It’s been said that the only difference between tragedies and comedies is this: at the end of a tragedy, everyone dies, and at the end of a comedy, everyone gets married. In other words, the stakes are just as high in comedies as they are in dramas. Things just turn out better in comedies. So, writers, keep your comedy serious!
For example: You undoubtedly know that Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is a tragedy about two love-smitten teenagers whose families are locked in a never-ending feud. Their effort to break free ends in their own heartbreaking deaths. But what if Romeo & Juliet was a rom-com?
After faking their deaths, they jump up alive and well at their memorial service, having punked their families into realizing only love matters! And thus, they turn their own mournful wake into a joyful all-is-forgiven wedding scene. Heck, in “modern” versions Mercutio and Tybalt would probably get married, too.
The point is, the only significant difference between comedy and drama is how the characters react to the situation. The best comedy actors understand this. They don’t try to “make it funny.” That’s the writer’s job. Instead, they focus on the underlying seriousness. If a character’s buddy slips on a banana peel, it’s horrible–he’s slowing down their getaway from a murderous mob!
The writer’s job is to start with a dramatic, even tragic situation. And then to find the funny. Not in the premise, but in how the characters respond. (In light journalism or humorous memoirs, this means finding the funny in real people’s responses.)
I wrote an absurdly over-the-top screenplay for my movie Notzilla. And yet the underlying story is deadly serious: A huge monster is heading for the city. And a nuclear physicist, bent on destroying the creature, is building an experimental atomic ray that may cause even worse destruction. Funny? No!
But the characters’ responses are. The monster, basically a kid with scales, is only playing, after all. Except that beer has altered his metabolism, making him 160’ tall! And the nuclear physicist? He’s a narcissistic idiot who’s oblivious to how his actions affect others (sound familiar?). When he’s told his weapon will leave a radioactive cloud over the city for 50 years, he replies, “Sure, but after that you’ll never even know it was there.”
When everyone finally unites against him, he turns the weapon on them, insisting it’s “for your own good.” But instead, it strikes him. Resulting in his dramatic demise? No. Something far more suited to his ego. And considerably funnier. And then everyone gets married. Or not. But one way or another, everything turns out OK. So, remember…
Writers, keep your comedy serious!
P.S. I’m on a brief hiatus from the My Real Memoir series normally posted on Tuesdays. It will return soon.
Yes, too often humor is forced at the surface, when what actually makes it work is commitment to the danger, the urgency, the insistence, and the emotional truth of the moment. And, your examples, especially Notzilla, highlight perfectly how absurdity becomes funny only when the characters fully believe in their reality.
This is so true. Most embarrassing, painful, heartbreaking and tragic events in my life have turned into the funniest stories I’ve written.
Yes, there is something healing about reclaiming those moments through laughter. Actually, comedy seems to arrive once survival is no longer in question.
Thanks, Rakesh.
I don’t like following a recipe, however, I like what is written here.
I’m a bit of a fan of gallows humor and the unexpected but then again I have not sold 1 million novels
Understandable
Dark humor is more akin to tragi-comedy, and doesn’t necessarily end on an up note.
This is excellent!
Thank you, Lisa.
That’s actually real. The novels I have read often featured a happy ending, despite numerous tragedies.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Absolutely. The mask faces of comedy and tragedy use eyes and and mouth from the same face. Only the shape and orientation of the eyes and mouth determine the outcome as tragic or comic. Uplifting post.
Thank you, and good point, Xavier.
In real life too,most smiling faces have gone through the worst tragedies.
Nice Post,Mitch
Thanks, Nusrat.
This is a wonderful message!
Thank you!
Amo leggere storie d’ Amore dovevi i sentimenti sono i protagonisti,ma odio quando c’è una fine tragica, mi piacciono le storie drammatiche con un lieto fine .Good night and Sweet Dreams 🙋🏻👍🏻
i lived on morgue humor for years