tragicomedies
Laughing through tears
Tragicomedies is the plural of tragicomedy—a dramatic work or situation blending tragic and comic elements.
The term applies to plays that mix serious themes with humorous moments, or to real-life situations where sorrow and absurdity coexist: The evening devolved into one of those tragicomedies where everyone cried and laughed at the same time.
Deep emotional distress
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- poignancyPiercing emotional quality
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
anguish · suffering · mourning · regret · bittersweet · yearning · elegy · lament
Storyline or land parcel
- protagonistStory's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- conflictOpposition between parties
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
denouement · characterization · subplot · climax · anticlimactic · bittersweet ending · genre-blending · absurdist
Absurd, laughable situation
- witClever, inventive humor
- slapstickExaggerated physical humor
- absurdityWildly illogical quality
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
comic relief · buffoonery · dark humor · wry · sardonic · deadpan · self-deprecation · bathos
Author of stage dramas
- stageRaised performance platform
- performanceCarrying out a task
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
- prosceniumTheater's architectural frame
rehearsal · director · audience · dramaturgy · blocking · tableau · understudy · promptbook
Satirical imitation
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- lampoonHarsh public mockery
- burlesqueExaggerated mockery or risqué variety
pastiche · critique · social commentary · cynicism · ridicule · exaggeration · hyperbole · skewering
sorrow
Deep emotional distress
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- poignancyPiercing emotional quality
heartache · anguish · suffering · mourning · regret · bittersweet · yearning · elegy · lament · woe
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- protagonistStory's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- conflictOpposition between parties
resolution · denouement · characterization · subplot · climax · anticlimactic · bittersweet ending · genre-blending · absurdist · gallows humor
farce
Absurd, laughable situation
irony · comic relief · buffoonery · dark humor · wry · sardonic · deadpan · self-deprecation · bathos · anticlimax
playwright
Author of stage dramas
- stageRaised performance platform
- performanceCarrying out a task
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
proscenium · rehearsal · director · audience · dramaturgy · blocking · tableau · understudy · promptbook · playbill
parody
Satirical imitation
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- lampoonHarsh public mockery
burlesque · pastiche · critique · social commentary · cynicism · ridicule · exaggeration · hyperbole · skewering · political satire
tragicomediestragedies
Dramas with fatal endings
comedies · farces · melodramas · low comedy · genre films
comedy, tragic, tragedy, comical, comedian, comedic, tragicomedy, comedienne, tragicomic