Final answer:
In literature, tragedy typically deals with serious ethical dilemmas faced by characters, eliciting emotions of fear and pity, while comedy elicits humor typically through a series of unfortunate events with a light tone and happy ending. Tragicomedy is a blend of both genres.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Tragedy and Comedy in Literature
In literature, and more specifically in theatre, the tragedy and comedy genres serve different purposes and invoke distinct emotional responses from the audience. Tragedy is characterized by its serious tone, where the protagonist faces ethical dilemmas and makes choices with significant stakes, which often result in fear or pity from the audience. For example, the character may have to decide between life and death, as seen in the ethical choice presented to Hamlet. Tragedies create a profound emotional experience as the events unfold in a way that seems intended, though they are unpredictable, eliciting a strong tragic wonder.
In contrast, comedy presents situations where characters encounter a series of unfortunate practical events, usually without life-threatening consequences. The audience likely feels pity mixed with humor at the characters' misadventures, such as someone slipping on a banana peel. A comedy typically has a light tone and often climaxes in a happy ending. The purpose of comedy is to humble us while also providing comfort by reminding us that we are not alone in our failures.
To add further complexity to the discussion, there emerges a mixed genre known as tragicomedy, which blends elements of both tragedy and comedy. Tragicomedies often feature everyday characters within a subject of relevance and generally result in a satisfying conclusion.