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Tragedies are dramatic works which focus on suffering and end unhappily. A common feature of tragedies is that the main character contributes in some way to his own downfall. William Shakespeare, a 16th century playwright and poet, penned some of the most famous tragedies, including the plays OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE; THE TRAGEDY OF HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK; KING LEAR; and THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH.
"Proposal for Printing by Subscription The Dramatick Works of William Shakespeare 1756" by Samuel Johnson (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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Encyclopædia Britannica Online
N.d. William Shakespeare.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537853/William-Shakespeare, accessed
November 14, 2014.