The Theory of Comedy

absurd actor agent Aristophanes Aristotle Aristotle's audience Caesar and Cleopatra cause chapter character Comedy of Errors comic action comic plot comic quality comic reversal complete concern consequence consider contrary course criticism definition depict devices diction discussion distinction dramatic dramatist effect ELDER OLSON emotion Euripides example fact Falstaff fool girl Hamlet happen HARPAGON Herakles human imitation incidents instance involve JACK JACQUES jokes katastasis kind L. C. Knights LADY BRACKNELL laugh laughter Love's Labour's Lost lovers ludicrous matter means merely metaphor Midsummer Night's Dream Molière moral natural object opinion opposite particular person pity and fear Plautus play pleasure plots of cleverness plots of folly Poetics possible probability produce relation remark ridiculous Saint Joan scene sense serious Shakespeare Shaw simply someone speak speech supposed Tartuffe Terence theory of comedy things tion Titania tragedy tragic whole young