happy ending." Shakespeare's play, Measure for Measure, fits both of these descriptions. Follies and absurdities are present in the play: Lucio slanders the Duke, not realizing that his crude remarks are being spoken to the Duke himself; Angelo abuses his power thinking that the Duke is not present to know; and Ragozine happens to die in prison the day a head is needed to substitute for Claudio's. The play also ends on several merry notes, consistent with the definition of comedy. For example, Angelo's life is spared and he is forgiven; Mariana is married to Angelo; the Duke punishes Lucio humorously with marriage; Barnardine is pardoned; and Claudio is saved. The parallels between Measure for Measure and three other Shakespearean comedies, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night, also help to classify Measure for Measure as a comedy. In Measure for Measure, like in The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night, an arbitrary law or obstacle is eventually overcome; a disguised character affects the outcome of the play; a clown adds humor to the plot; a female character bears a large responsibility for the final resolution; and forgiveness and reconciliation mark the conclusion of the action.
A tragic play is a combination of dramatic scenes that act out a tragic event and usually labors unhappy endings. The play would usually portray the downfall of the main character. According to Aristotle, “Every Tragedy therefore must have six parts, which parts determine its quality—namely, Plot, Character, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, Song.” Based on Aristotle’s definition, Oedipus and Hamlet are a good examples tragedy. They both have been developed with a strong Plot and Characters. According to Aristotle, Plot is considered to be “the soul of tragedy” and very important in a play. Aristotle also implies Character to be second in line when it comes to developing a successful tragedy.
In society today, many people favor both genres. However, in some cases there are some people that are horror junkies and do not care for comedy and on the other hand there are people that cannot handle horror themed situations and settle for comedy. There are many movies and some novels that take horror movies and make fun of them. These film makers or authors typically use comedy to make light of the horror films they chose to make fun of. On average these genres clash, but at the same time can complement each other. Since some people will watch a comedy after a horror films to calm themselves down or watch a comedy first to calm themselves and mentally prepare themselves for a good
A tragedy typically deals with the downfall of an important character, in a serious play, via a fatal flaw. The audience would feel upset for the character as his weakness is not his fault and his in his nature. A tragedy has an unhappy ending or ongoing poignant events and during Act 5 sc3 and Act 3 sc3 in Shakespeare?s Coriolanus many of these take place.
Have people ever wondered why they laugh when there is something funny said? Why people laugh has always been a big mystery up until a few years ago. According to a PhD titled Robert Provine, laughter has always and will always be known to mankind. Humor has made a great effect on many people, and inside of it consists of love, and kindness.Everyone knows how to laugh, people do not have to learn how to laugh. Humor and laughter comes naturally to most humans. “Why we laugh is simple, the answer is humor” (nbcnews.com). Humor comes from the word humorous. “At first, the word humorous came from referring to the body’s language and moods, but then it transitioned to the words we speak that laughter is the source of” (Vocabulary.com). Humor means the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech (Google Search)
A tragedy is defined as beginning with a problem that affects everyone, i.e. the whole town or all the characters involved, the tragic hero must solve this problem and this results in his banishment or death [run-on sentence]. A comedy is defined as also beginning with a problem, but one of less significant importance. The characters try to solve the problem and the story ends with all the characters uniting in either a marriage of a party. Although these two genres are seen as being complete opposites of each other, through further analysis one can gather that though they are different certain similarities can also be seen.
If there is one way to bring a smile to someone’s face, it is laughter. Funny jokes, comical stunts, sarcasm- Every person is different when it comes to what makes them laugh. Some find dry humor comical. Others think sarcasm or joke-filled ranting are the best. ‘Comedy’ is such a broad term, broad enough to allow everyone to find something they find comical. In fact, ‘comedy’ includes a specific type of drama, one where the protagonist is joyful and happy endings are expected. Comedy is like a drug; it allows you to escape reality. When we say the word ‘comedy’ in the present, we are generally referring to a type of performance which provides humor. However, in its broadest sense, comedy has only one purpose: comedy makes people smile and