Dramatic Genres
GENRE

Another word for kind
Genre is also the root for our word “gender”
Another word meaning genre is type
Characteristics of GENRE are not absolute, but it is a
useful means of classifying plays
This concept of genre originated
from the classification systems
created by Aristotle and Plato.
Plato divided literature into the
three classic genres accepted in
Ancient Greece: poetry, drama,
and prose. Poetry is further
subdivided into epic, lyric, and
drama. The divisions are
recognized as being set by
Aristotle and Plato; however,
they were not alone. Many
genre theorists contributed to
these
universally
accepted
forms of poetry. Similarly many
theorists
continued
to
philosophize about genre and
its uses, which caused genre as
Plato and Aristotle knew it to
evolve and further expand.
TRAGEDY

“Tragedy, then, is an imitation of
an action that is serious,
complete, and of a certain
magnitude; in language
embellished with each kind of
artistic ornament, the several
kinds being found in separate
parts of the play; in the form of
action, not of narrative; with
incidents arousing pity and fear,
wherewith to accomplish its
katharsis of such emotions. . . .
Some famous tragedies

OEDIPUS REX
SALEMAN
HAMLET
DEATH OF A
COMEDY

According to Aristotle, ancient comedy originated with the komos, a curious and
improbable spectacle in which a company of festive males apparently sang, danced,
and cavorted rollickingly around the image of a large phallus (…giving a whole new
meaning to the phrase "stand-up routine.")
Accurate or not, the linking of the origins of comedy to some sort of phallic ritual or
festival of mirth seems both plausible and appropriate, since for most of its history-from Aristophanes to Seinfeld--comedy has involved a high-spirited celebration of
human sexuality and the triumph of eros. As a rule, tragedies occur on the
battlefield or in a palace's great hall; a more likely setting for comedy is the bedroom
or bathroom.
On the other hand, it's not true that a film or literary work must involve sexual
humor or even be funny in order to qualify as a comedy. A happy ending is all that's
required. In fact, since at least as far back as Aristotle, the basic formula for comedy
has had more to do with conventions and expectations of plot and character than
with a requirement for lewd jokes or cartoonish pratfalls. In essence: A comedy is a
story of the rise in fortune of a sympathetic central character.
Some examples of COMEDY

TRAGICOMEDY

…a play or other literary work combining tragic and comic elements
…since the early 17th century, serious plays have been called
tragicomedy when they do not adhere strictly to the structure of
tragedy…and is sometimes referred to as a tragedy with a happy
ending.
…modern plays often rely on the mix of comic and tragic elements
In the 17th century, the neoclassicists called for a return to the two
basic forms of tragedy and comedy, other “mixed” forms like
tragicomedy were considered mixed and inferior…
All’s Well That Ends Well

Sometimes described as a “problem
play,” this play has elements of
comedy and tragedy and romance.
The story shows how Helena, a
doctor’s daughter, comes to the
French court with a prescription to
heal the King. He promises that he
will enable her to marry the man of
her choosing. She chooses Bertram
who does not want to marry a
commoner. In a “bed trick,” she
takes him as a lover and takes his
ring, conditions he has made to avoid
her hand. When he returns from the
war, she reveals her deceit and they
are reconciled.
The Cherry Orchard

In Chekhov’s tragicomedy – perhaps his most
popular play – an aristocratic family cling to their
sheltered lives in a picturesque estate while the
forces of social change beat on the walls outside.
Completely bankrupt, Lyubov Ranyevskaya
returns with her daughter Anya from Paris to her
childhood home, to the beautiful cherry orchard
outside the house and to her grief. The estate is
paralyzed by debt, but she and her brother refuse
to save their finances by having the vast orchard
cut down to build holiday cottages. Incapable of
decisive action, they put the estate up for auction.
Chekhov maintained that the play was a cheerful
and frivolous comedy, but audiences have found
its tragedy irresistible. The comedy is poignant;
the tone is ambiguous, both farcical and piercing.
MELODRAMA

FARCE

Other Genres

Although most editors and theorists agree that there are numerous
types of genres of drama, they do not agree on a set list of common
types. Is comedy distinct from farce or satire, for example…
Some examples…

History Play
Shakespeare’s HENRY V
Moises Kauffman’s LARAMIE PROJECT
Some examples…

DARK COMEDY
Peter Barnes’ RED NOSES 
Jules Feiffer’s LITTLE MURDERS
Some examples…

THE MUSICAL
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA
Frank Loesser’s GUYS AND DOLLS
Sondheim’s COMPANY
ONCE (pictured)
From THEATRE by Robert Cohen

Genre (from the French meaning “kind”) and is a highly
subjective form of classification
Tragedy
Comedy
History Play
Tragicomedy
Dark comedy
Melodrama
Farce
Musical
Documentary
Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, Death of a
Salesman
Lysistrata, The Cherry Orchard
Henry V
Amphytrion (Plautus)
The Tempest, Endgame
The Octoroon, Dracula, Trifles
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oklahoma, The Rocky Horror Show
The Laramie Project
Gwynn, DRAMA: A POCKET
ANTHOLOGY

 Tragedy
Satyr play
 Folk drama
Liturgical drama
Mystery plays
Passion plays
Miracle plays
 Comedy
Comedy of manners
Comedy of humours
Drawing room comedy
Comedy of ideas
Black comedy
 Melodrama
Tragicomedy
Problem plays
ANOTHER OPENING, ANOTHER SHOW
by Markus and Sarver

Comedy
Tartuffe, The Importance of Being
Earnest (high, domestic, low,
manners)
Farce
A Flea in Her Ear, Servant of Two
Masters, Road runner cartoons
Drama
Tragedy
Melodrama
Tragicomedy
Ghosts, The Glass Menagerie
Oedipus the King, Antigone, Electra
Inherit the Wind
The Bald Soprano, Waiting for Godot
Why do we classify dramas?

 Does such classification help us to better understand
them?
 Do definitions contribute to or detract from our
understanding of things?
 Why does our culture have so much invested in
labels, tags and titles?