SECTION I

and Classiflcatlon of Comedy

Growth
of Comedy
Development and
Types
the classical Greek Comedy : Old Comedy.
of
Comedyhreestages Comedy- Earliest English Comedy
of Comedy-Italian
/Origin
Comedy, New Elizabethan age- Tragi-comedy- Heroic
Midle Comedy of the
of Manners
Sentimental Comedy-Anti-
Romantic Humour--Comedy
Purpose-- Comedy in the modern age-
Comedyof of
Comedy Comedy-Shavian Comedy
Sentimental
Comedyinone-act. originated in the rustic festivals of
honourot
comedy celebration, in
Like tragedy,
comos, a kind of
fertility
joyouS, light scenes.
Athens-inthe of vegetation. The occasion, bore the
god
Dionvsus, the Greek audience on that festive
the entire function was
nresented before Of course, the
in Greece. revelry.
germ of comedy involved a good deal oflow of comedy had
rather crude, and That insignificant beginning distinct stages and
(The Greek Comedy) three
triumphant march in Athens through by the side of tragedy, as a
a of time,
established itself, in course came to be recognised as a stage
It
recognised form of drama. character,
amusing with a happy conclusion.
play of a light and there was the Old Comedy, which was more
In the first stage, The comedy of that type was
political or personal satire.
or less a to expose the follies
essentially humorous and satiric, and served Aristophanes was
and flaws of different important personalities. eleven plays have
the greatest author of the old comedy, whose original
still survived. In him is discerned a powerful and
dramatist, whose works are both delightful and provocative. His
comedies are topical and lively, and imitate perfectly well
contemporary celebrities, wih all their gait and mannerism. His
great plays include The Clouds, The Knights and The Frogs and
represent such conspicuous figures as Socrates, Cleon, Euripides
and Aeschylus.
In the second stage, there was the
the emphasis was shifted to Middle Comedy in which
society-to
manners. The element Tf humour and satiresocial life and social
is
too. The Middle Comedy, predominant here,
Latin imitations, and the however, can be traced now only through
In the third stage, original works are all lost.
founded mainly on thethereconcept
grew the New Comnedy,
of though tful which was
laugh ter.
 sOME ASPECTS OF THE STUDY OF LITIERATURE

New
Unfortunately, the original works of the Comedy
been absolutely lost. Of the authors of this class
and his
have
of comedy, no
name of Menander is best known, influence
On the
subsequent comic dramatists of different countries, like
Terence, and even Moliere and Shakespeare, may well be trace
In ancient Greece, importance was laid more on the
Plautus,
play, which represented a serious action, whereas comedy a
was tragic
sort of burlesque, with an undertone of satÉre. In this
respect,i
Aristotle is quite specific and contends that the aim of comedv
to imitate what is rediculous in men. Of course, the nature of the
Grek comedy definitely changed with the New Comedy, and the
Aristotelian concept does not at al indicate the character or
spirit of all classical Greek comedies.
(The Roman Comedy] The next important stage in the develop
ment of comedy took place in Rome. The Italian comedists were
inspired by the Greek dramatists, particularly by the New
Comedy of Athens. Most of the Italian comedies are now lost. Some
twenty plays by Plautus and six by Terence have survived still.
Plautus and Terence had the sense of the comic, and produced
comedies to flood the stage with irresistible laugh ter and fun.
Conceived quite ingeniously, their plays were admired and
imitated by numerous subsequent play-wrights, although these
are mostiy farcical comedies. Despite their humble origin, those
two Latin masters seem to have been the inexhaustible source of
inspiration for comic ideas and situations in subsequent comic
plays, and are found distinctly the comedy of Humour as well as
the Anti-sentimental comedy.
(The Earliest English Comedy and the Elizabethan Romantic Comedy] The
next phase in the development of comedy was found in London. It
was from Terence and Plautus that the early English comedists
found their inspiration. Of course, the germ of the first English
Comedy was perceived in liturgical plays Mysteries and Mirzcle
plays, In some such as NOunsood and The Second
plays, advancement
Shepherd's Play, a steady of the comic spirit is
development of the comic
perceived. In which Heywood, a noted spirit
A later
the Interludes, was dramatist,
medieval found in
excelled others.
English comedy, in the true sense of the
The earliest
Renaissance, under the
influence Plautus term,
ofwas modelled
Terence. Nicholas
came after the Udall's Ralph Rolster Doister' and
after those Latin masters. Gammer Gurton1's Needle, the second
inspired equally by the Lain
English comedy, was masters. The
 GROV SSIFCATION OF COMEDY

English comedies were realistic and treated ordinary life.

earlyemphasis was particularly laid on the
The manipulation of
putrorous situations and the creation of funny characters. Fun
pleasure were the recognized objectives of the earliest
J comedies. The earliest comedy of England belongs to the
Baf the classical Italian comedy, and they are basically
arcicalcomedies.n
IThe Romantic Comedy] Comedy, however, reached its apex in
dland with the Romantic drama of Shakespeare, the University
his
ws and Shakespeare's followers. With Shakespeare, merely
adecessors and his followers, comedy is found no more
language of Aristotle, of
nny, farcical, or the imitation, in the interesting
It has come to possess an plot, a highly
the Judicrous. romantic setting. There
remarkable art of characterisation and a
the English comedy in the
is noted definitely much maturity in dialogue in the transition
and
matter of plot, character, situation
Robert Greene's Friar Bacon and
from Ralph Roister Doister to of beauty was infused into
Moreover, an element
Friar Bungay. witnessed in Shakespeare's "As
of the play, as
the atmosphere Midsummer Night's Dream", "Twelfth Night",
You Like It", "A Comedy of love is
on. The High
"Much Ado About Nothing", and sothe Romantic Comedy of the
of
the significant contributionmarked with the play of fancy and
Elizabethan age. It is well situations.arffgudntt
imagination and the highly inventive Romantic Comedy brought
rise of the
(The Tragi-Comedy] Thevariety-Tragi-comedy, in which the
Into existence another blent. Against the very dictate of
Serious and the light were eminence and
Romantic Comedy achieved
Aristotle, the element and the light. In
popularity by combining the serious
plays, the end is of a comedy, that is, there is the
tnis sort of dramatic environment remains rather
happy ending, while the
gloomy of a tragic play. A combination of comedy and
ombre and executed, marks the nature
ragedy, often not very harmoniously
The Merchant of Venice
OT a tragi-comedy. Shakespeare's
and 'Much Ado About Nothing' and
Measure for Measure' Beaumont and Fletcher
"Philaster' and A King and No King' of
Tragi-comedies of the age.
Stand out prominently among the
another manifestation in France,
The Tragi-comedy hacd some
under Molere and Corneille, in the Heroic Comedy. Here
was presented
in the centre of
,comedy and his
heroic personality certain iohr episodes.
Serious action was blent with the
Tragi-comedy and the Heroic Comedy are actually
Both the
12 SOME ASPECTS OF THE STUDY OF LITERATURR

manifestation of the Romantic Comedy. Their propriety as tra.

dramatic art is not beyond all doubts.
(Diferent Types of Social Comedies) The Romantic Comedies had i
reaction in the Comedy of Humour, brought forth by Ben Jonse
in England. These Comedies of Humour are foud more realista
and actually deal with the common social aspects of life. The
sense of the comic here grows out of the incongruity of human
actions and expectations. The Comedy of Humour is social and
realistic, and stands as quite antithetical to the Romantie
Comedy. Jonson's Every Man in His Humour and Every Man Out of
His Humour are the typical instances of the Comedy of Humour.
By the side of the Comedy of Humour, there rose the Comedy
of Manners in France. In the Comedy of Manners, social manners
are subjected to ridicule, with the sole purpose of evoking
laugh ter and exposing follies. These comedies appear to bear
serious criticism behind their gay appearance. They are also
social and realis tic and based on the imitation of social manners
in a satirical vein. Moliere remains the finest maker of the
Comedy of Manners.
The Comedy of Manners flourished in England, after the
Restoration, in the -hands of Congreve, who had the genius of a
true-born comedist. Of course, Congreve received assistance from
some other fello dramatistsEtherege, Wycherley, Farquhar and
Vanbrugh. The Comedy of Manners triumphed in the Restoration
under the leadership of those masters. Like the comedv of
Humour, this is also based on the contemporary society and
social life. But the range of society 1S here very much
the aristocratic, artificial English sOciety of the confined to
cariric notes and indecency ana vuigarity are time. Moreover.
found ramnant
here.
The Comedy of Manners, which was so full of life
however, decayed, and the Sentimen tal and joy,
mediocre authorship, rose in England. Full of
Cormedy, under the
sentimentality and devitalized passion, the nonsensical
marked the decline of the comic spirit. Sentimental Comedy
Althoughand this type of
comedy is social, it is full of artificiality
sentiment and lacks the warmth
of life in its exaggera ted
But the lapses of the
Sentimental |Comedyimitation.
were sOon
once again with Goldsmith
and comedy became vivacious
timental plays removed,
and
Sheridan. Their anti-sen foolery on the
firework of fun, farce
and
and She Stoops to
displaTheyed Rivalsbrightof
stage. a
Conquer of Goldsmith are the most
Sheridan
 CLASSIFCATION OF COME
L GROWTH AND

what is called the Anti-sentimental

of found to follow the
remarkable specimnens
Anti-sentimentalI Comedy is
The the Comedy at Humour in its
Comedy. Manners and contemporary life in a
of social manners and
Comedy
tation satire in termingled, and without
represen fun, with slight
and comedy. world, has
spiritof wit former the modern
of the Comedy, in not lost.
theobscenity
Modern Comedy] relation with the past isplays. is
The although its
represented in
Shavian
undergone
changes, as Shaw's comedies,
comedy, laughter.
modern idea of thought and thought and idea. They
The mixture of characterised as the
founded on the appearance, carry much
usually
behind their gay
as teach.
They are
modern
well in
please asComedy.
Purpose keynote of comedy mere social,
become the others. The
Seriousness has comedy. It
Shaw and many the subject of
Ibsen,
times with personal banter is no
more
tful laughter and
though effective
political, or matters, evokes frontier of the is
embraces seriousunderstanding. The of the tragedy, which times
enhances human to-day close to that plays in recent
are Back
comedy has comeplay. In fact, therecomic. Osborne'sLook
always a serious definitely tragic or respect. one-act
without anything instance in this comedy, there are
a glaring
in Anger istragedy, class of one-act, but may
so in the
As in are short, of only comedy to delight
plays of
plays. Theseimplement the basic purpose sensation of thoughtful
Successfully pleasurable Propopsal, Stanley
to produce the The
nd teach, Chekov's The Bear and Dukes's The Dumb Wife of
laughter. Departed, Ashley
Haughton's The Dear entertaining one-act comedies.
Manners, the
Cheapside are thoroughly the Comedy of
and the
Ihe Comedy of Humour,
Anti-sentimental Comed÷ realistiC
nimental Comedy, the or less to the class of
the
POSe Comedy belong
more
termed as the Realis tic SOCial
commonly
dand may be
Comedy.

are mentioned by some erudiie

The Genteel
Comedy and the Comedy of Intrigue Comedy, while
critics, The is closely allied to the Sentimental
Anti-sentimental Comedy
however,
formner.
the Comedy of Humour. the Comedy of Manners and the. therefore,
contain usually They need not be,
a good deal of the Comedy of Intrigue.
Separately
S. A. Study.
considered.
14