Macbeth clutches an imaginary dagger Hamlet holds up Yoricks skull Learenters with Cordelia in his arms. Do these memorable and iconic moments haveanything to t... » 

Macbeth clutches an imaginary dagger Hamlet holds up Yoricks skull Learenters with Cordelia in his arms. Do these memorable and iconic moments haveanything to tell us about the definition of Shakespearean tragedy? Is it infact helpful to talk about Shakespearean tragedy as a concept or are thereonly Shakespearean tragedies? What kind of figure is the tragic hero? Is therealways such a figure? What makes some plays more tragic than others? Beginningwith a discussion of tragedy before Shakespeare and considering Shakespearestragedies chronologically one by one this book seeks to investigate suchquestions in a way that highlights both the distinctiveness and shared concernsof each play within the broad trajectory of Shakespeares developingexploration of tragic form. «