Presented By: Aymen Latif

Tragedy, branch of drama that treats in a serious and

dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events
encountered or caused by a heroic individual. By
extension the term may be applied to other literary
works, such as the novel.
Classical tragedy preserves the unities - one time
span, one setting, and one story.
 The protagonist is from elite class or higher estate.
 Tragic Flaw, bloodshed, disaster, and death are the
common elements.
 The incidents of a tragedy rotates with protagonist
The style of tragedy greatly changed after The World
War ll.
 Fewer characters, less use bloodshed, off stage death
and much use of irony became trend.
 Each of the roles in modem tragedy became
important.
 Modem Dramatists- Arthur Miller, Eugene O’Neill,
In classic tragedy the protagonist faces his downfall
because of his tragic flaw, for example- Dr. ’ Faustus.
Fate is the reason behind tragic flaw.
 In modern tragedy the traditional tragic flaw remains
intact. For example- Tragic flaw of Willy Loman in
“Death of a Salesman”. Man himself is the reason
behind his own tragic flaw.
 Classic tragedies are full of on stage death &
violence. For example- Macbeth.
 Modern tragedies lack violence and specially death.
Off stage death is the popular trend. Example Willy
Loman [Death of the salesman]or Ephraim Cabot
[Desire under the elms]
Timeline and place settings of classical tragedies very
large. The basic concept is vengeance i.e Hamlet.
Time is very limited and place settings is quite smaller
in modern tragedy. The basic concept mainly the life
struggle of common people i.e Desire under the elms.
Tragedy always brings about radical change in our
lives, a change that is associated with the same
principle: loss.
Paulo Coelho