Comedy in Space, Time, and the Imagination

action Aristophanes Aristotle artistic assertion audience basic Bassanio become biblical buffoon casket celebrate century characters Chekhov Cherry Orchard Christ Christian comedic form comedic pattern created criticism dark David death definition of comedy detective fiction detective stories elements Eliza emotional response emphasize Endgame Epidamnus eternal Everyman example faith final curtain fool Gayevs genre God's Gospel Harry Hope's hero heroic Hickey Higgins human race human survival Iceman Cometh implication import later laugh laughable laughter literary literature look Lopakhin Lysistrata Magoo meaning Menaechmus ment Milton modern Molière Molière's normal Old Testament Orgon Orsino Paradise Lost Pilgrim's Progress pipe dream Plautus play playwrights plot Poirot Portia reality recognize romantic Satan satire scene seems sense Shakespeare Shane Shaw Sir Toby social society sombre comedy stage success symbol sympathetic Tartuffe theatre things tion tragedy Twelfth Night villain virtual future vival Waiting for Godot Western