Emotion. Aside from the occasional exception, one could correctly assume the definite ability of emotional perception humans have. Depending upon the goal of a play, or other literary work, the plot of the aforementioned work is designed to evoke a specific, or a range of emotions. The manner in which the literary work in question, achieves a certain emotional response can be characterized by the specific literary elements the work contains. For example, two of the most popular literary styles are tragedies and comedies. The two evoke different responses, and each style can be distinguished by its specific attributes. One could argue that a comedy is the complete opposite of a tragedy, and vice versa, since the two tend to have stark differences. The key differences between a tragedy and a comedy are the character of the protagonist,the struggle of the protagonist, and the conclusion.
In every society ever molded by the hands of man, an unquestionable though sometimes overlooked fact of such societies is the distinction between groups of individuals based upon their perceived worth. This distinction is a fundamental difference between a tragedy and a comedy. In a tragedy, a protagonist is "a prominent and powerful hero,(1),a king, or even a god (4). The hero tends to be stubborn, traditional, and experiences emotions strongly (2). The probability of an audience member having the ability to empathize with such an esteemed character, is low. A comedic protagonist tends to be quite the opposite. The protagonist of a comedy must display at least the minimum amount of personal charm to gain the audience's basic approval and support (1). The protagonist also tend to be more adaptable (2) than a tragic protagonist. The comedic protago...
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... display the ultimate fact that even the best of man cannot exceed himself. Contrary to the aforementioned situation, a comedy provides a differing perspective with a contrastive kind of protagonist. A comedy may suggest that man is a fool (2), but it provides hope of the renewal of man (2). With this concept in mind, a comedic protagonist represents an average man who triumphs through his problems by fate, luck, or will. In essence, a tragedy and a comedy are different because of the difference between their protagonists, the difference in the struggle faced, and the difference of the outcome.
Works Cited
1 http://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/tlove/comic-tragic.html
2 http://www3.dbu.edu/mitchell/comedytr.htm
3 http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Tragedy_Comedy.pdf
4 http://domainofthebrain.com/comedytragedy.htm
5 http://blue.utb.edu/mimosa/Handouts/T&C.htm
When theatre-goers hear the word “melodrama”, visions of mustached villains tying a helpless damsel in distress down to train tracks are conjured up. Thought as cheesy, corny, soap opera-like, these stereotypes give a false representation of what the core of melodrama is. Traditionally, melodrama is written in a two-dimensional world, with a hero who is always “good” and a villain who is always “evil.” Without any ambiguity, it is clear who these main characters are by their actions, attire, presentation and music. The plot of the play is strongly developed with enthralling, intense and often emotional conflicts. Of course, there are several theatrical scenes leading up to the climax of the melodrama where good triumphs evil, evil is punished and a moral lesson is instilled. This, the basis of melodrama, has laid the foundation for identifiable character development and strong, engaging plots in any form of theatre today.
In I Henry IV and II Henry IV, William Shakespeare brings together drama and comedy to create two of the most compelling history plays ever written. Many of Shakespeare's other works are nearly absolute in their adherence to either the comic or tragic traditions, but in the two Henry IV plays Shakespeare combines comedy and drama in ways that seem to bring a certain realism to his characters, and thus the plays. The present essay is an examination of the various and significant effects that Shakespeare's comedic scenes have on I Henry IV and II Henry IV. The Diversity of Society
Beginning with the Greeks, tragedy has been an essential form of entertainment. Although it has changed slightly over time due to different religious and social values, it is still written and performed to this day. Perhaps the most well known tragedy of all time is Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hamlet is perhaps the epitome of all tragedy. Not only does the tragic hero Hamlet meet his demise, but all the main characters in the play at some point due to some flaw in their character, or some fatal decision, also meet the same fate. It is because of their character flaw and/or their fatal decision at some time during the play that their death can be justified.
actions of a character and the concept of the tragic hero. Comparisons are drawn to the tragedies
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.
The use of humor in a tragic story helps to give the reader a break from the monotony of a depressing story line. “If a story were completely filled with depressing and tragic events, the readers' interest would most definitely be lost”( Bloom 91). William Shakespeare's, Hamlet is based on the tragedy of a murder of the king of Denmark, whose son must revenge his murderer. Therefore it is classified as a tragedy and if humor weren't present in the play it would be very depressing. Shakespeare ironically uses Hamlet; the main character to add the comedy bit of the play when he is the one the tragedy affects most. This humor is evident throughout the play by Hamlet. When Hamlet is upset at someone like Claudius or Polonius he will mock them in their presence without either one of them really catching on too quickly.
Aristotle wrote “A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and pleasurable language;... in a dramatic rather than narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.” (Poetics). Shakespeare 's “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,” is viewed by most as one of the greatest tragedies that was ever written. Hamlet, an ideal tragic hero in his right, as appealed to many people of different cultures since it was written all those years ago. Hamlet has all of the makings to be a real man and that is what brings us into his world so easily, but like every human being on Earth, he has a hamartia. John Green
In a comparison of comedy and tragedy, I will begin by looking at narrative. The narration in a comedy often involves union and togetherness as we see in the marriage scene at the end of Midsummer's Night Dream. William Hazlitt tells us that one can also expect incongruities, misunderstandings, and contradictions. I am reminded of the play The Importance of Being Ernest and the humor by way of mistaken identity. Sigmund Freud tells us to expect excess and exaggeration in comedy. Chekhov's Marriage Proposal displays this excess both in language and in movements. Charles Darwin insists that in a comedy "circumstances must not be of a momentous nature;" whereas, Northop Frye identifies comedy as having a happy ending and using repetition that goes nowhere.
Insistence upon the rank of the tragic hero, or the so-called nobility of his character, is re...
Aristotle believed that the protagonist of a tragedy should be “good or fine”. (3) He must be considered a successful man in order for his life to go from good to bad. Willy sold for a living, but he was not prosperous. He borrowed from his neighbor Charley so he could pay for the appliances that were out of his budget. Aristotle would disagree that Willy was a tragic man rather than a pathetic on...
In contemporary theatre, a tragedy generally includes death and destruction, a romance gone horribly wrong, the hero or heroine’s total collapse, or any combination thereof. It puts the audience in a depressed, angry, or at least contemplative mood. In some ways, the Shakespearean tragedy does fit this mold: there is almost always an excess of dead people, and you can usually be sure you won’t laugh the theatre laughing.
Theater is a natural outlet for our desire to hear and tell stories, and in some ways it is even more primal and powerful than the written word. At its worst, theater will merely bore; while at its best it will not only entertain but move and shape its audience. Two such genres of theater, or drama, have consistently achieved this effect. Tragedy, represented by the weeping actors’ mask, usually features the title character’s fall from greatness to ruin, guided by the gods or fate. Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, is the epitome of classic Tragedy, as defined by Aristotle (96-101). Here, Oedipus falls from kingship to blindness and exile. Drama’s other great genre, Comedy, is represented by the laughing actors’ mask. In Comedy the action is usually propelled by a problem or crisis of some sorts, but unlike tragedy it usually ends well. Lysistrata, written by Aristophanes, is a perfect example of classic Comedy. The farcical story line follows the title character, who rallies the women of Greece to withhold sex from their mates all in the good cause of ending war. At first glance these two genres would seem to have nothing in common with each other. Comedy entails laughter and good feelings while the audience will leave a Tragedy in tears. But the best of Comedy and the best of Tragedy will produce the same affect: catharsis. Catharsis is the purgation and purifying of the emotions, specifically fear or pity. (“Catharsis”) The plays that manage to produce catharsis in their audience are the ones that we return to time and time again. Although catharsis is one of the main objectives of Greek Tragedy (Jacobus 34), Comedy done well will shape and move its audience in the same way. These two classic genres use characters that are co...
Comedy is by far the most influential factor in deciding whether or not a story is
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.
In 350 B.C.E., a great philosopher wrote out what he thought was the definition of a tragedy. As translated by S.H. Butcher, Aristotle wrote; “Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions. . . . Every Tragedy, therefore, must have six parts, which parts determine its quality—namely, Plot, Characters, Thought, Diction, Spectacle, Melody. (http://www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html)” Later in history, William Shakespeare wrote tragedies that epitomized Aristotle’s outline of a tragedy. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one such tragedy.