Tragedy

Tradgedies are broadly described dramatic writings that lead to dark ending. There are many varieties of tradgedy in literature, and below is a variety of reccomended readings.

+ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams
Big Daddy has come home from the clinic on his 65th birthday, and his children plan to tell him he is dying of cancer. Mae and Gooper have brought their entire brood in an attempt to jostle Brick and Maggie out of their share of the estate. Their marriage is childless and on-the-rocks; Brick has quit his job and taken to drinking upon the death of Skipper, a friend for whom he harbored sexual desire.

+ An American Tragedy, Theodore Dreiser
Miller seems to say with this play that any man can have as great a fall and be as great a tragedy as a king or some other famous person. Just because people are common does not mean that their falls are to them less steep. Also one must find oneself to be successful in life.

+ The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekhov
Lopahkin, a former serf, has become a wealthy landowner. Out of his admiration for Madame Ranevsky and a genuine affection that remains from childhood days, he suggests that if they will tear down the house and raze the cherry orchard, they can cut the property up into the popular new villa sites. The entire property, he assures them, will promptly be leased and the substantial income it will afford, will enable them to live where and as they please.Family pride combined with a spirit of procrastination prevents their accepting this suggestion even if their fondness for their cherry orchard would permit their considering its destruction.

+ The Crucible, Arthur Miller
A play writtern about the tragic witch hunts conducted by puritan zealots.

+ The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams
Tom’s fear of working in a dead-end job for decades drives him to work hard creating poetry, which he finds more fulfilling. Amanda’s disappointment at the fading of her glory motivates her attempts to make her daughter, Laura, more popular and social. Laura’s extreme fear of seeing Jim O’Connor reveals her underlying concern about her physical appearance and about her inability to integrate herself successfully into society.

+ Hamlet*, William Shakespeare
Hamlet feels a responsibility to avenge his father’s murder by his uncle Claudius, but Claudius is now the king and thus well protected. Moreover, Hamlet struggles with his doubts about whether he can trust the ghost and whether killing Claudius is the appropriate thing to do.

+ Macbeth*, William Shakespeare
The struggle within Macbeth between his ambition and his sense of right and wrong; the struggle between the murderous evil represented by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and the best interests of the nation, represented by Malcolm and Macduff

+ The Mill on the Floss, George Eliot
Maggie must choose between her inner desire toward passion and sensuous life and her impulse towards moral responsibility and the need for her brother's approval and love.

+ Moby Dick, Herman Melville
A story of an obsessed captain and his crew as they chase an ellusive force of nature at all costs to a seemlyinge cursed fate. It is told through the perspective of a first time deckhand, focusing on the captain, his mates and harpooners. Incredibly detailed insight on the dated buisness of whaling.

+ Romeo and Juliet*, William Shakespeare
A story about the fates of two forbidden young lovers from the opposite ends of an ancient family fued.

+ Things Fall Apart*, Chinua Achebe
On one level, the conflict is between the traditional society of Umuofia and the new customs brought by the whites, which are in turn adopted by many of the villagers. Okonkwo also struggles to be as different from his deceased father as possible. He believes his father to have been weak, effeminate, lazy, ignominious, and poor. Consequently, Okonkwo strives to be strong, masculine, industrious, respected, and wealthy.

+ Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
The predatory nature of human existence, the importance of fraternity and idealized relationships between men, the impossibility of the American Dream the destructive imbalance of social power structures in American society are all covered by this classic narrative of a mentally handicapped man and his compainion.

+ Ethan Frome, Edith Warthon
Ethan’s main fight is with his own conscience, as he decides whether or not to reveal to Mattie his true feelings. His struggles are exacerbated by his surroundings—Zeena, the bleak Starkfield landscape, his home—which often take on an oppressive quality.

+ For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemmingway
As Robert Jordan and a small band of guerrilla fighters prepare to blow up a bridge with their limited resources and manpower, Robert Jordan and Pablo struggle for authority over the small band of guerrillas. Meanwhile, Robert Jordan and Maria cope with the pitfalls of falling in love during wartime.

+ A Separate Peace, John Knowles
Gene feels both love and hate for his best friend, Finny, worshipping and resenting Finny’s athletic and moral superiorities.

+ The Natural, Bernard Malamud
follows the career of baseball player Roy Hobbs from his first false start to his Final failure. The story is divided into two parts, the first recounting an event during Roy's nineteenth year, and the second picking up the story some fifteen years later.

+Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller
Miller seems to say with this play that any man can have as great a fall and be as great a tragedy as a king or some other famous person. Just because people are common does not mean that their falls are to them less steep. Also one must find oneself to be successful in life.

+ King Lear*, William Shakespeare
Lear, who is old, wants to retire from power. He decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and offers the largest share to the one who loves him best. This results in madness, death and betrayl among the devided family, including the bastard son, Gloucester.

+ On the Beach, Nevil, Shute
The characters cope with the reality that they're among the few people in the world left alive after a catastrophic nuclear war, and that within several months they too will inevitably die from radiation sickness.