tragical
Marked by catastrophe
Tragical is an archaic or literary variant of tragic, describing something characterized by tragedy, calamity, or sorrowful events.
It appears most often in older texts and intentionally old-fashioned contexts, as in Shakespeare's "tragical-comical-historical-pastoral" from *Hamlet*.
Modern usage tends toward tragic, reserving tragical for deliberate stylistic effect or gentle mockery of melodrama: He recounted his tragical tale of missing the last bus home.
Danish prince's revenge tragedy
- MacbethAmbitious thane's downfall
- OthelloVenetian military commander
- Romeo and JulietTragedy of rival households
- Julius CaesarRoman dictator and general
King Lear · Coriolanus · Antony and Cleopatra · hamartia · catharsis · soliloquy · iambic pentameter · Elizabethan
Intense sorrow from loss
- lamentationPassionate expression of grief
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- mourningPeriod following loss
- woefulExtremely sad or pitiful
mournful · elegiac · pitiful · poignant · heartrending · devastating · dolorous · plaintive
Unavoidable grim fate
- fatePredetermined course of events
- destinyPredetermined course of events
- inevitabilityQuality of being unavoidable
- downfallSudden loss of power
hubris · nemesis · prophecy · foreboding · omen · ill-fated · star-crossed · cursed
Story's central figure
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- denouementStory's final unraveling
- catastropheDevastating, large-scale misfortune
- downfallSudden loss of power
performance · stage · playwright · dramatist · chorus · mask · buskin · proscenium
Hamlet
Danish prince's revenge tragedy
- MacbethAmbitious thane's downfall
- OthelloVenetian military commander
- Romeo and JulietTragedy of rival households
King Lear · Julius Caesar · Coriolanus · Antony and Cleopatra · hamartia · catharsis · soliloquy · iambic pentameter · Elizabethan · Globe Theatre
grief
Intense sorrow from loss
- lamentationPassionate expression of grief
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- mourningPeriod following loss
woeful · mournful · elegiac · pitiful · poignant · heartrending · devastating · dolorous · plaintive · melancholy
doom
Unavoidable grim fate
- fatePredetermined course of events
- destinyPredetermined course of events
- inevitabilityQuality of being unavoidable
downfall · hubris · nemesis · prophecy · foreboding · omen · ill-fated · star-crossed · cursed · predestination
protagonist
Story's central figure
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- denouementStory's final unraveling
- catastropheDevastating, large-scale misfortune
downfall · performance · stage · playwright · dramatist · chorus · mask · buskin · proscenium · curtain
- tragic endingStory concludes in disaster
- tragic accident
- tragic endDisastrous final outcome
- tragic flawDefect causing protagonist's downfall
- tragic romanceLove story with sorrowful end
- tragic lossDevastating, mourned absence