The basis of tragedy is man's helplessness against disease, war and death; the basis of comedy is man's helplessness against vanity (the vanity of love, greed, lust, power).
Bio: Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, 1st Baron Pakenham known to his family as Frank Longford and as Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician and social reformer.