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▪ I. comedy1|ˈkɒmɪdɪ|
Forms: 4 comedye, 4–6 commedy, 6–7 com(m)odie, -y(e, 7 comœdy, -ie, 5–7 comedie, 5– comedy.
[a. F. comédie (14th c. in Littré), ad. L. cōmœdia, a. Gr. κωµῳδία, n. of practice f. κωµῳδός comedian; a compound, either of κῶµος revel, merry-making, or of its probable source, κώµη village + ἀοιδός singer, minstrel, f. ἀείδ-ειν to sing (cf. ode). The κωµῳδός was thus originally either the ‘bard of the revels’ or the ‘village-bard’: see Liddell and Scott.]
1. A stage-play of a light and amusing character, with a happy conclusion to its plot. Such are the comedies of the ancient Greek and Latin writers, and of the modern stage. But in the Middle Ages the term was applied to other than dramatic compositions, the ‘happy ending’ being the essential part of the notion. In the English use of the term the following stages may be distinguished:
†a. Its mediæval use for a narrative poem with an agreeable ending. [Probably taken from Italian; cf. the Divine Comedy, the great tripartite poem of Dante, called by its author La Commedia, because ‘in the conclusion, it is prosperous, pleasant, and desirable’, and in its style ‘lax and unpretending’, being ‘written in the vulgar tongue, in which women and children speak’.]
1374Chaucer Troylus v. 1800 Go, little booke, go, my little tragedie, Ther God my maker, yet er that I dye, So sende me myght to maken som comedye! c1430Lydg. Bochas Prol. v. i, My maister Chaucer with fresh comedies..that whilom made ful piteous tragedies. 1430― Chron. Troy ii. xi, A comedy hath in his gynnynge, A pryme face a maner complaynynge, And afterwarde endeth in gladnesse. 1774Warton Eng. Poetry (1840) II. vi. 17 The nature and subject of Dante's comedy, as it is styled, is well known. 1825Macaulay Milton, The Divine Comedy is a personal narrative. 1837–9Hallam Hist. Lit. iv. v. 30 This difference..between the Divine Comedy and the Paradise Lost.
†b. Applied to mystery-plays or interludes with a prosperous ending.
1530Palsgr. 207/1 Commedy of a christmas playe, commedie. 1538Bale (title), A brefe Comedy or enterlude concernynge the temptacyon of our lorde and sauer Jesus Christ by Sathan in the desart. 1568(title), A newe mery and wittie Comedie or Enterlude..treating vpon the Historie of Iacob and Esau. 1588Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 462 Heere was a consent, Knowing aforehand of our merriment, To dash it like a Christmas Comedie. 1616Bullokar, Comedie, a play, or interlude the beginning of which is ever full of troubles and the end joyfull.
c. Applied to the ancient comedies, as they became known after the Renascence.
1531Elyot Gov. i. xiii, Therence and other that were writers of comedies. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utop. i. (Arb.) 64 Whyles a commodye of Plautus is playinge. 1588M. Kyffin Andria, the first Comœdie of Terence in English. 1651T. Randolph, A pleasant Comedie entituled Hey for Honesty..translated out of Aristophanes his Plutus. 1839Thirlwall Hist. Greece III. xviii. 81 A direct address to them [the spectators] became a prominent and almost an essential member of every comedy.
d. The modern use, arising out of b and c.
‘Roister Doister is regarded as the transition-play from the Mysteries and Enterludes of the Middle Ages to the Comedies of Modern Times’ (Arber R.D. Introd. 6). ‘‘Ralph Roister Doister’ is the first regular comedy in our language’ (Hazlitt O.E.P. III. 54).
a1553Udall Royster D. Prol. 22 Our Comedie or Enterlude which we intende to play Is named Royster Doyster in deede. 1623(title), Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. 1632Brome (title), The Northern Lasse a Comoedie. 1775Sheridan Rivals Pref., The play..was at that time at least double the length of any acting comedy. 1821Byron Juan iii. ix, All comedies are ended by a marriage. 1872Geo. Eliot Middlem. l, They looked like a couple dropped out of a romantic comedy.
2. a. That branch of the drama which adopts a humorous or familiar style, and depicts laughable characters and incidents. (Sometimes personified.)
Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy: the three stages of Attic comedy; the first two were largely farcical or burlesque in character, and indulged freely in political and social caricature; the last corresponded to modern high comedy.
1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 315 Þere [in Sicily] was commedy a song of gestes firste i founde. 1581Sidney Apol. Poetrie (Arb.) 44 The Comedy is an imitation of the common errors of our life. 1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie i. xiv. (Arb.) 47 This bitter poeme called the old Comedy, being disused and taken away, the new Comedy came in place, more ciuill and pleasant a great deale. 1598B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. Prol., Persons, such as comedy would choose, When she would shew an image of the times, And sport with human follies, not with crimes. 1704Addison Italy, Venice, Their Poets have no notion of genteel Comedy. 1769Johnson in Boswell 19 Oct., Comedy..exhibits the character of a species, as that of a miser gathered from many misers: farce..exhibits individuals. a1859De Quincey Shaks. (Morley's Univ. Libr.) 169 Beaumont and Fletcher when writing in combination..had a freedom and breadth of manner which excels the comedy of Shakespeare.
b. comedy of manners, that kind of comedy in which the modes and manners of society are amusingly presented. Cf. manner n.1 4 e.
1822Lamb Elia (1823) 323 The artificial Comedy, or Comedy of manners, is quite extinct on our stage. Congreve and Farquhar show their heads once in seven years only. 1877G. Meredith in New Quart. Mag. VIII. 3 Our English idea of a Comedy of Manners might be imaged in the person of a blowsy country girl—..transforming to a varnished City madam. 1913J. Palmer Comedy of Manners i. 2 The English comedy of manners began with Etherege..and was finally extinguished in Sheridan and Goldsmith.
c. Humour; humorous invention; the action or quality of being amusing. Cf. cut the comedy (cut v. 21 b).
1877G. Meredith in New Quart. Mag. VIII. 9 Comedy is the fountain of sound sense. 1933P. Godfrey Back-Stage iii. 37 When an actor complains that his ‘laughs’ have been ‘killed’ he means that the audience have been prevented from laughing at his comedy. 1947D. Lean in O. Blakeston Working for Films 29 The answer lies in a very old comedy maxim: Tell them what you're going to do. Do it. Tell them you've done it. 1958[see comédienne].
†3. A humorous or burlesque composition. Obs.
1607Topsell Serpents (1653) 718 Homer in his Comedy of the fight betwixt Frogs and Mice.
4. fig. (of action or incidents in real life.)
1570B. Googe Pop. Kingd. ii. (1880) 20 a, Then hath the Comedy all hir partes. 1588Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 886. 1592 G. Harvey Fovre Lett. 9 They..can relate straunge and almost incredible comedies of his monstrous disposition. 1709Pope Let. to Cromwell 19 Aug., Here is a glorious standing comedy of Fools. 1872Morley Voltaire (1886) 158 Those who look with cynical eye upon..the great human comedy. 1875Hamerton Intell. Life iii. ix. 119 A perfect comedy of misunderstandings.
5. attrib. and Comb., as comedy-drama, comedy-opera, comedy-player, comedy-thriller, comedy-tragedy, comedy-writer.
1836–48B. D. Walsh Aristoph. Clouds i. iv, Don't strain after jests, or attempt to perform The Comedy-clown.
1904W. D. Adams Dict. Drama I. 537/2 Forget and Forgive,..a comedy-drama in three acts, by John Daly Besemeres, first performed at the Charing Cross Theatre, London, January 5, 1874. 1962Times 2 Apr. 5/1 This essay in Dickensian comedy-drama.
1888Daily News 24 Sept. 6/3 Made..to yield a handsome profit as a comedy house.
1906Daily Chron. 29 Oct. 3/5 In ‘The Duchess of Dantzic’..he produced a ‘comedy-opera’—such is the new word!—which was a genuine and delightful work of art.
1552Huloet, Comedye parte, actus. Comedye player, actor uel trix.
1958Times 20 Jan. 3/3 Mr. Arthur Watkyn's new comedy-thriller..will also begin a tour.
1897Westm. Gaz. 15 Mar. 3/1 There were no such things as Treaty Acts with their comedy-tragedy of gorgeously bedizened Presidents. 1910Daily Chron. 20 Jan. 6/6 Dickens makes the election a farce, Meredith treats it in a spirit of comedy-tragedy, Samuel Warren describes the contest with laboured realism.
1587Golding De Mornay ix. 116 Sophocles, Aeschylus, and the very Comediwriters speake after the same manner.
▪ II. † comedy2 Obs.
[Of obscure origin: Du Cange has ‘comedia, frommigerie, Gloss. Lat. Gall. 1352; an idem qu. Companagium vel Fromenteia’. Connexion with L. comedĕre to consume has been suggested: but cf. comade.]
c1460J. Russell Bk. Nurture in Babees Bk. 150 Comedies, Cawdelles cast in Cawdrons, ponnes, or pottes. |