English University Interviews - Comedy & Tragedy

This question has been asked at interview for Oxbridge students before, and it’s not hard to see it as being a very common question – especially if you’ve studied comedic works at A Level or referenced them in your personal statement. This type of question is one where you should engage in a debate with the tutor, rather than trying to set out a clear definition and then moving on – there is no set purpose for Comedy. However, you should consider that a comedy in general will involve a happy ending, which in turn differentiates it from tragedies. As such, what might a comedy provide us with? It could provide us with laughter, which would be the most obvious answer to the average person when asked what a comedy is. However, Comedy in terms of literature requires further assessment. We might decide that comedy provides respite from the harsh realities of the world, while tragedy seeks to draw attention to chaos. Of course, Comedy can also provide a lens through which we can interrogate real-world issues – as seen in satire, a type of comedy in which humour is used to criticise certain people or ideas and draw attention to how they are incorrect or concerning. Lastly, Comedy can be used to persuade people of certain points of view – for example, through using satire to illustrate that an opposing point of view is ridiculous and should be ignored.