Why is Dante's work entitled Divine Comedy when there's not even a hint of funny stuff in it?

This is a great question, deechavez!  We commonly assume
that the literary terms COMEDY and TRAGEDY have to do with whether what happens in the
work is funny or sad.  However, these terms are traditionally meant to tell the reader
what they can expect about the structure of the work rather than being descriptive so
much of the contents.

This isn't to say that you definitely
won't find comic events in a work of literature called a COMEDY, just that it isn't
necessary.

Dante's Divine Comedy is called a COMEDY because
he conformed to two requirements of this
structure:

1. It has a happy ending.  This,
   throughout works of literature, is the basic definition of a COMEDY.  Look for it in
   Shakespeare and other writers too.


2. The tone of the
   writing is in a LOW rather than HIGH style.  Dante was actually very original here,
   writing a poem about the salvation of Mankind, but doing it in an everyday language.
   

So, the next time you go to the movies to see
your favorite comedy, see if it stands up to this structural definition of COMEDY.  Does
it have a happy ending?  Is its language everyday (even sometimes vulgar)  in
tone?