Comedy in Dramatic Theater

Charlie Chaplin once said, "Life is a tragedy when seen in close up, but a comedy in long shot." This is evident in a variety of plays, that usually have some comedic aspects, but all mirror a tragedy in their actual meaning. In the plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lysistrata, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, comedy is the main purpose of the play, with the playwrights putting comedic scenes and situations in the plays. However, in all of these plays, the comedy overlaps the true dramatic elements in the play that show tragedy in a lighter way. The way the playwrights construct their plays is evident of the true comedic nature of these plays, and it is this comedy that makes each play as humorous as they are. Comedy is a genre of theater that can be evident among a dramatic play, and in these three plays, the playwrights are able to discuss a truly dramatic situation in a comedic tone, by masking the characters words with comedic characters, events, or verse.

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, written by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare is able to create a comedic environment in a dramatic play. The play consists of a tragic story of life and romance between a group of lovers. Although this topic can be seen as a dramatic love story, Shakespeare is able to make this play comedic by his usage of characters and plot sequencing. He does this by having characters such as Puck and other fairies that provide comic relief throughout the acts. He uses their actions to give the play a comedic aspect and to take away from the drama between the lovers. One instance of this is seen, when one lover, Nick Bottom, has been blessed with the face of an ass. His suitor, Titania, love-stricken by a magic potion, fails to see the disgust of this man, and praises him continuously on his beauty. She goes so far as to say "Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful" (3.1.142), which clearly exemplifies the irony Shakespeare brings out in this scene. He is able to take a dramatic situation, the idea of love between these two heartbroken souls, and create it into a comedic scene. Shakespeare's play, although viewed as a drama by many critics, is known as one of the few comedies of his classic works, and his ability to make it a comedy with his excellent use of satire and prose is evident throughout.

In another play, Lysistrata, written by Aristophanes in 410 B.C., Aristophanes is able to take a dramatic issue of the Peloponnesian war, and make it into a fun loving, comedic play. This play, like many other comedic plays, uses sexual implications to create humor. The entire premise of this play can be seen as a true comedy, but the underlying meaning is that of a true tragedy. Aristophanes uses sexual humor to get past the dramatic events that occur. For example, at one point the ever-persistent Myrrhine continues to delay sex until she is assured that there will be peace and no more war. Aristophanes gets past the talk of war and peace, by the fast-paced banter between Myrrhine and Cinesias, and the especially crude comment by Cinesias after Myrrhine says get up, "I've got this up!" (OL). It is commentary like this that makes this play a humorous one, and diverts the attention from the horrific war to the silliness in the plot of the play. Aristophanes uses commentary in his play to develop a strong comedic environment, and his words bring about shock and quiet laughter that allow the audience to see the humor in this play.

In the play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, written by Edward Albee, Albee is able to use comedy in a darker way than other plays. In this play, Albee uses constant conversation and repeated obscenities to put humor into the tragic situation of the depression of the couples' marriage. Rather than having funny situations occur, Albee employs the use comedic banter to create comedy. For example, the speech between Martha and George, although really signifying the decline of their marriage, is full of witty jokes and sarcasm that when initially heard by the audience, forces them to laugh rather than to mull over the cruelty of their words. At one instance, Martha continues to berate her husband, and she even says, "You see, George didn't have much...In fact he was sort of a, a FLOP!" (84). This shows Martha's lack of passion for her husband, but Albee is able to mask the darkness in their marriage with crude humor to make the audience laugh at the situation rather than to speculate over its obscenity. In this play, the comedy truly overlaps the dark side of the play, and at first glance, audiences may see it as a comedy rather than a tragedy.

Often times, tragedy is the driving force of many plays, and it brings action and adventure to every play. In some plays, however, the authors are able to bring comedy into the play, to lighten the mood and create and more lighthearted atmosphere for their audience. In the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare delivers a tragic drama in a comedic fashion, by his use of outrageous characters and ironic situations. In Lysistrata, Aristophanes hides the issue of war in a comedic play wrapped around sex and romance. In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Albee is able to tell the tale of a marriage falling apart in high society, by his use of comedic speech and banter. All of these playwrights tell a tragic story in their plays, not by the use of heartbreak, but by laughter, and it is this method that makes these plays as ingenious and popular as they are. The right kind of comedy is always popular with audiences, and as they say, laughter is the best medicine.