Tragedy is a form of drama that deals with serious human actions and issues. Most tragedies show the downfall and death of a great man or a great woman. While the endings of tragedies are sad, they seem just and believable. Tragedy thus faces the fact that not everything in life ends happily. Therefore, tragedy raises deep philosophical questions about morality, the meaning of human existence, and the control human beings have over their fate.
Playwrights have written tragedies throughout the history of drama. The most famous were written during three periods—the 400’s B.C. in Greece, the late 1500’s and early 1600’s in England, and the 1600’s in France.
The greatest writers of Greek tragedy were Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles. These writers took most of their plots from Greek mythology. William Shakespeare was the principal tragic dramatist of the English period. Shakespeare’s tragedies are noted for their suspenseful plots, insights into human nature, and powerful poetic dialogue. Other leading English playwrights of the period included Christopher Marlowe and John Webster. Jean Racine dominated tragic drama during the French period. Racine’s tragic heroes and heroines are victims of violent passions that they cannot control. Pierre Corneille was another important French tragic playwright of the 1600’s.
Until the 1700’s, almost all tragedies dealt with royalty, famous historical figures, or other notable people. Playwrights did not consider the lives of common men and women important enough to provide material for tragedies. After 1700, a number of dramatists wrote domestic tragedies, plays with middle-class people as heroes and heroines. Perhaps the most important of these playwrights was Gotthold Ephraim Lessing of Germany.
Notable tragedies of the late 1700’s and early 1800’s were written by Friedrich Schiller of Germany and Victor Hugo of France. Most of their works dealt with famous or powerful characters.
Critics disagree about whether any true tragedies have been written since the late 1800’s. Some argue that modern serious plays lack the moral, philosophical, or religious significance required for genuine tragedy. Other critics believe several playwrights have created works that can be considered tragedies. These playwrights include Georg Buchner of Germany, Henrik Ibsen of Norway, and Arthur Miller and Eugene O’Neill of the United States.
Each playwright discussed in this article has a separate biography in World Book. See also Aristotle (Literary criticism); Drama; Greek literature (Drama).
