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Tragedy and Drama

In a range of dramatic works from Agamemnon to Hamlet, one sees the range of development of the tragic form, from the earliest Greek to the later Shakespearean tragedies. There are two basic concepts of tragedy: the concept introduced by Aristotle in his Poetics, and the concept developed by Frederick Nietzsche in his "The Birth of Tragedy." Many dramas can be reviewed to reveal the contrast between these two concepts of tragedy, and demonstrate the development of the tragic form over time.

The idea of Greek tragedy stems from Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero. In Aristotle's definition, the tragic hero must be a person of high standing so their fall from glory will be all the more horrible. The hero's story must evoke pity for the hero and fear of his fall, so the hero cannot be completely evil. Also, the hero must have a tragic flaw, a characteristic that, in excess, causes him to bring some disaster upon himself, and because of this, he cannot......

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Approximate Word Count: 1779
Approximate Pages: 8 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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