English domestic tragedy from 1731 to 1800.

Tragedy is an inheritance from Greece and Rome, which was not accepted by Western Europe until the Renaissance. The mediaeval religious drama and the few plays which had precededthe classical plays were not definitely classified as tragedy. Renaissance and pseudo-classical theorists turned to Aristotle's "Poetics" for rules governing tragedy. The "Poetics" may be the fragmentary notes of one of Aristotle's pupils, jotted down as he listened to his master in the shady walks of the Lyceum. Aristotle's method was analytical; he studied plays and gave his opinion as to their principal characteristics. [...