Tragic- Comedy

Introduction:

Tragi-comedy is half tragedy and half comedy which are mingled harmoniously together. It is distinct from tragedy and comedy. There is comic relief in tragedy which intensify tragedy and tragical elements in comedy which intensify the element of comedy. Hence tragic-comedy is different from these two. In fact Tragi-Comedy stands on a different footing altogether. It is a complete tragedy upto a certain point in a play and then complete comedy thereafter. This means the complication sets forth a tragic theme and the denouement turns it into comedy. Some of the examples of this type of play are Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline”, “Winter’s Tale” and “The Tempest”. The structure of the tragic-comedy is also not exactly like a tragedy or a comedy. In tragic-comedy  happiness and woe frequently verging on the improbable. The characters are not always in one single mood. Many undergo a transformation, sometimes natural and sometimes through some outer forces.  The supernatural and pastoral settings are also often used by the playwrights. The general atmosphere is set in a world of fantasy. This gives an alternative name for this type of play, the Dramatic Romance.

Origin and History:

Tragi-comedy was not known to the Greek. The reason is in tragic-comedy, the unity of action is the mixture of both the tragic and the comic. The Latin playwright, Plautus attempted this type in “Amphitruo” and called it “tragic-comoedia”. But it was not the exact tragic-comedy of the English variety. The English form arose in the reign of James I due to Italian and Spanish influences. Therefore as in Italian plays the tragic-comedy contains pastoral elements and as in Spanish plays it contains the romantic intrigue. Beaumont and Fletcher’s “A King and No King” is a tragic-comedy which is the forerunner of Shakespeare’s Dramatic Romances. With various variations the dramatic romances maintained itself on the stage till the closing of the theatres in 1642.

Arguments ‘for and against’ the form:

Tragi-comedy was always opposed by ‘those who judge by principles rather than perception’. Sidney, the Elizabethan critic opposes it for its mingling of tragic and comic elements. Milton condemned in the preface to “Samson Agonistes”.  Addison later called it “one of the most monstrous inventions that ever entered into a poet’s thought.” It shows that these poets wanted to strictly follow the classical rule of ‘Unity of Action”. But they did not explain that this form is unnatural or inartistic. But Dryden esteems it high since it is the invention of English dramatists. Dr. Johnson also appreciates this type saying, “it is not only common but perpetual in the world, may surely be allowed upon the stage, which pretends only to be the mirror of life.” Later writers also encourage this type of play. In Dickens novel we pass from hilarious laughter to the most tearful forms of the pathetic.

Conclusion:

The ultimate aim of all art is to give aesthetic pleasure and in this line tragic-comedy also gives the same effect. Moreover it exactly resembles life, because life is the mixture of both tragic and comic elements. Hence it is very natural like other dramatic types. Above all, some of the greatest masterpieces of English literature were created in this form by Shakespeare and other playwrights.