Though classical tragedy may seem foreign to the contemporary reader, today's most popular television shows and films thrive on the type of violence, passion, madness, and catastrophe first introduced to the stage in fifth-century Athens. Far from being outdated, the themes of conflict in the writings of Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Racine remain as relevant as ever. Tragedy: A Short Introduction reinvigorates the genre for readers who are eager to embrace it, but who often find the traditional masterpieces too distant from their own language and world. Each chapter focuses on selected case studies that exemplify the compelling qualities of tragedy. The book reviews the history of tragic performance and the qualities of the classic tragic hero, clarifies the role of plot in defining tragedy, and analyzes the difference between a tragedy, a catastrophe, and a mere unhappy ending. Tragedy: A Short Introduction connects classic tragic dramas to the social, political, and cultural worlds that produced them - and that they were designed to challenge.