“Love is the poetry of the senses.” — Honore de Balzac
And I believe that poetry to be of the comedic variety!
In Greek times, comedy referred to poems or plays that ended happily, not tragically.
Aristotle, in Poetics, wrote that comedy is a representation of laughable people, fools really. And honestly, what’s easier to laugh at than fools in love?
But if love truly is the poetry of the senses then there’s more to it. There’s more to poetry and love than lovebirds and sonnets.
In a very poetic way, love has the ability to make us sad while we are happy. It might be during a game of fetch with your pup, a game of catch with Grandpa, or singing with Grandma. An underlying part of the love you are feeling is the sadness of knowing it won’t last forever.
And that goes for any relationship that came from love. I guess that means that sadness plays a decent-sized role in our comedy.
When a big part of the poem that is our life is taken from us, it certainly feels like a tragedy. But, if we believe in something more, and we laugh throughout our ridiculous play, then that part of it and all the others will result in a COMEDY!!