Play Genres
Genres
 Genre
is a French word meaning "category"
or "type."
 The
choice of genre reflects the
writer's point of view towards his subject.
 The
two oldest genres, dating back to the
fifth century BCE, are tragedy and comedy.
Comedy and Tragedy
 In
a tragedy, the
protagonist goes down in
defeat (hence the frown),
 In
a comedy he/she
overcomes the dramatic
obstacle and attains his/her
major objective (which is
why he's smiling).
Genres – 6 Common Types
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Comedy
Farce
Tragicomedy/Black Comedy
Tragedy
Drama
Melodrama
Comedy
A
play that makes you laugh,
has plots that end happily
and reaffirms the values you
hold to be important.
Comedy
The rungs on the
Ladder of Comedy
1.Comedy of ideas (satire).
2.Comedy of character,
3.Comedy of wit (the humor is in the lines themselves),
4.Comedy of situation (SitCom),
5.Comedy of pain (slapstick),
6.The "dirty" joke -- bathroom humor.
The bottom four rungs -- the comedy of pain,
situation, wit and the "dirty joke" -- are generally
considered low comedy. The top two rungs, the
comedy of character and idea, are high comedy.
High Comedy
 The
subject of high comedy is usually
serious and provokes "thoughtful laughter".
 The
action is both possible and probable
and the comedy grows out of the character,
not the situation. It is usually a realistic
portrayal of life.
 Tends
to be upper class
• Oscar Wilde – The Importance of Being Earnest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage
&v=Qwx74IfTNwo&list=PLCBBFDF3132ED186A
Low Comedy
 Low
comedy refers to the type of humor that
is focused primarily on the situation or series
of events. This represents the lowest level of
the comedy ladder.
 It



can include such things as
physical mishaps,
humor concerning the human body
and its functions,
coincidences, and humorous situations.
Low Comedy

The humor is straightforward and generally easy to
follow and understand.
 Characters are grossly exaggerated caricatures
rather than fully developed characters.

These caricatures are likely to be caught in unlikely
situations or to become victims of circumstances seemingly
beyond their control. Thus, the plot takes priority over the
characters.
Low Comedy
 Humor

in what the characters do
Examples of low comedy might include


Dumb and Dumber, Scary Movie, and America’s
Funniest Home Videos.
Shakespeare’s comedies, such as Midsummer
Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night, are full of low
humor.
The Three Stooges
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&
v=Zv53xIypO1A
Farce
A
wildly humorous play which emphasizes
situation (or plot) over character or idea.
 “Very
fast tempo, with characters running in
and out of doors and meeting the very
characters they shouldn’t”.
I Love Lucy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage
&v=0YGF5R9i53A
Black Comedy
 Comedy
that treads the fine line of good
taste. Morbidly comic.
 Arsenic
and Old Lace
Fargo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_
detailpage&v=h2tY82z3xXU
Tragedy
A
drama or literary work in
which the main character is
brought to ruin or suffers
extreme sorrow, especially as
a consequence of a tragic flaw,
moral weakness, or inability to cope with
unfavorable circumstances.



Hamlet
Oedipus
The Crucible
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa4KooCkfpw&feature=PlayList&p=4F5
F16D7DB7F7C79&index=17
Drama
A
play that is serious but not tragic.
 Relies
on the emotional and relational
development of realistic characters.
12 Angry Men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_det
ailpage&v=RNs6yZ78Ik4
Melodrama
A
serious play with a trivial theme.
 The
conflict is usually between the forces
of good and evil.
 Excitement
comes through physical action:
chases, fist fights, shoot outs...
 Many
of the melodramas of the
nineteenth century included a musical
(hence melodrama) score.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SNkrfnWmYfM