Editing Tragedy (section)

===Domestic tragedy===
{{Main|Domestic tragedy}}

Domestic tragedies are tragedies in which the tragic protagonists are ordinary middle-class or working-class individuals. This subgenre contrasts with [[classical antiquity|classical]] and [[Neoclassicism|Neoclassical]] tragedy, in which the protagonists are of kingly or [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocratic]] rank and their downfall is an affair of state as well as a personal matter.

The [[Ancient Greek]] theorist [[Aristotle]] had argued that tragedy should concern only great individuals with great minds and souls, because their catastrophic downfall would be more emotionally powerful to the audience; only comedy should depict middle-class people. Domestic tragedy breaks with Aristotle's precepts, taking as its subjects merchants or citizens whose lives have less consequence in the wider world.

The advent of the domestic tragedy ushered in the first phase shift of the genre focusing less on the Aristotelian definition of the genre and more on the definition of tragedy on the scale of the drama, where tragedy is opposed to comedy i.e. melancholic stories. Although the utilization of key elements such as suffering, hamartia, morality, and spectacle ultimately ties this variety of tragedy to all the rest. This variant of tragedy noticeably had a larger number of stories that featured characters' downfalls being due to circumstances out of their control - a feature first established by the tragedies of Shakespeare - and less due to their own personal flaws.

This variant of tragedy has led to the evolution and development of tragedies of the modern era especially those past the mid-1800s such as the works of [[Arthur Miller]], [[Eugene O'Neill]] and [[Henrik Ibsen]]. This variant of tragedy is especially popular in the modern age due to its characters being more relatable to mass audiences and is the most common form of tragedy adapted into modern day [[Television show|television programs]], [[books]], [[films]], [[Play (theatre)|theatrical plays]], etc. Newly dealt with themes that sprang forth from the Domestic tragedy movement include: wrongful convictions and executions, poverty, starvation, [[addiction]], [[alcoholism]], debt, [[structural abuse]], [[child abuse]], [[crime]], [[domestic violence]], [[shunning|social shunning]], [[Major depressive disorder|depression]], and loneliness.

Classical Domestic tragedies include:
* ''[[Arden of Faversham]]'' (1592)
* ''[[A Woman Killed with Kindness]]'' (1607)
* ''[[A Yorkshire Tragedy]]'' (1608)
* ''[[The Witch of Edmonton]]'' (1621)