The term “tragedy” is usually stated when an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress takes place; on the other hand, a play that is dealing with tragic events, has an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of one of the main characters.
Verdi’s comprehension of tragedy, as it unfolds in “Rigoletto,” was sharpened by his study of the works of Shakespeare. For both of these great masters, the idea of tragedy was that of a society designed, by its own practices, to fail. Classical Shakespearean tragedy was never about the “failure” of a “tragic hero.” Rather, the subject of tragic drama in the pervasive corruption of a society, which is fated to a tragic end. This will be due to its corrupt practices, and in
Verdi’s comprehension of tragedy, as it unfolds in “Rigoletto,” was sharpened by his study of the works of Shakespeare. For both of these great masters, the idea of tragedy was that of a society designed, by its own practices, to fail. Classical Shakespearean tragedy was never about the “failure” of a “tragic hero.” Rather, the subject of tragic drama in the pervasive corruption of a society, which is fated to a tragic end. This will be due to its corrupt practices, and in