Tragedy: Difference between revisions

The revenge and violent tragedies were closely associated with the Elizabethan Age.<ref>Lethbridge, Stefanie, and Jarmila Mildorf. "Revenge Tragedy/Tragedy of Blood." <i>Types of Tragedy</i>. N.p., Mar. 2004. Web. <http://www2.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/intranet/englishbasics/DramaSubgenres02.htm></ref> They mainly used massacres, revenge, damage, and spirits in order to evoke sadness in the audience. The characters in the play paid close attention to social rankings.  

For example, the greater the hero was to society, then the more likely he or she was to fail, or experience disheartening circumstances.  This type of tragedy was frequently written in varying poetic forms. Aside from the extreme use of violent action to evoke certain feelings from the audience, the revenge tragedies mainly used “play-within-a-play” structures as a way of heightening the chaos. Some prime examples of this type of tragedy are Christopher Marlowe’s ''The Jew of Malta'', Shakespeare’s ''Titus Andronicus'', and Thomas Kyd’s ''The Spanish Tragedy.'' <ref>Lethbridge, Stefanie, and Jarmila Mildorf. "Revenge Tragedy/Tragedy of Blood." <i>Types of Tragedy</i>. N.p., Mar. 2004. Web. <http://www2.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/intranet/englishbasics/DramaSubgenres02.htm></ref>  

The next type of tragedy mainly centered its focus on the social rank in society. The middle class and lower classes were the ones who increased their stance in the social hierarchy by gaining more power and attention. Unlike the revenge tragedies, the tragedies that focused on social class were mainly written in prose, as opposed to verse. The protagonist in this type of tragedy is known to experience a local, or household disaster that is detrimental to his or her life in society. The domestic tragedy has an intended purpose of evoking understanding and compassion within the audience. Although the hero of most tragedies is supposed to display courage, bravery, and determination, the domestic tragedies in modern day society use an [[ anti-hero ]]. The anti-hero does not display the traditional qualities of a hero. Instead, the anti-hero proves to be inconsequential and unsuccessful in his tribulations. The example of this type of tragedy found in the eighteenth century was George Lillo’s ''The London Merchant'': or, ''The History of George Barnwell''. <ref>Lethbridge, Stefanie, and Jarmila Mildorf. "Domestic/Bourgeois Tragedy." <i>Types of Tragedy</i>. N.p., Mar. 2004. Web. <http://www2.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/intranet/englishbasics/DramaSubgenres02.htm></ref>  

The last type of tragedy commonly known is the tragedy that incorporates comedic relief. They are commonly known as “tragicomedies.” While the events in tragicomedies are often considered with tragic and humorous, their main purpose is to revel a major problem for the character(s), but a happy ending is achieved due to unknown circumstances typically at a time of panic.  The greatest examples that display the qualities of a tragicomedy is Shakespeare’s ''The Merchant of Venice'' and John Fletcher’s ''The Faithful Shepherdess''. <ref>Lethbridge, Stefanie, and Jarmila Mildorf. "Tragicomedy." <i>Types of Tragedy</i>. N.p., Mar. 2004. Web. <http://www2.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/intranet/englishbasics/DramaSubgenres02.htm></ref>