Emotion. Apart from occasional exceptions, one might rightly assume the certain capacity for emotional perception that humans possess. Depending on the purpose of a play or other literary work, the plot of the aforementioned work is designed to evoke one or a range of specific emotions. The manner in which the literary work in question elicits a certain emotional response can be characterized by the specific literary elements that the work contains. For example, two of the most popular literary styles are tragedies and comedies. The two elicit different responses, and each style is distinguished by its specific attributes. It could be argued that a comedy is the complete opposite of a tragedy, and vice versa, since the two tend to have stark differences. The main differences between a tragedy and a comedy lie in the character of the protagonist, the protagonist's struggle, and the conclusion. In every society ever shaped by the hands of man, an indisputable, though sometimes overlooked, fact of these societies is the distinction between groups of individuals based on their perceived worth. This distinction is a fundamental difference between a tragedy and a comedy. In a tragedy, a protagonist is “a prominent and powerful hero (1), a king or even a god (4). The hero tends to be stubborn, traditional and experiences strong emotions (2). An audience member with the ability to sympathize with such an esteemed character is weak. A comedic protagonist tends to be just the opposite. The protagonist in a comedy must display at least a modicum of personal charm to gain the audience's approval and basic support (1) The protagonist also tends to be more adaptable (2) than a tragic protagonist . The comic protago...... middle of paper ... displays the ultimate fact that even the best in man cannot excel. Unlike the aforementioned situation, a comedy offers a different perspective with a contrasting protagonist. A comedy may suggest that man is a fool (2), but it gives hope for man's renewal (2). With this in mind, a comic protagonist represents an average man who triumphs over his problems through fate, luck, or willpower. Essentially, a tragedy and a comedy are different because of the difference in their protagonists, the difference in the struggle fought, and the difference in the outcome. Works Cited1 http://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/tlove/comic-tragic.html2 http://www3.dbu.edu/mitchell/comedytr.htm3 http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/ Tragedy_Comedy.pdf4 http://domainofthebrain.com/comedytragedy.htm5 http://blue.utb.edu/mimosa/Handouts/T&C.htm