1. Sentimental Comedy: This style focused on emotional appeal and moral uplift. Plays often featured virtuous characters facing adversity, with a happy ending that reinforced traditional values like love, family, and social order. They emphasized the importance of feeling over reason and often included melodramatic scenes and tear-jerking moments. Some popular examples include Susanna Haswell Rowson's "The Contrast" (1787) and Royall Tyler's "The Contrast" (1787).
2. Domestic Tragedy: This style explored domestic conflicts and personal struggles within the framework of tragedy. It differed from traditional tragedy by focusing on ordinary people and everyday problems, often dealing with themes of love, betrayal, and the consequences of individual choices. These plays aimed to provoke thought and discussion about social and moral issues, and they often had a somber or tragic ending. A well-known example is William Dunlap's "The Father" (1789).
While these are two prominent styles, other forms like burlesque and farce also appeared in early American theater.