tragedy genre

Tragedy as a genre centers on protagonists whose downfall arises from fate, flawed character, or circumstances beyond their control.

Classical Greek tragedy—Sophocles, Euripides—established the form: noble figures brought low, audiences experiencing catharsis through pity and fear.

Shakespeare's tragedies follow similar patterns: Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear.

The genre extends beyond theater to film and literature.

A work qualifies as tragedy less by sad endings than by the sense that destruction was somehow inevitable.