What features distinguished Old Comedy from Greek tragedy?

Old Comedy and Greek tragedy were both rooted in religious festivals honoring Dionysus, but they differed significantly in tone, structure, and purpose.123

Key Distinctions

• Subject Matter and Tone: While tragedy focused on the pathos—the intense, often violent suffering—of illustrious figures from legend or history, Old Comedy was defined by exuberant, high-spirited satire. It utilized grotesque, vulgar, and witty elements to critique public figures, philosophical trends, and political affairs.1243
• Structural Elements: Old Comedy featured a unique six-part structure, most notably the parabasis, where the chorus would step out of the narrative to address the audience directly with topical commentary and personal invective. Tragedy, conversely, focused on the interaction between the chorus and protagonists to interpret significant events, often observing the unities of time, place, and action.132
• Visual Presentation: Comedy relied on wild, imaginative fantasy—such as choruses dressed as animals—and costumes featuring padded stomachs and large phalli. Tragedy maintained a more formal aesthetic, using masks to represent recognizable character types to a large audience.12