"There is no such thing as Shakesperian Tragedy, there are only Shakesperian tragedies."  Taking Kenneth Muir's observation as a departure point, this volume explores the variety of modes through which the tragedies communicate their meanings—the formal conventions and structural devices that were part of the Elizabethan dramatist's stock-in-trade. The essays examine the versatility and inventiveness with which Shakespeare used these expressive resources in different plays, showing that interest in the art of the playwright is not merely technical, but directly related to a critical understanding of the plays.

Topics include Shakespeare's tragic openings, the function of narrative and drama in Hamlet, emblems of tragic stagecraft, self-awareness of the tragic hero, the structure of irony in the Roman plays, and cause and emotion in three early tragedies.