The Cambridge Introduction to TragedyCambridge University Press, 2007 M05 10 - 243 pages Tragedy is the art-form created to confront the most difficult experiences we face: death, loss, injustice, thwarted passion, despair. From ancient Greek theatre up to the most recent plays, playwrights have found, in tragic drama, a means to seek explanation for disaster. But tragedy is also a word we continually encounter in the media, to denote an event which is simply devastating in its emotional power. This introduction explores the relationship between tragic experience and tragic representation. After giving an overview of the tragic theatre canon - including chapters on the Greeks, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, post-colonial drama, and Beckett - it also looks at the contribution which philosophers have brought to this subject, before ranging across other art-forms and areas of debate. The book is unique in its chronological range, and brings a wide spectrum of examples, from both literature and life, into the discussion of this emotional and frequently controversial subject. |
Contents
Section 1 | 4 |
Section 2 | 10 |
Section 3 | 13 |
Section 4 | 21 |
Section 5 | 38 |
Section 6 | 43 |
Section 7 | 63 |
Section 8 | 75 |
Section 14 | 131 |
Section 15 | 145 |
Section 16 | 151 |
Section 17 | 158 |
Section 18 | 160 |
Section 19 | 161 |
Section 20 | 166 |
Section 21 | 167 |
Section 9 | 99 |
Section 10 | 107 |
Section 11 | 117 |
Section 12 | 121 |
Section 13 | 128 |
Section 22 | 168 |
Section 23 | 172 |
Section 24 | 182 |
Section 25 | 189 |
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Common terms and phrases
according action actually Aeschylus allows ancient Antigone appears arguably argued attempt audience becomes beginning belief body called cause characters chorus concerns considered context continues contrast course critics culture dead death depends described desire developed divine drama effect emotions Eteocles evil example existence experience fact fate father feeling film find first forces give gods Greek Greek tragedy hand heart hero human imagination individual interpretation killed king language living means moral murder narrative nature never Oedipus offers original pain particular past performance physical play plot political possible production question reason reflects relationship religious represent response result reveals sacrifice says scene seems sense Shakespeare’s significance social society stage story structure suffering suggests tells theatre things tradition tragedy tragic tragic drama translation understanding violence witness women writes