Tragedy refers to a serious work of art that examines the role of humanity in the universe through the sorrowful or terrible events experienced by a heroic individual. The earliest great tragedians were Aeschylus, who wrote the Oresteia trilogy, and Sophocles, whose greatest play was Oedipus the King. Shakespeare is considered the most popular tragedian for plays like Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, which reveal both the noble and destructive aspects of human nature. King Lear is a tragedy by Shakespeare about an aging king who foolishly divides his kingdom between his two deceitful daughters, leading to their betrayal, madness, and the death of both

1. Tragedy
Tragedy is a branch of drama that treats in a serious and distinguished style; the sorrowful or
terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual. 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.
The etymology of the word tragedy is far from established. The most generally accepted source
is the Greek tragōidia, or “goat-song,” from tragos (“goat”) and aeidein (“to sing”). The word could
have referred either to the prize, a goat, that was awarded to the dramatists whose plays won the earliest
competitions or to the dress (goat skins) of the performers, or to the goat that was sacrificed in the
rituals from which tragedy developed.
The first great tragedian was Aeschylus. He made the Orestela (a trilogy comprising
Agamemnon, Choephoroi, and Eumenides), which is one of his famous works. The other one was the
Prometheus Bound. Sophocles, the purest artist, was truest to the actual state of human experience. He
seems to never insinuate himself into his characters or situations, never to manipulate them into
preconceived patterns. His greatest play was Oedipus the King. It may serve as a model of his total
dramatic achievement. The Dark Tragedian was Euprides. His plays present in gruelling detail the
wreck of human lives under the stresses that the gods often seem willfully to place upon them. Or, if
the gods are not willfully involved through jealousy or spite, they sit idly by while an individual wrecks
himself through passion or heedlessness. The most popular tragedy are Shakesperean tragedy.
Shakespeare was a long time coming to his tragic phase, the six or seven years that produced his five
greatest tragedies—Hamlet (written c. 1599–1601), Othello (written c. 1603–04), King Lear (c. 1605–
06),Macbeth (c. 1606–07), and Antony and Cleopatra (c. 1606–07). These were not the only plays
written during those years. Troilus and Cressida (1601–02) may have come about the same time as or
shortly after Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well (1601–05) shortly before or after Othello, and Measure
for Measure (1603–04) shortly before King Lear. At the height of his powers, Shakespeare revealed a
tragic vision that comprehended the totality of possibilities for good and evil as nearly as the human
imagination ever has. His heroes are the vehicles of psychological, societal, and cosmic forces that tend
to ennoble and glorify humanity or infect it and destroy it. The logic of tragedy that possessed him
demanded an insistence upon the latter.
The Tragedy of King Lear
King Lear's tragic flaw is his value of appearances and his inability to accept reality.
Throughout the play, Lear wishes to be treated like a king, yet he wants no responsibilities for his
kingdom. Instead, he splits his kingdom and has his daughters rule over their given region. Likewise,
he tests his daughters to see which of them are willing to make the grandest testament of love for him.
Although he truly knows Cordelia loves him the most, he disowns her for her lack of an outlandish and
public display of love. In both instances, he allows his love of appearances to get in the way of reality.

2. Plot Summary
The story opens in ancient Britain, where the elderly King Lear is deciding to give up his power
and divide his realm amongst his three daughters, Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril. Lear's plan is to give
the largest piece of his kingdom to the child who professes to love him the most, certain that his
favorite daughter, Cordelia, will win the challenge. Goneril and Regan, corrupt and deceitful, lie to
their father with sappy and excessive declarations of affection. Cordelia, however, refuses to engage
in Lear's game, and replies simply that she loves him as a daughter should. Her lackluster retort,
despite its sincerity, enrages Lear, and he disowns Cordelia completely. When Lear's dear friend, the
Earl of Kent, tries to speak on Cordelia's behalf, Lear banishes him from the kingdom.
Meanwhile, the King of France, present at court and overwhelmed by Cordelia's honesty and
virtue, asks for her hand in marriage, despite her loss of a sizable dowry. Cordelia accepts the King of
France's proposal, and reluctantly leaves Lear with her two cunning sisters. Kent, although banished
by Lear, remains to try to protect the unwitting King from the evils of his two remaining children. He
disguises himself and takes a job as Lear's servant. Now that Lear has turned over all his wealth and
land to Regan and Goneril, their true natures surface at once. Lear and his few companions, including
some knights, a fool, and the disguised Kent, go to live with Goneril, but she reveals that she plans to
treat him like the old man he is while he is under her roof. So Lear decides to stay instead with his
other daughter, and he sends Kent ahead to deliver a letter to Regan, preparing her for his arrival.
However, when Lear arrives at Regan's castle, he is horrified to see that Kent has been placed in stocks.
Kent is soon set free, but before Lear can uncover who placed his servant in the stocks, Goneril arrives,
and Lear realizes that Regan is conspiring with her sister against him.
Gloucester arrives back at Regan's castle in time to hear that the two sisters are planning to
murder the King. He rushes away immediately to warn Kent to send Lear to Dover, where they will
find protection. Kent, Lear, and the Fool leave at once, while Edgar remains behind in the shadows.
Sadly, Regan and Goneril discover Gloucester has warned Lear of their plot, and Cornwall, Regan's
husband, gouges out Gloucester's eyes. A servant tries to help Gloucester and attacks Cornwall with a
sword – a blow later to prove fatal.
News arrives that Cordelia has raised an army of French troops that have landed at Dover. Regan
and Goneril ready their troops to fight and they head to Dover. Meanwhile, Kent has heard the news
of Cordelia's return, and sets off with Lear hoping that father and daughter can be reunited. Gloucester
too tries to make his way to Dover, and on the way, finds his own lost son, Edgar.
Tired from his ordeal, Lear sleeps through the battle between Cordelia and her sisters. When Lear
awakes he is told that Cordelia has been defeated. Lear takes the news well, thinking that he will be
jailed with his beloved Cordelia – away from his evil offspring. However, the orders have come, not
for Cordelia's imprisonment, but for her death.
Despite their victory, the evil natures of Goneril and Regan soon destroy them. Both in love with
Gloucester's conniving son, Edmund (who gave the order for Cordelia to be executed), Goneril poisons
Regan. But when Goneril discovers that Edmund has been fatally wounded by Edgar, Goneril kills

3. herself as well.
As Edmund takes his last breath he repents and the order to execute Cordelia is reversed. But
the reversal comes too late and Cordelia is hanged. Lear appears, carrying the body of Cordelia in his
arms. Mad with grief, Lear bends over Cordelia's body, looking for a sign of life. The strain overcomes
Lear and he falls dead on top of his daughter. Kent declares that he will follow his master into the
afterlife and the noble Edgar becomes the ruler of Britain.
Figure 1: Execution of Cordelia