What is tragedy? The Elizabethans defined it as a "lofty" play showing "personages of great state" caught up in a "lamentable" action that "beginneth prosperously and endeth unfortunately." Whether judged by this or any other standard, the plays selected for this collection are considered to be the four central works of Shakespearean tragedy.

Hamlet /edited by Sylvan Barnet -- Othello / edited by Alvin Kernan -- King Lear / edited by Russell Fraser -- Macbeth / r edited by Sylvan Barnet.