Tragedy is a genre of theater that addresses unfortunate occurrences and human suffering in a dignified and serious manner. In classical Greek drama, tragedies often involve a protagonist whose hubris led them to seek to become godlike, and in doing so, inciting the wrath of the gods, who then retaliate, often by killing them.

Classical Greek tragedies were designed to arouse fear and pity in the audience and, in doing so, to purge them of these emotions, a process referred to as catharsis. In literature, tragedy has evolved to refer to any literary work with a serious theme, tone, and catastrophic conclusion. 

Tragedy originated in ancient Greece from performances of epic poetry or ritualistic worship of Dionysus and thrived throughout the Roman Empire. Classical Greek theater fell out of favor during the Middle Ages in Europe but was revived during the Renaissance. Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, and William Shakespeare wrote tragedies during this time.

Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire is a 20th-century tragic drama. 

see: drama, comedy, tone, theme, catharsis, hubris, (the) absurd

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