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Date: 08/09/2023

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English Literature 
Literary Devices 
Comedy in Drama
Comedy in Drama
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Who doesn't like to laugh? Do you often read or watch something funny to relax after a long day? Read on to find out about the origin of TikToks and Rom-Coms! Comedy in drama is a genre that goes as far back as Ancient Greece.

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Comedy in drama: definition
Let's take a look at the definition of comedy in drama:

Western drama originated around the 6th century BC in the city-state of Athens, in Classical Greece (5th-4th centuries BC). More specifically, the first forms of Western theatre appeared at the City Dionysia festival. People would celebrate the god Dionysus by singing a hymn called dithyrambs. Later, the singing turned into more coherent performed stories that were eventually split into two genres – comedy and tragedy.

The earliest surviving text that defines the characteristics of both tragedy and comedy is Poetics (c. 335 BC) by Aristotle. According to Aristotle, comedy should show people as worse than they are in real life. In this way, by making the audience laugh at the exaggerated flaws of people, a comedy can teach valuable lessons. Aristotle also believed that comedy is needed because it makes people happy. For him, to reach happiness was to reach an ideal state. To this day, many comedies follow Aristotle's concept of the three unities of drama which is also referred to as the unity of time, place and action. This means that that time, place and action in a play should be connected in a linear and logical way. Ideally, the story would take place within the time frame of 24 hours with no time jumps. The scenes should happen in one place only. The action should consist of events that are logically connected.

Another Greek philosopher, Plato, also shared his theory on comedy. Unlike Aristotle, Plato perceived comedy as unnecessary and as an obstacle to rationality and self-control.

Who would you side with – Aristotle or Plato? Do you find that comedy adds value to your life or do you think it brings out the worst in people?

Comedy was more clearly established as a genre by the Classical Greek dramatist Aristophanes. In his works, Aristophanes used satire and humour to explore the behaviour of people in society. These are traits that we still associate with comedy today.

Lysistrata (411 BC) is the most famous comedy by Aristophanes.

Beyond Classical Greece
Now we will look at the evolution of Western comedy through the ages and at the development of comedy specifically in English literature.

Western Comedy in Classical Rome
In the Classical Roman Period in literature (200 BC–455 CE), the comedies were adaptations of Greek comedies or Greek tales.

Asinaria (date unknown) by the Roman playwright Plautus is set in Athens and features Greek characters adapted for Roman audiences.

Comedy in the Medieval Period
In the Middle Ages, the prevalent genres in theatre were religion-oriented – morality plays and mystery plays. Still, there was a form of comedy called elegiac comedy.

Morality play is a type of medieval religious play which teaches moral lessons and good behaviour that are in accordance with the Church. This is done through the introduction of abstract characters who represent certain concepts such as the everyman, good deeds, and death.


Mystery play is a type of medieval play that presents stories from the Bible.

Elegiac comedy is a genre of medieval drama that is written in Latin. It's generally labelled as comedy although this has been debated because it doesn't have a strictly comedic style. Elegiac comedies are written in high style and in elegiac couplets (a poetic form that was first used by Classical Greek poets and then by Classical Roman poets).

Elegiac comedies were often inspired by Roman plays which, as we've mentioned, were adapted from Greek texts and themes.

Geta (12th century) by Vitalis of Blois is an elegiac comedy that is based on Amphitryon (date unknown) by the Roman playwright Plautus. The play follows the general Amphitryon whose wife Alcmena is tricked by the god Jupiter from Roman mythology (known as Zeus in Greek mythology). Jupiter pretends to be Amphitryon to sleep with Alcmena and this leads to Alcmena giving birth to the hero Hercules.

Another form of comedy that emerged during the Middle Ages and continued to be performed during the Renaissance is farce.

Farce is a type of comedy that uses exaggeration and physical humour to present unrealistic, absurd and ridiculous situations.

Comedy in the Renaissance
Comedy thrived in the Renaissance. Commedia dell'arte developed in Italy in the 16th century and it remained popular across Europe until the 18th century. Theatre in other European countries, such as Britain, Germany and France, used elements and characters fro