Tragedy is a category of drama that raises the suffering experienced by humans as the main premise. You can find a wide variety of tragedies, from Greek tragedies, Elizabethan tragedies, to contemporary dramatic fiction and theatre. Most true tragedies show the fall of the main character, whether due to his own actions or his passivity or due to forces that are beyond his control. Tragedy dramas are deliberately written to shed the audience's negative emotions that are built up in us through the release of these relieving emotions. Studying classic tragedies and learning important clues about writing fiction can help you come up with a great tragic drama or novel yourself.
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Part 1 of 3: Studying Tragedy
Step 1. Read the classic tragedy
Many tragedies have been written throughout history, and each tragedy reflects the time and place in which the play was made. Many scholars regard Homer's epic works as one of the oldest examples of Greek tragedy, and in them a great protagonist like Odysseus is faced with a series of misfortunes. But the most popular tragedies are perhaps the works of William Shakespeare, such as Hamlet or Julius Cesar which depicts how the main character dies at the end of the story after going through great suffering and tribulation.
- Greek tragedies tend to be single topics and plots, while English tragedies (including Shakespeare's) usually have multiple storylines that are linked through shared loss and suffering.
- To see the complete collection of tragedies, head to the library or do an internet search. Many scholars and literary critics self-publish lists of literary works that they consider the most important or influential.
Step 2. Learn basic characters
Although each tragedy has its own unique character and plot, there are some basic motifs of tragedy that tend to be applied to all literary works within this genre. Tragedy usually involves either a tragic main character (often a person of high social standing), who experiences a fall and/or death as a result of significant actions or passivity, or a scapegoat (a person of low social status), who accidentally falls into a tragic situation beyond his control. Most tragedies will have some or all of the following character types:
- protagonist – the main character, who is almost always a tragic character
- antagonist – the person or thing that the protagonist has to fight against (often a villain, but not always)
- foil / companion – a supporting character, often associated with the protagonist or antagonist, who uncovers or complicates some important aspects of the main character
- stereotypical character (stock character) – often used to complicate or expand some of the characteristics that appear in the overall tragedy
- narrator/chorus – not always present in every work of tragedy, but becomes an important part in some works, often used to communicate directly with the audience
Step 3. Analyze this tragic figure
Almost every tragedy plays a tragic character as its central point. In early Greek tragedies, these characters were often gods, but as the genre progressed the tragic characters began to feature war heroes and even aristocrats or political figures. Today, the general rule for tragic figures is that the character must have strong morals and be highly admired by the audience.
- This tragic character must experience some kind of downfall (known as a “hamartia”, or “tragic mistake”). The cause of downfall is often the pride of character itself (often perceived as pride, although that also includes stepping over one's cultural/ethical boundaries).
- Tragic characters usually experience some kind of enlightenment or awareness of their tragic fate (called “anagnorisis”). At this point he knew that there was no bitch to return to, and he had to let that tragic fate develop and befall him.
- Above all, a tragic character must cause compassion. This is because he is destined to fall, and the audience cheers or feels relieved when a villain has misfortune. The real tragedy in a tragic drama is that anyone can experience the same suffering that befell the main character, and his downfall must cleanse the audience's negative emotions.
Step 4. Study the tragic plot structure
Just like every tragedy that features unique characters that can be called standard "types" so that each plot can be unique and original, but also can be categorized into the usual formula structure. The most important elements in a tragedy drama include:
- exposition – important “background” information, which can be conveyed all at once at the beginning of the play or unfolded throughout dramatic passages through dialogue and/or soliloquy
- conflict – tension that arises as a result of conflict, usually between character vs. himself, character vs. character, character vs. environment, character vs. forces of nature, or character vs. group
- climax – a point in the drama when the suspense can no longer be retracted or an event must continue to develop so as to produce one of two endings
- resolution/conclusion – disclosure or release of tension, often through the death of one or more characters in the play
Step 5. Learn the types of plots
The plot structure in tragedy plays usually relies on one of three types of plots. The three plots are:
- climatic – tension builds up to a point (climax) before resolution, usually through a linear structure consisting of the usual actions
- episodic – often composed of short, fragmented scenes involving multiple characters and multiple action sequences to highlight different aspects of humanity
- nonsequitur – events that are inconsistent and involve an existential, often underdeveloped character who engages in something fairly insignificant, and is intended to highlight the absurdity of existence
Part 2 of 3: Developing the Plot
Step 1. Choose a storytelling method
Tragedy has been written down and staged for generations as drama. This tradition dates back to the oldest tragedy, which was part of the Dionysian ceremony. In this ceremony the performers dress as goats to relive the suffering or death of a hero. However, tragedies can also be written for the reader, not for the audience. That means novels/short novels and even young adult fiction can all be classified as works of tragedy.
- The storytelling you choose will depend on your area of strength/comfort as a writer and the nature of the story you will be telling.
- If you have experience (or lack of experience) in both fiction and drama, try choosing a way that fits the story you want. It may be easier to design a storyline in advance without imposing a drama or novel format on your idea.
Step 2. Think of a story
Once you have a solid understanding of the nature of tragedy and its basic structural components, you should create the basic outline of the plot. The plot of your tragedy will be the foundational events and events that will take place in your work. The plot is supposed to be about the basic idea, although in the end the idea must be conveyed through the plot and characters, and not just "about" the basic idea. In other words, your story should convey something without needing to say or tell the audience what the story really means.
- If you base your tragedy on an existing myth, you will be tied to the events of that myth, and will not be able to deviate too much from the main plot points in the myth without making the audience lose interest. However, you may be able to radically reinterpret the myth, resulting in an unclear or ambiguous final solution.
- Or, you may want to create your own storyline from scratch. In this case, you will not be tied to any canonical characters or occurrences.
- Choose a plot that will help you tell the story that prompted you to write. Don't take the plot as a limitation. Instead, think of the plot as a lens and through that lens you can write about struggles or aspects of humanity.
Step 3. Outline the plot
Once you have a basic story idea, you should create a plot outline for the story. The easiest way to do this is to write down some basic aspects of the story so that you can develop these aspects further and organize them into related storylines. A good place to start is by outlining the following parts of the tragedy:
- motivation – why protagonists and antagonists do what they do in the story
- basic structure – the totality of events that make up the story, and the order in which they occur and/or trigger other events to occur
- final settlement – what ends up happening to finish the story
- subplots – sub-storylines intended to complicate the story or challenge the characters further
Step 4. Create the character
Once you've got your story and mapped out the basic structure of the plot, you need to create the characters that will stage your tragedy. You'll need the basic characters found in most tragedies, including protagonists, antagonists, foil characters, and stereotypical characters. At this point, you don't have to write actual dialogue for all of the characters, but you do have to think about how they will perform on paper or on stage. You can keep track of these ideas by writing down a few sentences or paragraphs of notes about each main character.
- Think about what kinds of characters will play the roles created in the story.
- Consider the relationships between the characters. If they are going to interact, or know of each other's existence, they must have a clear and unambiguous relationship between them. Typical relationships can be categorized into dynamics of love, parent/child, siblings, friends, aggressor/victim, rival/enemy, boss/employee, or caregiver/caregiver.
- Remember to include tragic figures. At this stage you have to decide what will be his downfall in general, and what choices he will make to lead him to this fate.
- Consider having characters question themselves, other characters, or their relationship to one another. You may also need to give them strong opinions, and use those opinions to further develop each character's personality and roles.
- Your characters need to be realistic and human enough to be likable and reachable, but since you're writing tragedy, you may need to make one or more characters have a higher edge over the average human. This quality can be manifested in extraordinary heroism, immense wealth/power, or it can also mean that one or more characters are truly superhuman (gods/goddesses, magicians, and so on).
Part 3 of 3: Writing Your Own Tragedy
Step 1. Develop the plot
At this point you should have a basic premise, an outline of the events that will describe the story, and created the characters to act out those events. Once all this is done, you have to develop the plot into a full and functional story. Depending on your skills, this may be the easy part for you, or the most difficult part in developing the story.
- Focus on details. Details bring the story to life, but you also have to be careful not to overload the story with useless trivia. When in doubt, think about the principle of the Chekhov's Pistol (Chekhov's Gun): if you are going to include certain details (such as placing the gun on stage), there must be relevance (for example, the gun should be used significantly).
- Make things more complicated. This may mean you just need to add some kind of unexpected plot, but a more effective way to complicate the story is to develop something really interesting and engaging about some of the main characters. Thus, they become more three-dimensional and ultimately more human. Remember, no human is as simple as the character description depicts.
- Think about how each character changes throughout the course of your tragedy. If there is a main character who appears unchanged (other than, say, a villain who will never regret his actions), then your tragedy is arguably not developed enough.
- Let your character get emotional. Don't make them emotionally unrealistic, but make sure that when they suffer on paper, their suffering is obvious and recognized by the audience.
Step 2. Develop the downfall the tragic character will experience
You should already have a general idea of what will happen to the tragic character and what sequence of events will lead him to his destiny. But as you work through the process of writing the tragedy, you must develop the sequence of events and weave the elements that led to the death of the main character throughout the book or play. This is a central element of a work of tragedy, and requires consistency throughout the script and enough time to develop and roll on paper (or on stage).
- If the tragedy experienced by the main character involves revenge, the reader/viewer must understand the reason behind the revenge from the first few scenes or chapters. For example, in Shakespeare's great tragedy Hamlet, audiences are introduced to the ghost of King Hamlet in Act One, Scene One, and learn that his death will be a significant aspect of the play.
- All the important characters that are relevant to the main character and his downfall should be introduced fairly early in the tragedy. Drama/novel must begin by providing information that provides contextual information or clues to explain the main character's situation, and must begin by preparing the main character's rise to arrogance and his downfall at the end of the story from the beginning.
Step 3. Insert similes and/or metaphors
History shows that similes and metaphors are essential to a successful tragedy. Both give further meaning to words on paper or action on stage, and allow the reader/audience to feel involved in the story by interpreting the comparisons you make and reading the “big picture” of your work.
- Metaphor is a comparison between two things, while simile compares two things using the words "like" or "as if". All similes are metaphors, but not all metaphors are similes.
- An example of a metaphor is as follows: “His eyes shone through mine”. The reader knows that the character's eyes don't really glow, and it's clear that the author's intent was that the character had bright and charming eyes.
- An example of a simile is as follows: "When he cries, his eyes sparkle like stars". Again, the reader knows that the eyes of the characters are not really similar to celestial bodies, but similes and metaphors, both of which give a poetic quality to the language used in the writing.
Step 4. Create a scene
Scenes are like bread and butter for tragedy. Scenes are the framework in which everything happens, and each scene should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and contribute to the overall storyline.
Every scene must have an accumulation of base, action, climax, and resolution/description
Step 5. Build tension
When developing a plot, if you are wondering whether the plot of the story you are writing is meaningful or not, think of ways to increase the challenge. For example, if someone fears that their husband will be kidnapped or killed, explain to the reader why this is tragic. Has he lost someone important in his life in the past? In the world you created, will she be able to survive as a widow? All of these questions will make the difference between the viewer thinking "It's a pity that her husband died" and "This is a tragic event that would probably have led to the death of the woman herself".
Tragedy is full of terrible events and wreaks havoc. Make it clear that the irritating things that happen to your characters have a horrific impact beyond shock that just shakes the surface
Step 6. Resolve the tension
Just as every action must have an equal reaction, every tension in tragedy must have a resolution. You shouldn't leave a critical event unresolved or end a tragedy without changing everyone's life (usually to the point of a character's downfall) in some way. All the parts that are still hanging must be finished, everything that is moved during the tragedy must be finished, and the terrible things that happen in the drama must condense into meaningful suffering/loss/death.
Let the resolution of suspense lead the story to a natural ending. The plot will be "broken" if the story continues for a long time after the tension is resolved because there are no more challenges moving the story or affecting the characters
Step 7. Revise your work
Just like any other written work, tragedy must go through a revision process once or twice before it is considered complete. In the revision process you may need to add further details to develop characters, fill in plot holes, and add/remove or rewrite scenes as needed. You can revise the manuscript yourself, or ask someone you know and trust to evaluate the manuscript honestly.
- Allow two to four weeks after finishing the manuscript before you try to revise it. It can be difficult to distance yourself from a script you've just written after just a few days, and because the story is still fresh in your mind, you may miss certain things that other readers won't understand.
- Try reading from start to finish before you start making the actual changes. Simply make notes about confusing, underdeveloped, or unnecessary/relevant sections without stopping for revisions. Then, you can decide how to address those issues once you've read the entire script.
- As you read and revise, ask yourself whether the story fits in as a whole, whether the plot is interesting/engaging, whether the story flows smoothly or sluggishly, and whether the challenges are big enough for the characters involved to elicit an emotional response from the reader/audience.
- Think about the impact the final product will have on the reader/audience.
- Remember that a character with a tragic fate must have a good personality and be a dream, while his death/destruction occurs as a result of his own choices, regardless of whether the choice is in the form of action or passivity. Does the fall experienced by the main character in the end cause the reader/audience to feel pity and fear? Otherwise, you may have to make major revisions to your manuscript.
Step 8. Make edits at the sentence level
Once you have corrected larger issues in the manuscript during the revision phase, you should make thorough editing of your entire work. This includes checking spelling, confirming subject-verb rules, correcting grammatical rules, and removing “filler” parts from the text.
- Make sure you choose words and string sentences correctly and carefully. Remove unnecessary words (“filler”), confusing words/terms, and sentences that are less effective.
- Avoid repeating the same words, but it's no use. This will give the impression of being careless or weak. Instead, find new and interesting ways to say what you want to say.
- Correct rambling and incomplete sentences in your work. All of which will confuse the reader/audience, and may be difficult for the actor to pronounce.
Tips
- Consider a co-writer if you're not sure how to start and finish your tragedy.
- Tragedy, as it is called, is tragic. A good tragedy will make the audience cry, but in the end they get emotional relief. Everything has to have meaning in some way, and it has to be built towards significant changes for all the characters involved.
- If your tragedy is not a success, don't be discouraged. Get the opinion of many people before publishing your book, but remember that writing is more of a gift to the author than to anyone else. Watching your work unfold in front of your eyes is the greatest thing you can give yourself, and don't let negative comments take that from you.
