I'm doing a crossword and the clue is: Tragicomedy. I have the letters: m..o.r..a. Any suggestions please?

Question

I'm doing a crossword and the clue is: Tragicomedy. I have the letters: m..o.r..a. Any suggestions please?

Answer 1

Try the word   MELODRAMA.  Hope this works.

bbush

Answer 2

Retroray.  As a professional actor, I recognized your answer as correct, gave you a star and moved on.

What makes melodrama "comic" is that it is, to modern audiences, so extravagantly over the top.

Answer 3

MELODRAMA

NOTE:  I am not entirely satisfied with my answer, but given the letters that you already have, it seems to fit.  

The respected "Glossary of Literary Terms," (please see http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/literatu...  )

does define "tragicomedy" as follows:

"***A type of drama that combines certain elements of both tragedy and comedy*** [emphasis added]. The play’s plot tends to be serious, leading to a terrible catastrophe, until an unexpected turn in events leads to a reversal of circumstance, and the story ends happily. Tragicomedy often employs a romantic, fast-moving plot dealing with love, jealousy, disguises, treachery, intrigue, and surprises, all moving toward a melodramatic resolution...."

However, I must comment that the melodrama is not commonly thought of as a comic vehicle.  The melodrama is a sub-type of drama characterized by a plot to appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Melodrama, a combination of drama and melos (music), literally means "play with music." The themes of dramas, the oldest literary and stage art form, were exaggerated within melodramas, and the liberal use of music often enhanced their emotional plots.

Historically melodrama has shown the effects of tragedy (e.g., high emotional excitement, seriousness), but with significant changes. Instead of noble heroes concerned with national themes, divine law, or social order, the heroes of melodrama are typically ordinary characters, often caught in the throes of love, lost identity, family crisis, or class conflict. Their predicaments may have fatal results, but good always triumphs over evil in the end. Actions speak louder than words, gestures count more than speeches, and music provides a universal language.

In film, the term "melodrama" often connotes an unrealistic, pathos-filled, campy tale of romance or domestic situations with stereotypical characters (often including a central female character) that would directly appeal to feminine audiences.

Alas, I haven't a better answer than "melodrama"; but I offer it with the comments and caveats above.