"Tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character."
Explains what Tragedy is, its origin, and why it is still a genre that is revered in literature.
Ancient Greek Tragedy: The study of the origins and development of the tragedy genre in ancient Greece, including key features and examples.
Aristotelian Tragedy: The examination of Aristotle's definition of tragedy and its components, including plot, character, thought, diction, and spectacle.
Tragic Hero: The concept of the tragic hero, his or her characteristics and flaws, and how these contribute to the tragedy.
Catharsis: The role of catharsis in tragedy, the emotional release experienced by the audience, and how it serves as a purification or purgation of the emotions.
Tragic Flaw: The study of tragic flaws in characters and how they lead to their downfall or tragedy.
Hubris: A specific type of tragic flaw that involves excessive pride or arrogance in the protagonist, leading to their tragic fate.
Irony: The use of irony in tragedy, including dramatic, situational, and verbal irony, and how it contributes to the overall effect of the tragedy.
Fate and Free Will: The exploration of the role of fate and free will in tragedy, including how the characters' choices and actions impact their tragic ending.
Tragicomedy: The examination of tragicomedy, a genre that combines elements of both tragedy and comedy, and how it differs from tragedy alone.
Contemporary Tragedy: The study of modern or contemporary tragedy, including how it has evolved and changed over time and what distinguishes it from ancient Greek tragedy.
Aristotelian Tragedy: A type of tragedy in which the protagonist is of noble birth and has a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall.
Senecan Tragedy: A type of tragedy that originated in Ancient Rome and emphasizes the use of rhetoric and long monologues.
Revenge Tragedy: A type of tragedy in which the protagonist is seeking revenge against someone who has wronged them.
Domestic Tragedy: A type of tragedy that focuses on the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Tragicomic Tragedy: A type of tragedy that combines elements of tragedy and comedy.
Existential Tragedy: A type of tragedy that explores themes of alienation, despair, and the search for meaning.
Historical Tragedy: A type of tragedy that is set in a specific historical period and deals with the consequences of political or social events.
Political Tragedy: A type of tragedy that explores the consequences of political decisions.
Absurdist Tragedy: A type of tragedy that portrays the absurdity of the human condition.
Modern Tragedy: A type of tragedy that reflects the social and cultural issues of contemporary society.
"Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsis, or a 'pain [that] awakens pleasure', for the audience."
"The term has often been used to invoke a powerful effect of cultural identity and historical continuity."
"From its origins in the theatre of ancient Greece 2500 years ago..."
"There survives only a fraction of the work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides..."
"...the later Roman tragedies of Seneca; through its singular articulations in the works of Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, Jean Racine, and Friedrich Schiller..."
"...to the more recent naturalistic tragedy of Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg; Samuel Beckett's modernist meditations on death, loss and suffering..."
"A long line of philosophers...have analysed, speculated upon, and criticised the genre."
"...tragedy has been used to make genre distinctions, whether at the scale of poetry in general... or at the scale of the drama."
"Drama, in the narrow sense, cuts across the traditional division between comedy and tragedy..."
"Both Bertolt Brecht and Augusto Boal define their epic theatre projects... against models of tragedy."
"Taxidou... reads epic theatre as an incorporation of tragic functions and its treatments of mourning and speculation."
"Tragedy... has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western civilization."
"Tragedy often refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western civilization."
"...tragedy has remained an important site of cultural experimentation, negotiation, struggle, and change."
"In the modern era, tragedy has also been defined against drama, melodrama, the tragicomic, and epic theatre."
"In the wake of Aristotle's Poetics (335 BCE), tragedy has been used to make genre distinctions..."
"A long line of philosophers... have analysed, speculated upon, and criticised the genre."
"Heiner Müller postmodernist reworkings of the tragic canon..."
"Taxidou reads epic theatre as an incorporation of tragic functions and its treatments of mourning and speculation."