By contemporary standards, we have a certain notion of comedy that involves a work that is funny and lighthearted. While there is certainly a connection, the classical notion of comedy is a genre of story with a happy ending, typically one that involves marriages. While comedies are often more lighthearted than tragedies, many, such as Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, also have a darker side. Examples of comedy by this definition would be Taming of the Shrew, Pride and Prejudice, As You Like it, etc... Plays many would now consider a romance would then have been considered a comedy in Shakespeare's day. Most happy love stories were considered comedies in that time period, while the romance was an different genre entirely. Harry Potter would have been considered a Romance, while the Notebook would have been considered a comedy.
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