tragic play
Drama ending badly
A tragic play is a drama depicting the downfall of a central character, typically through fate, moral weakness, or circumstances beyond their control.
The genre traces to ancient Greek theater—Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus—and continues through Shakespeare and beyond.
Unlike comedy, tragedy ends in death, ruin, or profound loss: We're reading Hamlet as our first tragic play.
- hamartiaFatal error causing downfall
- fatal flawRuinous character defect
- fatePredetermined course of events
- ancient AthensGreek city-state, antiquity
- catharsisPurification through emotional expression
dramatic irony · star-crossed lovers · hubris · five acts · stage · fall · classical antiquity · Euripides · Aeschylus · chorus line · stage direction · protagonist · Aristotle · noble suffering · death · soliloquy · Hamlet · pathos
tragic playcomedy
Work meant to amuse
comic play · comedic drama · farce · romantic comedy · slapstick
tragic playfarce
Absurd, laughable situation
light entertainment · comic opera · light opera · variety show · sketch comedy