There has been a long Dispute for Precedency between the Tragick and Heroick Poets.
I could not but fancy to myself, as the old Man stood up in the middle of the Pit, that he made a very proper Center to a Tragick Audience.
The first Husband, who was suppos'd to have been dead, returning to his House after a long Absence, raises a noble Perplexity for the Tragick Part of the Play.
But among all our Tragick Artifices, I am the most offended at those which are made use of to inspire us with magnificent Ideas of the Persons that speak.
I shall here add a Remark, which I am afraid our Tragick Writers may make an ill use of.
We are told, That an ancient Tragick Poet, to move the Pity of his Audience for his exiled Kings and distressed Heroes, used to make the Actors represent them in Dresses and Cloaths that were thread-bare and decayed.
I might here mention the Practice of ancient Tragick Poets, both Greek and Latin; but as this Particular is touched upon in the Paper above-mentioned, I shall pass it over in Silence.
Thus every Thing conduces to debase Tragedy among them, as every Thing here contributes to form good Tragick Writers; yet how few have we!
Nature is the Basis of all Tragick Performances, and no Play that is unnatural, i.
I believe we may find as monstrous images in the tragick authors: I'll put down one: Untie your folded thoughts, and let them dangle loose as a bride's hair.
We find several of these prophecies in the tragick authors, who frequently take this opportunity to pay a compliment to their country, and sometimes to their prince.
Forth from these realms, to entertain to-night, She brings imaginary kings and queens to light, Bids Common Sense in person mount the stage, And Harlequin to storm in tragick rage.
Footnote 1: There is not one beauty in this charming speech but what hath been borrow'd by almost every tragick writer.
Footnote 2: These quotations are more usual in the comick than in the tragick writers.
The sixth of these "tragick pageants" strongly confirms this interpretation.
Tis certainly the duty of every tragick poet, by the exact distribution of poetical justice, to imitate the divine dispensation, and to inculcate a particular providence.
Compare the Greek and English tragick poets justly, and without partiality, according to those rules.
Rowe is chiefly to be considered as a tragick writer and a translator.
The censure which he has incurred by mixing comick and tragick scenes, as it extends to all his works, deserves more consideration.
The ill success of that odd composition, tragick comedy, a monster wholly unknown to antiquity,[33] sufficiently shows the danger of novelty in attempts like these.
It was formed in imitation of Eschylus, the inventor of the tragick drama; or, to go yet higher into antiquity, had its original from Homer, who was the guide of Eschylus.
Of this prejudice, there are regular gradations; and to come back to the point which we have left, we show, for the same imperceptible reason, less regard to tragick poets than to others.
It is not, therefore, this mixture of tragick and comick that will place Aristophanes below Menander.
In his tragick scenes there is always something wanting, but his comedy often surpasses expectation or desire.
John Marston was one whose fluent Pen both in a Comick and Tragick strain, made him to be esteemed one of the chiefest of our English Dramaticks, both for solid judgment, and pleasing variety.
And I am of opinion that to the extraordinary Success of this very Play we may impute the Corruption of so many Actors and Tragick Writers, as were immediately misled by it.
Southern would have been his favourite, but that he mixes comick with tragick scenes, intercepts the natural course of the passions, and fills the mind with a wild confusion of mirth and melancholy.
It has been remarked by the severer judges, that the salutary sorrow of tragick scenes is too soon effaced by the merriment of the epilogue; the same inconvenience arises from the improper disposition of advertisements.
Most Noble Cicero and you Romaine Peeres, Pardon the author of vnhappy newes, And then prepare to heare my tragick tale.
Of warrs thus peace insues, of peace more harmes, Then erst was wrought by tragick wars alarmes, Exit.
The tragick pomp of his sad exequies, And deadly burning torches are at hand, I must accompany the mornefull troope: And sacryfice my teares to the Gods below.
Then if the Gods haue destined thine end, Yet as a Mother hauing lost her Sonne, 360 Cato shall waite vpon thy tragick hearse, And neuer leaue thy cold and bloodles corse.
I have preserved nothing of what passed, except that Dr Johnson displayed another of his heterodox opinions--a contempt of tragick acting.
I could as easily apply to law as to tragick poetry.
Yet, sir, you did apply to tragick poetry, not to law.
As to original literature, the French have a couple of tragick poets who go round the world, Racine and Corneille, and one comick poet, Moliere.
Johnson displayed another of his heterodox opinions,--a contempt of tragick acting[91].
Yet, Sir, you did apply totragick poetry, not to law.
Thus the whole World to reverence will flock Thy Tragick Buskin and thy Comick Stock; And winged fame unto posterity Transmit but onely two, this Age, and Thee.
De Nores interprets it to signify that the same actor, who represented a God or Hero in the Tragick part of the Drama, must not be employed to represent a Faun or Sylvan in the Satyrick.
The story of Thyestes being of the most tragick nature, a banquet on his own children!
The distinction made by De Nores of the satyrs not making a part of the tragedy, but barely appearing between the acts, can only signify, that the Tragick and Comick Scenes were kept apart from each other.
This is plain from his laying that they held the place of the Chorus; not sustaining their continued part in the tragick dialogue, but filling their chief office of singing between the acts.
Thou maist be guilty still for ought I know; For though I find him dead I find not yet The Tragick manner of his haples end.
Thus in the Epick andTragick Poems, you draw the general Qualities of all Men's Minds.
And I observe that the chiefest Means he makes use of to render his Tragick Language at once Uncommon and Delightful, is the Figurative Way of considering Things as Persons.
And why mayn't an Epick be as short as a Tragick Poem?
Shakespear was one of the greatest Genius’s that the World e’er saw for the Tragick Stage.
How came he to chuse a Comick preferably to the Tragick Poets?
Then there would have been a Catastrophe the most dreadful and the most deplorable that ever was beheld upon the Tragick Stage.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "tragick" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
