Comedy refers to a drama style that is funny, upbeat and light in tone. This style's purpose is to make people laugh, whether it is through a realistic, everyday story or an absurd and surreal sense of humor. With no serious accidents or injuries throughout the play and every situation seen in a positive way, comedy creates a world of fun through which the audience is amused by the stage characters and the imaginary situations in which they find themselves. In the comedic drama style, happy endings are the norm.
Tragedy refers to a drama style that is sad, gloomy and serious in tone. Usually including one death or more, tragic drama plays almost never have a happy ending. Tragic characters often pose important questions regarding the meaning of life and the nature of human relationships, make the audience empathize with them and follow their misfortunes until the end of the drama. With both comedy and tragedy having their origins in ancient Greece, these two drama styles have often been combined to create bittersweet dramas that are defined by a serious tone with light, funny breaks in between to lighten the mood. In this case, sombre action is interrupted by moments of comic relief, a drama style that became very popular in the Elizabethan era.
Farce is a drama style that signifies greatly exaggerated comedy. Farcical characters are usually distinct stereotypes and the play's circumstances reach the point of being clichés. With everything being exaggerated, from the costumes and acting, to the plot and direction, farce is characterized by outrageous situations and physical comedy. It is generally seen as a comedy drama of poorer quality, but has nevertheless managed to remain very popular from the times of the ancient Greek and Roman theater to the 15th-century French theater and up until the 19th and 20th century, when it earned respect through the films of Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers.
Melodrama is a drama style that refers to highly exaggerated tragedy. As in farce, the characters generally follow common stereotypes and the circumstances under which they act often become clichéd. With a simple story involving a heroine suppressed by a villain, and a hero trying to save her, the melodrama's acting is overly emotional and exceedingly dramatic. Shakespearean drama style is considered melodramatic, with a good example being "Romeo and Juliet," a drama in which the actions and speeches are over-emotional and the tone over-dramatic.
With comedy and tragedy considered the two main drama styles and farce and melodrama forming sub-categories of these two major styles, there are also other minor drama styles that borrow elements from comedy and tragedy, creating their own distinct form and tone. Musical, for example, refers to a drama style in which the dialogue is performed through singing and dancing. Pantomime is a drama style which combines exaggerated physical comedy with melodrama, usually addressed to a young audience. Fantasy refers to a drama style characterized by supernatural situations and a strange, absurd tone and sense of humor. Opera is the drama style that allows the characters to perform their dialogue through singing. The acting in opera is exaggerated and the tone deeply emotional.