A literary form designed to amuse by use of wit, humor, criticism, or ridicule; derived from "revel" (komos). Comedy is usually identified as a dramatic form, but the term also applies to nondramatic works. Often distinguished from tragedy, which tries to evoke profound emotions from the audience; but Aristotle distinguishes characters that are figures from daily life in everyday situations as comedic. Comedy includes scenes of farce, satire, burlesque, harlequinade, or sociopolitical invective, with or without musical accompaniment; as represented by tragicomic, romantic comedy, miracle plays, comedy of manners, comédie larmoyante, comédie ballet, and theatre of the absurd. See bathos, melodrama, drama, revue, literature, muse.