According to Aristotle (who speculates on the matter in his Poetics), ancient comedy originated with the komos, a curious and improbable spectacle in which a company of males sang, danced, and frolicked leisurely around the image of a large phallus.
As the origins of comedy concern worship to a phallic ritual or festival, comedy has involved a high-spirited celebration of human sexuality. Therefore, a more likely setting for comedy is the bedroom or bathroom.
As far back as Aristotle, the basic formula for comedy has had more to do with conventions and expectations of plot and character than with a requirement for lewd jokes or cartoonish humiliation. In effect, a comedy is a story of the rise in fortune of a sympathetic central character.
The comic hero
A comic hero or heroine usually has charm and wit which wins the audience's basic approval and support.
Aristotle suggests that comic figures are mainly "average to below average" in terms of moral character. The most ridiculous characters are often those who, although well-born, are merely proud or self-important instead of truly noble. Similarly, the most sympathetic comic figures are often underdogs, young men or women from humble or disadvantaged backgrounds who prove their real worth - in effect their "natural nobility"- through various tests of character over the course of comedic plot.
Ordinary People
According to Aristotle, comedy is more concerned with real life situations which involve ordinary people such as lower or middle-income husbands and wives, students and teachers, children and parents, butchers, bakers, and candlestick-makers ) instead of the kings, queens, heroes, aristocrats and heads of state. Comic plots concern everyday scenarios such as winning a new boyfriend (or reclaiming an old one), succeeding at a job, passing an exam, getting the money needed to pay for a medical operation, or coping with a bad day. Though laughter is not all that is needed for comedy, as sometimes it's the satisfaction the audience gain from seeing deserving people succeed.
http://condor.depaul.edu/~dsimpson/tlove/comic-tragic.html
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