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  ...considered, his execution was masterly. But comedy is not this unbending thing; for this reason, that the same degree of credibility is not required of it as to serious scenes. The degrees of credibility demanded to the two things may be illustrated by the different sort of truth which we expect when a man tells us a mournful or a merry story. If we suspect the former of falsehood in any one tittle, we reject it altogether. Our tears refuse to flow at a suspected imposition. But The teller of a mirthful tale has latitude allowed him. We are content with less than absolute truth.   'Tis the same with dramatic illusion. We confess we love in comedy to see an audience naturalised behind the scenes, taken in into the interest of the drama, welcomed as by-standers however. There is something ungracious in a comic actor holding himself aloof from all participation or concern with those who are come to be diverted by him. Macbeth must see the dagger, and no ear but his own be told of it; but an old fool in farce may think he _sees something_, and by conscious words and...   Lamb, Charles

Excerpt from The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 Elia and The Last Essays of Elia · This quote is tagged Truth · Search on Google Books to find all references and sources for this quotation.

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