Bourgeois tragedy, also called Bürgerliches Trauerspiel in German, is a type of dramatic story that began in Europe during the 18th century. It developed during the Enlightenment, a time when the middle class, or bourgeois class, became more important in society. This form of tragedy is known for having main characters who are regular people from the middle class, not royalty or famous individuals.

In England and France

In the 17th century, some plays in England focused on middle-class characters and were called domestic tragedies. However, people's views about these types of plays changed in the 18th century. The first true bourgeois tragedy was an English play titled The London Merchant; or, the History of George Barnwell by George Lillo. It was first performed in 1731.

In France, the first bourgeois tragedy was Sylvie by Paul Landois, published in 1741. Later, Denis Diderot wrote two plays: Le fils naturel in 1757 and Le père de famille the next year. These plays were not strictly tragedies, but they seriously explored the lives of middle-class people in a way that was different from typical comedies. They helped create models for more genuine tragic works.

Heroes in classical tragedy

Ordinary people were often the focus of comedies, but classical and neo-classical theorists believed that tragic heroes should always be men of noble rank. Aristotle explained this idea in his work The Poetics, and it was widely discussed in later writings about drama and literature.

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, critics like the important German writer Martin Opitz continued to support the belief that only people from high social classes could experience harm serious enough to be shown in dramatic performances. This rule was followed in Europe for many years. In plays, princes and nobles were often the main tragic characters, such as King Charles I of England in Carolus Stuardus by Andreas Gryphius, Phèdre, the wife of Theseus, a mythical king of Athens, in Phèdre by Jean Racine, and King Lear in King Lear by William Shakespeare.

In Germany

In Germany, the new genre was known as Bürgerliches Trauerspiel and became very popular. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's play Miss Sara Sampson, first performed in 1755, is often considered the earliest example of this genre in Germany. However, Christian Leberecht Martini's play Rhynsolt und Sapphira was written slightly earlier.

Lessing's Emilia Galotti, written in 1771, is a well-known example of the German Bürgerliches Trauerspiel. Lessing also provided a clear explanation of his ideas about breaking old rules in his work Hamburgische Dramaturgie. Other important works in this genre include Die Soldaten by Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz (1776) and Kabale und Liebe by Friedrich Schiller (1784).

General characteristics

Bourgeois tragedies often promote the values of the bourgeois class that their characters belong to. The ideal person in these stories is a virtuous citizen who does not take part in government work and instead focuses on their personal life and the lives of their family. Values such as virtue, kindness, individuality, and genuine emotions are highly valued in bourgeois tragedies.