CT - Comedy and Tragedy Module Overview

Comedy and Tragedy

Tragedy focuses upon the noble qualities of humans, whereas comedy tends to mock or ridicule our weakest traits.

Introduction

Since the Ancient Greeks, drama has been at the center of the Western Literary canon. Tragedies such as Oedipus, Antigone, and Medea are all still taught frequently at high schools and colleges and lay the framework for our definitions of tragedy. As the genre evolved, it arguably reached its peak with the English Renaissance with such writers as Christopher Marlow, Ben Johnson, hundreds of other minor writers, and of course . . . William Shakespeare.

Since the 1600s drama has competed with the novel for attention as quality literature, and might even be more relevant with its evolution into both television and film.

When you watch a television sitcom, it is probably a recycling of the comedic form, whereas a serious mini-series or film touches on the same elements of classical tragedy. In all comedy and tragedy are so much a part of our entertainment landscape that we take them for granted.

In this module we will be looking at arguably one of the greatest tragedies (and plays) of all time, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. William Shakespeare had several minor masterpieces in various dramatic genres (i.e. history plays, comedies of errors), but his central reputation lies on the four major tragedies: King Lear, MacBeth, Othello, and Hamlet. A bit lesser known, but still important in the history of literature is Molière whose quick witted comedies could be seen as the “sitcoms” of the royal court. As we read through these two plays consider the complexity of characters in each genre and how both tragedy and comedy reflect similar themes, but approach them through two different directions: tragedy through fear and pity; comedy through ridicule and humor.

Before we begin this module, I would also like to suggest viewing both of these dramas in addition to viewing them. Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet is a very accessible complete version of the play, and highly recommended.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Comedy and Tragedy: In this lesson, we will compare the two genres and look at some theories of tragedy.

Historical Contexts for Drama: In this brief lesson, we will get some historical background to both plays.

Complexity of Characters: In this lesson, we will delve into the conflicting qualities with the central “players” in each play.

Written Responses to Drama: In this lesson, we will shift our attention to the Open-Ended Essay on the AP English Literature Exam and use two plays as our potential texts.

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