In John Dryden's Essay on Dramatic Poesy, Neander (who represents Dryden's own views) defends tragi-comedy, the English invention that blends elements of both tragedy and comedy.
Neander argues that the English dramatists excel in creating a balance between the tragic and the comic, mixing serious and lighter moments in the same play. This is opposed to the strict classical rules followed by the French, which kept tragedy and comedy entirely separate. Dryden (through Neander) suggests that this mixture of the two genres makes the plays more entertaining and more reflective of real life, where both joy and sorrow often occur side by side.
Hence, the correct answer is 3. tragi-comedy.
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