The Different Forms of Tragedy

The theatrical definition of tragedy is a complex one. The average person might describe tragedy as a sad, sad story in which someone always dies in the end. In some cases, that is true. However, tragedy comes in different forms. Tragedy can have comical elements, like dark comedies and tragicomedies. Tragedy can also have obvious themes and conflicts that don't require much analysis like melodramas. There are three plays in particular that display three different categories of tragedy. Those plays are Medea, written by Euripides; Hedda Gabler, written by Henrik Ibsen.…