Although the term “Comedy” has been in use for millennia, the nature and character of the plays that fall under this category has changed over the years. In fact, today the term is not as simple to define. In this seminar, we will try to discern the characteristics and identify the boundaries of Comedy as a dramatic genre. We will discuss the claim regarding the "Death of Comedy" and raise the question whether Comedy's resistance to definition is actually a key feature structured into its very identity.

The purpose of the seminar is to deepen students' reading of comedy. For this, we will read comical plays of various styles and from various time periods and examine them using central theories in the study of comedy and humor. We shall delve into the structural aspects and comical means, follow the developments of archetypical characters in the tradition of comedy, and discuss the attributes differentiating among diverse types of comedy and between comedy and other genres.

The seminar will combine frontal lectures, and class discussions and assignments.