ABSTRACT
It has often been noted that Tragedy faces the problems that lie at the heart of religion. The great tragedians are disturbed by injustice, and are led to wonder whether the power that moves the world is just. A theology which makes the power of nature an expression of the power of God, must regard such a situation in Tragedy as exalting human worth above the omnipotence of God. Biblical religion would find this, rather than perplexity at innocent suffering, the ‘something profane and blasphemous’ in Tragedy. Many writers on Tragedy stress the sense of mystery that lurks in the wings of the tragic drama. Tragedy does not try to solve the problem of evil; it merely presents the problem, and leaves it as a mystery. Tragedy glorifies human resistance to necessity, religion praises submission. More plausible examples of religious Tragedy are provided by Milton’s Samson Agonistes and Corneille’s Polyeucte.
