What is the definition of tragedy? What are some examples of tragedies and how to they change over time? What are hamartia and catharsis? Professor Tekla Bude answers these questions using examples from Greek theater, Shakespeare, and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.
This video now contains Spanish as well as English subtitles. To switch between languages, click the "settings" button in the video.
The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify the genre of tragedy but also to analyze its purposes and effects. The video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the free SWLF YouTube Channel or visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms
Timestamps
0:00 Tragedy Word Origin
0:49 Tragedy Classical Definition
1:42 Tragedy Classic vs Modern
3:18 Conclusion
Below are a few more videos in the series. Please drop us a comment letting us know what literary terms you would like us to explore in future videos!