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Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious play with a happy ending. [1]
Tragicomedy, dramatic work incorporating both tragic and comic elements. When coined by the Roman dramatist Plautus in the 2nd century bc, the word denoted a play in which gods and men, masters and slaves reverse the roles traditionally assigned to them, gods and heroes acting in comic burlesque.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Definition of Tragicomedy. Tragicomedy is a literary device used in fictional works. It contains both tragedy and comedy. Mostly, the characters in tragicomedy are exaggerated, and sometimes there might be a happy ending after a series of unfortunate events. It is incorporated with jokes throughout the story, just to lighten the tone.
- Example #1: The Merchant of Venice (By William Shakespeare)The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare is considered one of the most popular traditional tragicomedy examples. Though it has a comedic struc...
- Example #2: The Cherry Orchard (By Anton Chekhov)Anton Chekhov’s play, The Cherry Orchard, turned out to be his final play that has a combination of comedy and tragedy. It is the story of an elite...
- Example #3: Waiting For Godot (By Samuel Beckett)Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot can also be considered one of the great examples of tragicomedy. There are many gestures, dialogues, actions, an...
- Example #4: The Winter’S Tale (By William Shakespeare)Shakespearean tragicomedies have complex and dubious plots. One of his perfect tragicomedies is The Winter’s Tale. The first three acts are both tr...
- Example #5: The Caretaker (By Harold Pinteris)The Caretaker, written by Harold Pinteris, is mixed with two modes, tragedy and comedy, and is a fine modern example of tragicomedy. The comic elem...
- Example #6: Marriage à La Mode (By John Dryden)John Dryden’s Marriage à la Mode is a successful comedy that merges two different plots of restoration comedy of manners and romantic tragicomedy....
Tragicomedy is a genre that blends elements of both comedy and tragedy. A tragicomedy can either be a serious play with a happy ending—which is not the case with a straightforward tragedy—or a tragic play interspersed with moments of humor in order to lighten the mood. The definition of tragicomedy was first used by the Roman playwright ...
A tragicomedy is a play that is neither a comedy nor a tragedy, although it has the features of both. Tragedies are usually focused almost exclusively on the central character, the tragic hero (although Shakespearean tragedies can sometimes be a double tragedy, with two tragic heroes, like Romeo and Juliet ).
Aug 7, 2023 · Written by Daisie Team. Published on 7 August 2023 9 min read. Contents. What is Tragicomedy? History of Tragicomedy. Characteristics of Tragicomedy. Famous Authors and Works of Tragicomedy. How to Analyze Tragicomedy. Tragicomedy in Modern Literature. Influence of Tragicomedy on Popular Culture. Why Tragicomedy Matters.
