Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. In terms of genre, tragedy requires a tragic hero (and usually it is a man): one who is usually tempted to perform a deed (frequently, though not always, a murder), after which the hero’s fortunes eventually suffer a decline, ending with his death (or her death, as in the case of Antigone – though whether Antigone is the tragic ‘hero’ of Sophocles’ play remains a moot point). Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Are its causes internal, and does one bring suffering upon oneself through arrogance, infatuation, or the tendency to overreach? Tony Howard, author of the excellent Women as Hamlet and a professor at the University of Warwick, has even stated that the best Hamlet he has ever seen was played by a woman. To the astonishment of the Theater History class, the professor announced that the final exam would be an ‘open book test’. Writing was not given much importance.The Anglo-Saxons were made up of three tribes who came to England through the North Sea route – the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. Greek women at this time were not citizens and their daily lives were controlled by male authority. Hundreds of early tragedies have been lost, including some by Aeschylus himself. As the Greeks developed it, the tragic form, more than any other, raised questions about human existence. The challenges inside the drama are played out in individuals who either act or watch them. This word should be used more…. I believe that Sophocles wrote what he could in the time he lived in but clearly challenges the status quo for his strong heroine defies danger and male authority. lane! More recently, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen created the definitive tragic heroine of modern theatre, Hedda Gabler, in his 1890 play of that name. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We know Ibsen and Miller faced a barrage of criticism but are now recognised as great playwrights. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! The Greeks of Attica, the ancient state whose chief city was Athens, first used the word in the 5th century bce to describe a specific kind of play, which was presented at festivals in Greece. In these communal celebrations, a choric dance may have been the first formal element and perhaps for centuries was the principal element. The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry, a closet drama written by Elizabeth Tanfield Cary (1585–1639) and first published in 1613, was the first original play in English known to have been written by a woman. The power behind great works endure. Although the word tragedy is often used loosely to describe any sort of disaster or misfortune, it more precisely refers to a work of art that probes with high seriousness questions concerning the role of man in the universe.