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The word comedy has a classical meaning (comical Theatre ) and a popular one (the use of Humor with an intent to provoke Laughter in general). In the Theater , its Western origins are in ancient Greek Tragedy , a genre characterised by a grave fall from grace by a protagonist having high social standing. Comedy, by contrast, portrays a conflict or Agon ( Classical Greek '''') between a young hero and an older authority, a confrontation described by Northrop Frye as a struggle between a "society of youth" and a "society of the old". A more recent development is to regard this struggle as a mere pretext for disguise, a comical device centered on uncertainties regarding the meaning of social identity. The basis of comedy would then be a plot mechanism conceived to engender misunderstandings either about a hero's identity or about social being in general. In common, present day usage the word comedy almost always refers to the creation or presentation of humor with the intention of provoking laughter. Most comedy contains variations on the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and the effect of Opposite Expectations , but there are many recognized genres of comedy. Satire and Political Satire use ironic comedy to portray persons or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, thus alienating their audience from the object of humor. Parody borrows the form of some popular Genre , Artwork , or Text but uses certain Ironic changes to critique that form from within (though not necessarily in a condemning way). Screwball Comedy derives its humor largely from bizarre, surprising (and improbable) situations or characters. Black Comedy is defined by dark humor that makes light of so called dark or Evil elements in human nature. Similarly Scatological Humor , Sexual Humor , and Race Humor create comedy by violating Social Conventions or Taboo s in comedic ways. A Comedy Of Manners typically takes as its subject a particular part of society (usually upper class society) and uses humor to parody or satirize the behavior and mannerisms of its members. Romantic Comedy is a popular genre that depicts burgeoning romance in humorous terms and focuses on the foibles of those falling in love. DERIVATION The word "comedy" is derived from the Classical Greek ''κωμῳδία'', which is a compound either of '' κῶμος '' (revel) or ''κώμη'' (village) and ''ᾠδή'' (singing): it is possible that ''κῶμος'' itself is derived from ''κώμη'', and originally meant a village revel. In ancient Greece , comedy seems to have originated in bawdy and Ribald songs or recitations apropos of fertility festivals or gatherings, or also in poking fun at other people or stereotypes.Francis MacDonald Cornford, The Origin of Attic Comedy, 1934. Aristotle , in his Poetics, states that comedy originated in Phallic songs and the light treatment of the otherwise base and ugly. He also adds that the origins of comedy are obscure because it was not treated seriously from its inception.Aristotle, Poetics, lines beginning at 1449a. {Link without Title} The word came into modern usage through the Latin ''comoedia ''and Italian ''commedia'' and has, over time, passed through various shades of meaning. In the Middle Ages it simply defined a story with a happy ending; thus some of Chaucer's tales are called comedies, and in this sense Dante used the term in the title of his poem, La Commedia. The adjective "comic" (Greek κωμικός), which strictly means that which relates to comedy is, in modern usage, generally confined to the sense of "laughter-provoking". The phenomena connected with laughter and that which provokes it has been carefully investigated by psychologists and agreed upon the predominating speaks of laughter as a "sudden glory." Modern investigators have paid much attention to the origin both of laughter and of smiling, as well as the development of the "play instinct" and its emotional expression. SEE ALSO Forms
Styles See Also: Comedy genres
Historical or theatre
This list was compiled with reference to ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (1998). Definitions Comedy events and awards
Lists of comedy performers By nationality
Lists of comedy programs
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