Topic outline

  • General

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    A Roman mosaic of a tragic mask from the ruins of the House of the Faun in Pompeii

    Welcome to COM507 European Tragedy! Below you will find the summary for each week's teaching, as well as guidance for reading. Please ensure you are checking this page regularly, as we will update content as the course progresses.

    Tragedy is one of the most vital and enduring European literary genres. Tragic dramas are often perceived as among the most significant achievements of different national literatures. Not only are there outstanding examples of the genre in the national literatures drawn on in this programme, tragedy has from antiquity been the object of intense theoretical reflection on the part of critics and philosophers. Hence the course introduces students to important ways of thinking about literature as well as important literary texts. Moreover, tragic drama has sometimes been seen as embodying a distinct world-view (a ‘tragic vision’ of human life), and various attempts to formulate this have been very influential, although rejected by some critics. The course will therefore engage with questions such as these: what do we gain from and why can we take a kind of pleasure in the spectacle of human misfortune? Are the benefits psychological, spiritual, intellectual? What kind of pleasure is produced? What kinds of misfortune produce the effect proper to tragedy? What can tragedy tell us about the cultures in which it flourishes? What kind of theoretical approaches (social, psychoanalytical, historical) are most fruitfully applied to it?


  • Module assessment

  • Where to get help

    There will undoubtedly be times when you need some support with your studies and the School is here to assist you at these times.

    If you have questions about this module you can use the Student forum on this page to post questions; these are shared with the whole group, so other students can reply and also benefit from the answers provided by the module convenor.

    Of course you can also contact the Module Convenor directly by email (their details are in the ‘Teaching’ block)

    For general questions about your studies please contact sllf-progadmin@qmul.ac.uk 

    If you have questions about assessments including resits, First Sits and exams, pleased contact sllf-assessment@qmul.ac.uk

    For issues around Extenuating Circumstances (ECs), including extensions, please contact sllf-studentsupport@qmul.ac.uk 

    If you have ongoing problems you should contact your Advisor in the first instance, but you may also want to contact sllf-senior-tutor@qmul.ac.uk


  • Week 1: What's so tragic about tragedy?

    Before coming to class, please read the following extracts, both available as e-books via the reading list at the top of the module page:

    Adrian Poole, Tragedy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005): Introduction and Chapter 1 'Who Needs It?' (pp. 15–33)

    Paul Hammond, The Strangeness of Tragedy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009): Prologue and Chapter 1 'The Work of Tragedy' (pp.1–39)

    The opening lecture (no week 1 seminar) will be dedicated to introducing the module, core materials, assessment and reflecting on starting assumptions about 'tragedy/Tragedy'. 

    If you have not already done so, please get hold of the module's set texts (see reading list link above), starting with Aristotle's Poetics, which you will need to read before Week 2.

  • Week 2: Aristotle and classical Greek tragedy

    Before coming to class this week, please read Aristotle's Poetics (using the presecribed translation by Malcolm Heath). You should also read Heath's helpful introduction.

  • Week 3: Euripides, Bakkhai

    Please bring along a copy of the play with you to the class if at all possible. A laptop to access the e-book is probably the easiest if you can, or a paper copy from library. You'll be in groups for this bit so don't worry if this isn't possible for you.

    Please come ready to discuss the play: I want to hear your reactions to it! If for any reason this week has not gone to plan and you haven't managed to read the play, please come along anyway as the slides/handout will give you enough info to participate. If you missed last week, please try as a minimum to skim through the slides first as this will help you contribute. Look forward to seeing you there!

    • Week 3 Handout File

      This has the key questions from the slides. You might prefer to type into it in class, though I'll bring some printouts too.

      It's in open document format for anyone who doesn't have Word -- but it does also open on Word!

      14.2 KB
    • Week 3 Slides File

      These are the slides from the class. I'm uploading them as Powerpoint because of some animations, but if you need an opensource format let me know and I can add that too. (Not adding right now to avoid confusion!).

      23.2 MB

  • Week 4: Euripides, Bakkhai

    Before the class on Tuesday, please ensure you finish reading Bacchae (if you haven't already). Please also read the extracts uploaded:

    •  from James Morwood's The Plays of Euripides and Seaford's Bacchae commentary
    • Anne Carson's version of Bacchae, including her verse foreword/prologue/translator's note ("If I were 2 dogs...") and her essay on tragedy from Grief Lessons
    • short extracts from Wole Soyinka's Bacchae are coming soon (waiting for my print copy to arrive to not break copyright in uploading passages)...
    Please bring to the class:
    • your handout from last week (you can download this if you couldn't make last class, and the slides are uploaded under Week 3 if you need to catch up)
    • access to the Gibbons translation (ebook via TALIS list, or on paper if you have it) and the Carson extracts
    • more questions /comments /enthusiasm!
    Take care, and look forward to seeing you next week.

  • Week 5: Jean Racine, Phaedra (1)

    Before coming to class, please ensure you have read Racine's Phaedra in the recommended edition. You will need a copy of the text in class. If you have time, read the Nicholas Paige essay on Phèdre recommended on the reading list. If not, read it for week 6.

  • Week 6: Jean Racine, Phaedra (2)

    In advance of the second session on Phaedra, as well as reading and re-reading the play itself, please read the following secondary materials (all of which are held by the library as e-docs; reproduced here for ease). Prioritise them in the following order: Paige, Hammond, Greenberg.

  • Week 7: Study week

  • Week 8: Federico García Lorca, Blood Wedding (1)

    A reminder that we will be on Zoom at 4-5pm.

    The link is:
    https://qmul-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/82742653490?pwd=Yi8rKzBkclhEZ0RNcXdXVmRCVlI0Zz09
    Meeting ID: 827 4265 3490
    Passcode: 909857
    One tap mobile
    +441314601196,,82742653490# United Kingdom
    +442034815237,,82742653490# United Kingdom

    • You can use the chat if in shared space/no microphone, and there will be some polls/play & song extracts etc
    • I'll share my screen with questions etc but it will be nice to see you too if you have cameras and enough data/eduroam :-)
    • Please watch the recorded lecture in advance (remember you can change the speed setting if you find it a little slow/fast)
    • Please ensure you can access the readings, especially the translation PDF (Edwards) uploaded below as you will need it for one of the discussion exercises.

  • Week 9: Federico García Lorca, Blood Wedding (2)

  • Week 10: Samuel Beckett, Endgame (1)

  • Week 11: Samuel Beckett, Endgame (2)

  • Week 12: Comparative essay workshop

    In advance of the final session, find an idea/quote from secondary literature (start with the general guides, e.g. Hammond, Poole, Wallace etc.) and explain how it allows for a comparative perspective on two plays from the module.

    You should prepare notes for a very short presentation (c. 3 minutes).


    • Week 12 essay guidance slides (part 1) File

      These slides include basic guidance for your assignment, as well as preliminary thoughts on the themes covered by the essay questions.

      805.7 KB

  • Q-Review