Tragicomedies: Creating and Critiquing

Introduction to Tragicomedies

Tragicomedies/ Tragicomedy is a dramatic genre that combines elements of both tragedy and comedy in a single work. It often explores serious or even tragic themes while incorporating humor and lighter moments.

Tragicomedies challenge traditional genre boundaries, creating a complex emotional experience for the audience by blending contrasting tones and themes.

Literary Examples of Tragicomedies

1. The Tempest by William Shakespeare: This play combines elements of tragedy and comedy, as it explores themes of betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness, but also features humorous moments, such as the antics of the character Trinculo.
2. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett: This absurdist play features two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who wait for a character named Godot, while engaging in humorous and philosophical conversations about life and the human condition.
3. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard: This play is a retelling of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” but from the perspective of two minor characters. It combines elements of tragedy and comedy, as it explores the absurdity of life and the inevitability of death.
4. The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca: This play explores the lives of five daughters living under the strict rule of their mother, Bernarda Alba, after the death of their father. It is a tragicomedy that combines moments of humor with a dark exploration of human nature and the consequences of oppression.
5. As You Like It by William Shakespeare: This play features a love story between two characters, Rosalind and Orlando, but also explores themes of exile and personal transformation. It is a comedy with elements of tragedy, as characters must navigate the complexities of love and identity in a world that is often unfair.
6. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: This novel is a satirical and absurdist look at war and the military bureaucracy. It combines humor and tragedy, as it explores the futility of war and the dehumanizing effects of institutional power.

How to Create Tragicomedies

Creating tragicomedy in a fictional work requires a delicate balance of humor and tragedy. Here are some tips to create tragicomedy in your writing:

1. Develop Complex Characters: Tragicomedies thrive on multi-dimensional characters possessing both strengths and flaws. Craft characters with relatable, realistic qualities that endear them to the audience while introducing enough imperfections to generate narrative tension.
2. Find the Humor in Tragedy: Identify instances of irony, absurdity, and wit within the tragic aspects of your narrative. This artful juxtaposition infuses depth, humanity, and a sense of levity into your characters and their predicaments.
3. Use Language to Create Tone: The tone of your prose is pivotal in establishing the tragicomic ambiance. Employ language that seamlessly weaves seriousness and humor, experimenting with diverse writing styles to develop a distinctive narrative voice.
4. Balance the Tragic and the Comic: Achieving equilibrium between the tragic and comic elements is essential in tragicomedy. Ensure that your story encompasses a harmonious blend of both, fostering a sense of contrast and equilibrium throughout the narrative.
5. Explore Universal Themes: Tragicomedy is most impactful when it delves into universal themes that resonate with all readers. Themes such as love, loss, and the human condition can be profoundly explored through a fusion of humor and tragedy, resulting in a compelling and unforgettable narrative.

Benefits of Tragicomedies

Tragicomedy offers several benefits to both writers and readers. Here are a few:

1. Captures the Complexity of Life: Tragicomedy mirrors the intricate and often messy nature of human existence, where moments of tragedy and humor frequently intermingle. This portrayal engenders a sense of authenticity and relatability, fostering a resonance with readers.
2. Explores a Wide Range of Emotions: Tragicomedy possesses the capacity to elicit a spectrum of emotions in readers, spanning from laughter to tears. This emotional depth forges a potent connection between the reader and the narrative.
3. Provides a Fresh Perspective: Tragicomedy offers a novel and distinctive viewpoint on well-worn themes and genres. By amalgamating tragic and comic elements, authors can fashion narratives that are both unexpected and memorable.
4. Offers a Sense of Catharsis: Tragicomedy can furnish readers with a profound sense of catharsis. As they traverse a gamut of emotions, they ultimately attain a feeling of resolution and closure from the narrative experience.
5. Encourages Empathy: Tragicomedy promotes empathy towards its characters and their struggles, as readers connect with both their humorous and tragic journeys. This empathetic engagement contributes to enhanced understanding and compassion in the reader.

Tragicomedies and Literary Theory

Tragicomedy could be subject to analysis and understanding through various literary theories. Here are five examples:

Literary Theory	How to Critique Tragicomedy	Example Critique of a Literary Work
Structuralism	Examine the structural organization of tragicomedies and comic elements in the work.	In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, analyze how the juxtaposition of Prospero’s revenge plot (tragic) with the comic antics of Caliban and the clowns creates a structural balance that enhances the overall narrative impact.
Postmodernism	Analyze how tragicomedy blurs the line between tragedy and comedy, emphasizing subjectivity.	In Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, explore how the protagonist Billy Pilgrim’s experiences, which oscillate between traumatic war events and absurd time-traveling, challenge the notion of a fixed reality and subjectivity.
Feminist Theory	Scrutinize the representation of gender roles and stereotypes in tragicomedy.	In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, assess how the character of Elizabeth Bennet subverts traditional gender norms, offering a feminist perspective on marriage and independence.
Cultural Studies	Study how tragicomedy reflects and critiques societal values, beliefs, and norms.	In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, examine how the story of rebellious farm animals serves as an allegorical critique of the socio-political landscape, illustrating the corrupting influence of power.
Reader-Response Theory	Examine how readers navigate and interpret the mixed emotions and tones in tragicomedies.	In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, analyze how readers’ responses to the protagonist Holden Caulfield’s oscillation between cynicism and vulnerability influence their overall interpretation of the novel.

Suggested Readings

1. Aeschylus. Oresteia. Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin, 1984.
2. Aristotle. Poetics. Translated by Stephen Halliwell, Loeb Classical Library, 1995.
3. Euripides. Medea. Translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien, Hackett Publishing, 2008.
4. Freud, Sigmund. “Mourning and Melancholia.” The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, vol. XIV, Hogarth Press, 1957, pp. 243-258.
5. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Penguin, 1996.
6. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, Arden Shakespeare, 2006.