Comedy

Definition

Comedy is a play characterized by its humorous or satirical tone and its depiction of amusing people or incident. It consists of types of entertainment that are intended to make people laugh. In another words it is a style or a genre that is intended to be humorous or amusing, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, books and more.

Etymology

The word comedy is derived from the Classical Greek κωμῳδία kōmōidía which is a compound of revel and singing, ode.

Elements

Comedy has so many types of elements, for example: Substance (the material of comedy), Expression and communication, The originality of humor, Timing and rhythm, Intelligent writing, Setting (staging, designing of the comedy),..

Examples

1. Situational Comedy: It is also called a sitcom and comprises a comedy play and characters playing episodes after episodes.

2. Romantic Comedy: It is a sub-genre of comedy comprising lighthearted themes and humorous plots.

3. Physical Comedy (Slapstick): Also called slapstick, it is a physical comedy comprising body movements, clowning, and making faces.

4. Dark Comedy (Gallows humor): Also called dark humor, black humor, or black comedy, dark comedy makes heavy or grave subjects and themes look lighter through fun and comic remarks.

5. Farce: This comedy uses exaggeration of the situation.

6. Spoof or Parody: This comedy uses imitation to ridicule or ironize life events.

7. Satire: Satire ridicules vices, follies, and foibles with the purpose to correct them.

8. Dramatic Irony: Its objective is to use irony through drama or dramatic situations.

9. Tragicomedy: Its objective is to use the mixture of tragedy and comedy to make tragic moments seem lighter.

Shakespeare was also known for his comedies - The Merchant of Venice, The Winter's Tale, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and much more.