All drama can be seen as a conflict between our biology and our social context. In Comedy the biology has the balance of the public’s sympathy. In Tragedy it is the social context that has the sympathy. Comedy forgives the appetites of the body, the needs of the child; tragedy promotes our moral values, the aspirations of the adult. "Yes Harlequin, we will still love you if you steal the pie." "No Oedipus, it is not so cool to sleep with your mother."
Comedy is populated by neurotics. Tragedy is populated by psychotics.
Let me explain that one!
There is I, and there is you.
There is I, and there is everything else.
There is self, there is other.
There is a boundary between self and other that defines a relationship.
Where the boundary is hard, rigid, precise and tightly managed the relationship is neurotic.
Where the boundary is soft, diffuse, loose and under-defended the relationship is psychotic.
The Neurotic is both critical and apologetic.
The Psychotic is without guilt and judgement.
The Neurotic organizes and restricts the space.
The Psychotic is spontaneous and expands out into the space.
Theatre focuses on extremes, especially extreme relationships.
For hundreds of years, in the West, Theatre has explored our neurotic problems as Comedy.
For hundreds of years, in the West, Theatre has explored our psychotic problems as Tragedy.
In Comedy the characters react and apologize. “Excuuuuse me!”
In Tragedy the characters take action without shame. “I will deliver us unto our common fate!”
During the twentieth century theatre artists began to experiment with reversing that ancient formula.
They began to treat our neurotic problems as Tragedy. They called it Social Realism. “Why did you let the kitchen sink abuse me?”
They began to treat our psychotic problems as Comedy. They called it Theatre of the Absurd. “Haven't we been here before?”
One must ask, "How successful was the experiment?"
The cinematographer's frame makes the perfect neurotic environment, so Comedy and Social Realism work well there.
The open stage makes the perfect psychotic environment, so Tragedy and Theatre of the Absurd work well there.
Comedy contains a succession of little “ah-ha” moments of discovery and recognition. Tragedy contains one long drawn-out “ah-ha.” of discovery or recognition.
Comedy pumps along with vertical movements, peering over horizontal fences, and jumping up out of boxes wearing horizontally striped jerseys. Tragedy glides horizontally, processing past majestic vertical columns wearing long draped gowns.
Melodrama, or tragicomedy as it is sometimes called, is all about diagonals.
In Comedy, rhythm, tempo and timing are important. In Tragedy, time can stand still.
Watching Comedy and Melodrama, the audience is asking “What will happen next, and what will the ending be?” In Tragedy they already know what will happen; the story is familiar and the oracle has spoken. The questions thus become more sophisticated: “How will we get there, and why?”
