In this paper you will be sorting out the various ways the generic form tragedy has been defined over the years. There are several ways to plan this paper. One approach would be to look at Hamlet Othello OR Macbeth to determine which tragic theories apply to the play you choose making a case that for example Hamlet is a play that conforms to Fryes defining comments on tragedy or that Othello is not in line with Aristotelian ideas. Another approach would be to focus on a problem like the definition of the tragic hero or of the flaw/blind spot as defined by several theorists and apply it comparatively to more than one play.