What is Aristotle's classical definition of comedy?

What is Aristotle's classical definition of comedy?

• A. any work that tells the story of a sympathetic main character's rise in fortune -- protagonists needed not be heroic or exemplary
• B. a tragedy about a hero's downfall
• C. a documentary-style narrative
• D. a political satire

Answer: (A)

Comedy, in Aristotle's terms, imitates ordinary people and their flaws, and it typically ends with a rise in fortune. Having a sympathetic main character who isn’t a heroic figure aligns with this view, because comedy centers on relatable, imperfect individuals and shows their situations improving rather than ending in catastrophe. The idea that the protagonist’s fortunes ascend captures the uplifting arc Aristotle associates with comic action, as opposed to tragedy, which focuses on noble characters experiencing downfall. The other options describe genres or formats (a documentary-style narrative or political satire) that don’t match Aristotle’s depiction of how comedy operates in dramatic imitation.

Comedy, in Aristotle's terms, imitates ordinary people and their flaws, and it typically ends with a rise in fortune. Having a sympathetic main character who isn’t a heroic figure aligns with this view, because comedy centers on relatable, imperfect individuals and shows their situations improving rather than ending in catastrophe. The idea that the protagonist’s fortunes ascend captures the uplifting arc Aristotle associates with comic action, as opposed to tragedy, which focuses on noble characters experiencing downfall. The other options describe genres or formats (a documentary-style narrative or political satire) that don’t match Aristotle’s depiction of how comedy operates in dramatic imitation.