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Literature vocabulary · Drama and Theatre

Tragedy

Meaning in literature, with examples

/ˈtrædʒədi/nounCore term

In literature, tragedy means: A serious play or story in which the main character suffers and is usually destroyed, often because of a personal flaw or a fatal mistake.

In Turkish: trajedi, tragedya

How it is used

A central term since Aristotle's Poetics. Critics discuss Greek tragedy (Sophocles' Oedipus Rex) and Shakespearean tragedy (Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear), the tragic hero, and catharsis, the release of pity and fear the audience feels. Adjective: tragic.

Example sentences

  1. Macbeth is the shortest of Shakespeare's great tragedies.

  2. In Greek tragedy the hero often learns the truth too late.

Common collocations

  • Greek tragedy
  • Shakespearean tragedy
  • tragic hero
  • revenge tragedy
  • a tragedy in five acts
  • comedyA play or story meant to amuse, usually built on misunderstandings and humor and ending happily, often with reunions or marriages.
  • dramaLiterature written to be performed by actors on a stage, telling a story through dialogue and action; also a single serious play.
  • tragic flawA weakness or error of judgment in a tragic hero, such as pride, ambition or jealousy, that leads to his or her downfall.
  • playA piece of writing for the theatre, made up of dialogue and stage directions, that actors perform in front of an audience.
  • climaxThe most intense and important moment of a story, when the main conflict reaches its turning point and the outcome is decided.

More terms: Drama and Theatre

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