2. The Origins of Tragedy

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Greek Tragedy

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The origins of "tragedy" can be found in Greece in the 6th century BC. These plays often contained a "Chorus", which was a group of actors who described and commented upon the main action of a play with song, dance, and narration.

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Tragedies

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Tragic plays normally focus on misfortunes surrounding a hero, usually the protagonist, and often a flawed one. Tragedies typically include serious subject matter or themes, and sometimes end in the downfall or death of one or more characters.

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Greek Tragedy

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Ancient Greek tragedies typically feature a protagonist of high rank who makes an error of judgement (flawed). Other important features include gods, mythology, conflict and suffering.

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Roman Tragedy

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Those Roman tragedies that have survived are mainly adaptations of Greek tragedies. Roman philosopher Seneca wrote some plays which are considered revenge tragedies, adopted by Elizabethan and Jacobean playwrights.

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Elizabethan and Jacobean Tragedy

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Elizabethan tragedies, of which William Shakespeare was just one writer, often include a high status protagonist who is flawed, and ultimately dies at the end. Jacobean tragedies are characterised as being revenge tragedies.

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Revenge Tragedy

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Revenge tragedies are characterised by one character seeking revenge upon another character. Examples of revenge tragedies include William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi.

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Domestic Tragedy

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Rather than focusing on high rank and status, these works portrayed the common man in a domestic setting as the tragic hero (as opposed to a character of nobility in an extravagant setting). A good example is Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Aristotle had argued that tragedy should concern only powerful individuals with great minds because their catastrophic downfall would be more emotionally powerful to the audience.

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The Tragic Hero

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Aristotle identified 5 characteristics of a Tragic Hero: 1. flaw or error of judgement (hamartia) 2. a reversal of fortune (peripeteia) brought about because of the hero’s own judgement 3. the discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero’s own actions (anagnorisis) 4. excessive Pride (hubris) 5. The character's fate must be greater than deserved.

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The Machiavellian Villain

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Named after Niccolo Machiavelli's (1469-1527) book The Prince, written in the early 1500s, many tragedies feature a Machiavellian Villain. These characters are defined by having a deep desire for power and using deceit and manipulation to achieve what they want and to maintain it.