Coriolanus, Alceste, and Dramatic Genres

Abstract

It has often been observed that some comic characters, given a touch too much of seriousness, dignity, individuality, or respectability, or being called upon to suffer pain past the limit of comic endurance, may easily be regarded as pathetic or tragic figures. No subject matter is inherently comic; whether it be comic or not depends on the attitude of readers or audience. Thus Shylock, Don Quixote, Alceste, and even Malvolio have been taken by moderns as essentially tragic rather than comic characters, and Falstaff chidden by his king—“How ill white hairs become a fool and jester!”—extracts from modern eyes the indignant tear. Only a hair, it seems then, may divide the comic from the tragic, and some characters of comedy, quicksilver-like, will not remain on the comic side of the boundary.