Comedy in Dramatic Theater

Charlie Chaplin once said, "Life is a tragedy when seen in close up, but a comedy in long shot." This is evident in a variety of plays, that usually have some comedic aspects, but all mirror a tragedy in their actual meaning. In the plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lysistrata, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, comedy is the main purpose of the play, with the playwrights putting comedic scenes and situations in the plays. However, in all of these plays, the comedy overlaps the true dramatic elements in the play that show tragedy in a lighter way. The way the playwrights construct their plays is evident of the true comedic nature of these plays, and it is this comedy that makes each play as humorous as they are. Comedy is a genre of theater that can be evident among a dramatic play, and in these three plays, the playwrights are able to discuss a truly dramatic situation in a comedic tone, by masking the characters words with comedic characters, events, or verse.