Plot, rules, nor even poetry, are not half so great beauties in tragedy or comedy as a just imitation of nature, of character, of the passions and their operations in diversified situations.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The constituents of tragedy may be universally acknowledged, easily invoked and deeply felt, but the elements of comedy are, I think, more widely variable from person to person.
The basis of tragedy is man's helplessness against disease, war and death; the basis of comedy is man's helplessness against vanity (the vanity of love, greed, lust, power).
I think that ultimately any effective drama or tragedy tries to put you as much as it can into the protagonist's shoes.
There is no essential difference between the material of comedy and tragedy. All depends on the point of view of the dramatist, which, by clever emphasis, he tries to make the point of view of his audience.
Dramas need to have a certain aesthetic that comedy just doesn't really seem to need to have.
The rules of drama are very much separate from the properties of life. I think that's especially true of Shakespeare.
Tragedy without comedy is melodrama, and comedy without a higher purpose is vacant.
Comedy is tragedy that happens to other people.
Comedy is tragedy - plus time.
I'm a storyteller: the crux of the matter is to reach beauty, poetry; it doesn't matter if that is comedy or tragedy. They're the same if you reach the beauty.