In the classic Citizen Kane , ambitious newspaperman Charles Foster Kane goes from a determined youth to a ruthless tycoon and, finally, to an embittered old man who has alienated everyone in his life.
Requiem for a Dream is about the disastrous effects that drug use has on a group of four interconnected people in New York City. The postmodern musical Dancer in the Dark has a tragic heroine, Selma, who works to save money so her son can have a surgery that will prevent him from losing his sight, all while she herself is going blind. It tells the story of a mythical godlike character who rules over the world of dreams. His tragic flaw his rigidity prevents him from righting the wrongs of the past, initiating his own destruction in the process.
William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus. This revenge play tells the story of a Roman general, Titus Andronicus, who returns home to implement a meticulous, bloody vengeance on those who wronged him. Seeking vengeance of her own, Tamora, the Queen of the Goths, sets out to avenge the death of her son at the hands of Titus. James Baldwin, The Amen Corner. His arrival reveals that she lied about Luke abandoning her and their son David years ago; in actuality, she left Luke to seek a religious vocation.
This revelation fractures the family and results in David breaking off his relationship with his mother and the congregation expelling Margaret from the church. The play opens with Jessie informing Thelma that she plans to kill herself later that night.
This sets off a long, intense conversation between mother and daughter, in which they each disclose their frustrations and fears.
At the close of the play, Jessie locks herself in her bedroom and shoots herself. Debora B. Goodreads has a list of popular tragic books , including many plays. This paper delves into the Greek theory of tragedy and its subsequent effects on the genre.
Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples. Tragedy Definition. The History of the Tragedy. The Elements of a Tragedy. However, by and large, if a narrative begins with everything in order and ends in disorder, it can probably be classified as a tragedy. Skip to main content. Toggle menu Go to search page. Search Field. For example, Hitler is often depicted as being guilty of hubris among other flaws, of course. The thing that brought him down in the end was that he thought he was indestructible — he thought he could fight a war against the Allies and then, right in the middle of it, turn around and pull a surprise attack on the Soviets.
This turned out to be a fatal mistake, and Hitler lost the war because of it. Note: because of his many other nasty attributes, Hitler does not make a good tragic hero! He is, however, a good example of hubris. List of Terms Action. Ad Hominem. Alter Ego. APA Citation. Comic Relief. Deus ex machina. Double Entendre. Dramatic irony. Extended Metaphor. Fairy Tale. Figures of Speech. Literary Device. Here are some examples of tragedy and how it enhances the meaning of literature:.
Nay, thou must feel them, taste the smart of all:. He that loves pleasure must for pleasure fall:. And so I leave thee, Faustus, till anon;. Christopher Marlowe was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and also revived classic tragedy as a literary device.
Faustus, the protagonist, is vain and possesses an unlimited desire for fame. This drives him to learn magic of the dark arts, by which he summons Mephistopheles, a demon, to make a deal with the devil. Faustus bargains his soul for twenty-four years of infinite power.
Faustus finally asks for mercy as his twenty-fourth year expires, but it is too late and his soul is carried by devils to hell.
All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride. As Sophocles presents in his tragic play, pride or Hubris is one of the most common and serious of classic tragic flaws.
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