Jacobean Comedy

During the Jacobean period, plays were extremely popular. One of the reasons for its
popularity was that different genres were used to make the plays interesting to the
audience. These genres included comedy, tragedy, romance, history, etc.

Jacobean Comedy Plays

Comedy plays were also famous by the name of City Comedy. Comedies were nothing
but a satire which portrayed the life in the busy city of London. Ben Jonson was well-
known for his comedy plays. His earliest work includes plays like ‘Every Man Out of his
Humour’.

Jacobean Tragedy
The tragedy was one of the genres which were popular in plays during this period.
These plays had a dark mood in the drama. Although tragedy plays were written and
performed even before the Jacobean period, it was during the reign of King James I that
tragedy plays actually developed.

Jacobean Tragedy
In a typical tragedy, the protagonist or the lead character suffers an emotional loss like
death of a person he/she loved or betrayal. The protagonist then seeks to avenge the
loss. This type of tragedy was also known as Revenge Tragedy and was extremely
popular in the Jacobean era.

Finest examples of revenge tragedy were ‘The Spanish Tragedy’ by Thomas Kyd and
‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare. Other famous revenge tragedies included plays like
‘The White Devil’, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore’ and ‘The Challenging’.

Revenge Tragedy Elements

Another kind of tragedy plays written during this period were known as ‘Tragicomedy’. In
this type of a play, both elements like tragedy and comedy were included. One of the
best examples of this type of plays was ‘The Winter’s Tale’.
Of the many playwrights of that time, William Shakespeare and Thomas
Middleton can be said to be the playwrights who were successful not only in writing
comedy, but also tragedy.

Finest examples of revenge tragedy were ‘The Spanish Tragedy’ by Thomas Kyd and
‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare. Other famous revenge tragedies included plays like
‘The White Devil’, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore’ and ‘The Challenging’.

Revenge Tragedy Elements

Another kind of tragedy plays written during this period were known as ‘Tragicomedy’. In
this type of a play, both elements like tragedy and comedy were included. One of the
best examples of this type of plays was ‘The Winter’s Tale’.

Of the many playwrights of that time, William Shakespeare and Thomas

Middleton can be said to be the playwrights who were successful not only in writing
comedy, but also tragedy.

He also wrote other comedy plays titled ‘Epicone’ and ‘Volpone’. Thomas

Middleton also wrote famous comedy plays like ‘A Trick To Catch the Old One‘
and ‘A Chaste Maid in Cheapside‘. Apart from Thomas Middleton, William
Shakespeare was a successful playwright who produced comedy and tragedy. During
the initial few years of his career, Fletcher wrote ‘The Knight of the Burning Pestle’, one
of the finest piece of comedy of those times in collaboration with Francis Beaumont.

Jacobean Comedy
Along with pure comedy which had elements of satire
and humor, another kind of comedy plays were written
during this period. These were known as
‘Tragicomedy’. In this type of a play, both elements
like tragedy and comedy were included. One of the
best examples of this type of plays was ‘The Winter’s
Tale’. Of the many playwrights of that time, William
Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton can be said to be
the playwrights who were successful not only in writing
comedy, but also tragedy.