Characteristics of Tragedy and Comedy Essay by Calwriter

This paper identifies one characteristic of comedy and two characteristics of tragedy and demonstrates their application to scenes from four plays considered some of the greatest tragedies ever penned, Shakespeare's "Oedipus Rex," "Macbeth," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Hamlet;" and from two films, the comedy, "Pretty Woman," and tragedy, "The Path to War." The author explains that one characteristic of comedy is the exaggerated or wry manner in which human folly or foolishness is underscored, and two characteristics of tragedy are the struggles or suffering of the protagonist over moral issues and the raising of questions about the meaning of human existence. The paper states that the "Path to War" and "Oedipus Rex" are pure tragedy based on circumstances and errors in judgment; whereas, "Pretty Woman" is a film that is a comedy because its light-heartedness and innocence completely overshadow its tragic characteristics.