Essay on "Comedy and Tragedy"
Essay 3 pages (1248 words) Sources: 0
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Comedy & TragedyAnalyzing the Lines Between Comedy and Tragedy
Throughout the years, the distinctions between comedy and tragedy in drama have become rather blurred. As late as the early to mid 20th century, even the traditional tragedies became infused with elements of comedy, as modern audiences did not want to sit for a purely tragic play. Instead, elements of comedy fused with elements of tragedy have allowed for the dramatic conclusion to the play, while providing the audience with some relief from tragedy upon tragedy. So, then, if elements of comedy include tragedy and vice versa, how can the lines be drawn? According to T.A. Arp, "the popular distinctions between comedy and tragedy are fairly simple: comedy is funny; tragedy is sad. Comedy has a happy ending, tragedy an unhappy one.... Successful tragedies though they involve suffering and sadness, do not leave the spectator depressed. Some funny plays have sad endings." A response to each of the claims that Arp makes, however, will suggest that the definitions of comedy and tragedy are, by far, not so cut and dry.
First, Arp claims that the "distinctions between comedy and tragedy are fairly simple," listing comedy with "funny" and tragedy with "sad." The validity of this statement, however, varies with the genre of play that one is considering, along with its time period. The traditional divisions between comedy and tragedy are most often associated with the Greek. These comedies are nearly always solely comedic, the most famous of which is probably Aristophanes' Lysistrata, a play about women who see an end to war through the barring of conjugal relations. Greek tragedy, on the other han
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It is most likely for these reasons that Arp made his second claim: "Successful tragedies though they involve suffering and sadness, do not leave the spectator depressed." This can be true for three reasons. First, as already discussed, the main characters in the play may be so unlikable that the audience may actually enjoy some malevolent pleasure when horrible things happen to them. Second, the moral or point of the play may be so effective that the ending leaves the audience contemplating some higher dilemma, purpose, or theme instead of feeling depressed or even malevolently happy. The Greek dramas can incite this kind of feeling in the audience. Though many of their themes have to do with gods and other nuances of Greek culture, they can be generalized to apply to the human condition, which is why they are… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Comedy and Tragedy" Assignment:
"the popular distinctions between comedy and tragedy are faily simple: comedy is funny; tragedy is sad. Comedy has a happey ending, tragedy an unhappy one....Succcessful tragedies though they involove suffering and sadness, do not leave the specator depressed. Some funny plays have sad endings" T.A. Arp
Imagine your are a literary critic working for the NY times. It is the year 2050. Your assinment is to consiter the above qutoe and write an analysis of it, using as evidence, refernce, and focal points the plays discussaed in class for this course.
PLays:
Oedipus Rex
Antigone
Medea
Hamlet
A Dolls House
Glass Menagerie
Death of a Salesman
How to Reference "Comedy and Tragedy" Essay in a Bibliography
“Comedy and Tragedy.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2009, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/comedy-tragedy-analyzing/6744. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.
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Sat, Sep 28, 2024
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