THEA 1314 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Gallows Humor, Tragic Hero, Verse (Poetry)
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Types and Forms of Plays
Forms of Plays
• Tragedy : the human struggle with the inevitability of our fate
o Traditional Tragedy
▪ Aristotle said : tragedy = the purgation (to expel) of pity and fear
▪ Audience feels catharsis (release of emotional tension)
▪ Comes from Greek work tragoidia = the Goat Song
▪ Tragic hero, or protagonist, who possesses:
• Hubris - excess of good
• Hamartia - tragic flaw
• High status in society
▪ The antagonist (opposes the protagonist) is larger than life - gods, ghosts, fate
• The language is elevated - often in verse (poetry)
o Modern Tragedy
▪ Difference from traditional tragedy :
• Focus is on the hero's journey
• About ordinary people with average dreams
• Hero acts on impulse rather than for the greater good
• Comedy : explores the humorous view of life
o Defining comedy
▪ Comes from Greek work komoidia meaning "revel song"
▪ Aristotle believed that comedy should renew humanity
o Traits of a Comedy
▪ Protected world
▪ Absence of serious pain
▪ Energy and physicality
▪ Happy / hopeful ending
▪ Not always uproariously funny
o Types of comedies
▪ Idea - highest form, wrestles with the serious question in life in a comedic way
▪ Character - humor from persona(s) invented by an actor(s) [often includes
stereotypes]
▪ Manners -humor from satire of the behavior of certain social classes (usually upper
class because of their power)
▪ Situation - absurd situation; sitcom
▪ Farce - low comedy, broad comedy about ridiculous situations (often includes
misunderstandings and misconceptions, lots of physical humor)
▪ Dark comedy
• Darkness of life
• Human existence is ironic and suffering is absurd
• "gallows humor"
• Tragicomedy : combination of tragedy and comedy
o Usually a serious play with a happy ending
o Tragic play with comic elements
• Melodrama
o Stock characters - characters based on stereotypes