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Literature vocabulary · Drama and Theatre

Comedy

Meaning in literature, with examples

/ˈkɒmədi/nounCore term

In literature, comedy means: A play or story meant to amuse, usually built on misunderstandings and humor and ending happily, often with reunions or marriages.

In Turkish: komedi, güldürü

How it is used

Paired with tragedy since ancient Greece. Critics distinguish romantic comedy, comedy of manners, satire and farce. Shakespeare's comedies include A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night. Adjective: comic (comic relief, comic character); 'comical' means funny in a silly way.

Example sentences

  1. The comedy depends on two pairs of twins who keep being mistaken for each other.

  2. Even the darkest tragedies of Shakespeare contain moments of comedy.

Common collocations

  • romantic comedy
  • comedy of manners
  • black comedy
  • comic relief
  • a comedy of errors
  • tragedyA serious play or story in which the main character suffers and is usually destroyed, often because of a personal flaw or a fatal mistake.
  • dramaLiterature written to be performed by actors on a stage, telling a story through dialogue and action; also a single serious play.
  • satireWriting that uses humor, irony and exaggeration to criticize or mock the foolishness or wrongdoing of people, institutions or society.
  • playA piece of writing for the theatre, made up of dialogue and stage directions, that actors perform in front of an audience.

More terms: Drama and Theatre

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