Tragicomedy - Academic Mode

Definition of Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is a literary device used in fictional works. It contains both tragedies and comedies. Most of the time, the characters in tragicomedy are exaggerated, and sometimes a happy ending can happen after a series of unfortunate events just to lighten the tone.

Examples of tragic comedy in literature
Example 1: The Merchant of Venice (by William Shakespeare)
The Merchant of William Shakespeare's Venice is considered one of the most popular traditional examples of tragic comedy. There are tragic characters like Shylock (who is a central figure) and tragic events like Antonio's "loss" of life (because he is not actually dead) .

Although the play with the union of lovers in the story, and Antonio is facing a tragic Saving the incident, readers are left with a taste of Shylock's suffering, neither happy nor gloomy. Although this piece is definitely comical in structure, it also has a strong tragic story. Hence, it can be classified as a tragic comedy.

Example 2: The Cherry Orchard (by Anton Chekhov)
Anton Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard turned out to be his last play, which contains a combination of comedy and tragedy. It's the story of an elite family about to be based on an inevitable social change that came with the beginning of the 20th century, and represents the end of an aristocratic era mixed with elements of tragic and comic Behavior, humorous aspects, and lack of responsibility of characters.

Example 3: Waiting for Godot (By Samuel Beckett)
Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot can also be considered one of the best examples of tragic comedy. There are many gestures, dialogues, and actions and situations that are filled with pure comedy. All kinds of musical devices have been used to create laughter.

The general atmosphere is that of a dark comedy. For example, Vladimir is determined not to hear Estragon's nig, however, the latter keeps asking him to listen. Likewise, Tarragon takes off his shoes several times and puts them on, while Vladimir keeps playing with his hat. On the other hand, because of the unhappiness of these tramps, the comedy becomes a tragedy. Vladimir and Tarragon wait for someone who does not come. Over time, they indulge in meaningless activities.

Example 4: The Winter's Tale (by William Shakespeare)
Shakespearean tragic comedies have complex and dubious plots. One of his perfect tragic comedies is Winter's Tale. The first three acts are both tragic and serious, while the last two acts are based on pastoral romance, villainy, songs, humor, and reunification. A sheep shearing celebration with the elegant, innocent Perdita, who serves as the hostess and dances and sings with shepherds. The mixture of suffering, worry, humor, romance, forgiveness and reunification in the piece confirms its name as a tragic comedy. There are several aspects of tragic comedy in the play, which include: tragic elements, comic book elements, romantic elements, and a happy ending.

Example # 5: The Caretaker (By Harold Pinteris)
The Caretaker, written by Harold Pinteris, is mixed with two modes, tragedy and comedy, and is a good modern example of tragicomedy. The comic elements appear in the monologues of Mick and Davies. , and even the interactions between characters sometimes come close to being farce. The repetition, confusion and deception of the Davies brothers make the play comical; however, the tragic element appears in Anton's climactic monologue, regarding his shock treatments, at the end of the play. and in "that place", although its ending is somewhat ambiguous.

Example # 6: Marriage à la Mode (By John Dryden)
John Dryden's Marriage à la Mode is a successful comedy that fuses two different plots of restoration, mannered and romantic comedy . The tragicomedy The double plot encompasses the idea that marriage creates hope and brings regrets, opens possibilities and denies opportunities.

Function of tragicomedy
The main purpose of t La ragicomedy is to describe the dual nature of reality, where both modes can coexisting, perhaps simultaneously, so that the intertwining of both aspects gives both a comic and a tragic vision of life, tragicomedy is used mainly in dramas and theater. On the protagonists, while comic works lack focus and concern, works were developed that fell between these two categories. These types of games present both ways of life through absurdity and seriousness.