Tragedy, Comedy, Tragicomedy, and Melodrama

This week, the textbook reading explained the difference between comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy, and melodrama. I had taken a theatre class before, exploring comedy, tragedy, and tragicomedy, but we did not discuss melodrama. I was surprised reading about melodrama, seeing the hold it has on the entertainment world today. Many of my favourite shows and movies fall into this category, such as Jane the Virgin. In Jane the Virgin, there is clear-cut good and evil. Jane represents all that is good, whereas Sin Rostro is evil in the human form. All of Jane’s problems stem from outside influences, and her actions remain good despite the things thrown her way.

The section on tragicomedy reminded me of my years in the drama club in high school. We would select dramas to perform for a few years and found ourselves unable to place in regionals. The next few years, we would try comedies, again with no success. From then on, my mind has been that the best type of play is a tragicomedy, or a dramady as we called it. Low and behold my final year of high school, we chose a dramady to perform, and we made it to provincials. I appreciate both tragedy and comedy, but I am someone who likes the best of both worlds. Often dramas will have some moments of comedy, and comedy some moments of drama, but it is true dramady that has my heart.