Tragedy

Tragedy is a dramatic genre that presents serious, often irreversible human suffering and calamity, usually focused on the downfall of a central character. It is designed to evoke pity and fear in the audience and to reflect on human frailty, fate, and moral choices. Tragedy originated in ancient Greece, where public performances in theaters coupled serious plots with ritual and collective experience; over time, the form has diversified across cultures and periods.

Etymology and theory: The term tragedy comes from Greek tragōidia, literally goat song, likely linked to ritual origins or chorus. In Aristotle's Poetics, tragedy is an imitation of a serious, complete action, enacted rather than narrated, designed to provoke pity and fear and to produce catharsis. Typical features include a noble protagonist with a hamartia or flaw, a reversal of fortune (peripeteia), and an awareness of truth (anagnorisis).

Form and structure: Traditional tragedies move from exposition to complication, crisis, catastrophe, and resolution, with heightened language and often dramatic irony. The chorus once framed events; later forms emphasize dialogue. Although not all tragedies end happily, they aim to illuminate human limits and moral choice.

Historical breadth: Greek tragedians such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides set enduring templates; later traditions include Roman, medieval, and Renaissance versions, as well as Shakespeare's tragedies. In modern contexts, tragedy spans non-traditional forms and tragicomedy, often exploring social, ethical, and existential concerns rather than simple moral lessons.