How did John Dryden distinguish humor from wit in comic writing?

In his critical writings, John Dryden distinguished between humor and wit by associating them with different comic talents and dramatic techniques. He famously contrasted the work of Ben Jonson, who excelled in humor, with that of William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, who excelled in wit.1

Dryden characterized Jonson’s talent for humor as the ability to make characters appear "pleasantly ridiculous" on stage, often by depicting individuals governed by a single, overriding personal trait or habit—a method rooted in the physiological concept of the four humours. In contrast, Dryden defined wit as "the sharpness of conceit," which he observed in the clever, agile repartee found in the works of Shakespeare and Fletcher.12

While humor was seen as a way to portray character in the ordinary circumstances of life, wit represented a more conscious, artistic display of linguistic grace and mental agility. Dryden’s analysis reflects a broader Neoclassical concern with categorizing the various forms of the laughable in dramatic history.12