id icul ous ▁may ▁be ▁defined ▁as ▁a ▁mistake ▁or ▁de form ity ▁not ▁product ive ▁of ▁pain ▁or ▁harm ▁to ▁others ; ▁the ▁mask , ▁for ▁instance , ▁that ▁exc ites ▁laugh ter ▁is ▁something ▁ugly ▁and ▁dist orted ▁without ▁causing ▁pain . ▁In ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges , ▁the ▁term ▁expanded ▁to ▁include ▁narr ative ▁po ems ▁with ▁happy ▁end ings . ▁ ▁It ▁is ▁in ▁this ▁sense ▁that ▁D ante ▁used ▁the ▁term ▁in ▁the ▁title ▁of ▁his ▁poem , ▁La ▁Comm edia . ▁ ▁As ▁time ▁progress ed , ▁the ▁word ▁came ▁more ▁and ▁more ▁to ▁be ▁associated ▁with ▁any ▁sort ▁of ▁performance ▁intended ▁to ▁cause ▁laugh ter . ▁During ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges , ▁the ▁term ▁" com edy " ▁became ▁syn onymous ▁with ▁sat ire , ▁and ▁later ▁with ▁hum our ▁in ▁general . ▁ ▁Arist ot le ' s ▁Po et ics ▁was ▁translated ▁into ▁Arab ic ▁in ▁the ▁medieval ▁Islam ic ▁world , ▁where ▁it ▁was ▁elabor ated ▁upon ▁by ▁Arab ic ▁writers ▁and ▁Islam ic ▁philosoph ers , ▁such ▁as ▁Ab u ▁B ish r , ▁and ▁his ▁pup ils ▁Al - F ar abi , ▁Av ic en na , ▁and ▁A ver ro es . ▁They ▁dis associ ated ▁comedy ▁from ▁Greek ▁dram atic ▁representation ▁and ▁instead ▁identified ▁it ▁with ▁Arab ic ▁po etic ▁them es ▁and ▁forms , ▁such ▁as ▁hij a ▁( s at ir ical ▁poetry ). ▁They ▁viewed ▁comedy ▁as ▁simply ▁the ▁" art ▁of ▁repre h ension