What is the main difference between a shakespearian comedy and a shakespearean tragedy?

Answer 1

The way to tell if a Shakespeare play is a comedy or a tragedy is to look at the ending. If, at the end of the play, most of the cast is lying on the stage dead, then you are watching a tragedy; if, at the end of the play, everyone is still alive and a whole bunch of people are getting married (or those who used to be unhappily married are now happily married) then it's a comedy.

Some plays are hard to fit into a category. Troilus and Cressida ends with everyone unhappy, the lovers are not married, but on the other hand nobody except Hector is dead. Cymbeline ends with the evil queen dying but with Imogen and Postumus reconciling.

So while you may think that comedy is funny and tragedy is sad, these ideas apply only to modern works, not Shakespeare, as follows:

Modern Definition: The comedy is designed to make the audience laugh and the tragedy is designed to make the audience cry (or at least go very quiet)

Shakespearean Definition: Comedy ends with a marriage, Tragedy ends with a death.
A Shakespeare comedy's plotline is generally funny and confused. Tragedies usually end with the death of every main character.

Tragedy: Romeo and Juliet

Comedy: The Comedy of Errors

Answer 2

The ToneThe main difference between Shakepearean comedy and Shakespearean tragedy is the tone. The comedy is designed to be funny, while the tragedy will be sad... that is the main difference, and one that you can predict before even reading them. The difference is that a comedy has a light romantic spot to it while usually the tragedies have killing and despair. People laugh in a comedy and people cry in a tragedy. Well, a comedy is supposed to make people laugh. A tragedy often makes people cry. The EndingA Shakespearean comedy, by definition, is one of Shakespeare's stories with a happy ending. The difference between that and a tragedy is that tragedies always have a sad ending. The use of actual jokes and comedy didn't play a part in creating either genre, because it, especially innuendo, was used in both types. The simple answer is that in a tragedy they die at the end, in a comedy they get married. The comedies end happily, usually with everybody getting married. The tragedies end sadly, usually with everybody getting dead. A comedy has a happy ending. A tragedy has a sad ending. The comedy ends happily but the tragedy always ends in death. Traditionally a comedy will end in a wedding and a tragedy with the death of a main character. In the comedies a whole lot of people get married at the end. In the tragedies a whole lot of people die at the end. One ends with a smile; one ends in tears. The PlotComedy leads towards resolution and tragedy leads towards devastation. There can be funny parts in a tragedy and sad parts in a comedy.

Answer 3

The most apparent difference in Shakespearean tragedy and comedy is the ending of the story. Shakespearean tragedies end in the death of the main character. Shakespearean comedies end in marriage. Another difference is the story type and character types. Tragedies involve both internal and external conflict, family strife and opposing characters. Comedies have external conflict, comedic characters and a light-hearted, pun filled tone.

Answer 4

William Shakespeare is one of the most important playwrights ever. It's said that the main difference between his comedies and his tragedies is that in the first ones, there are always weddings and laughs at the end, unlike what happens with the second ones.

Answer 5

#1 the correct spelling is tragedy you fool #2 The difference is that in a comedy when there is utter chaos the characters somehow find a way to work it out and there's a happy ending. In tragedies the characters are constantly trying to work against their own demise but in the end they always end up causing their own destruction.

Answer 6

I think the main difference is the end because usually in a tragedy ends with either a death or something bad happening but a comedy would probably end with something funny. xx

Answer 7

The main difference between them is that Shakespeare's comdy plays are all happy endings, when Shakespeare's tragedy plays all ends sadly.

Answer 8

At the end of the tragedies, most of the main characters die. At the end of the comedies, they get married.

Answer 9

A comedy is funny, a tragedy is sad.