A Man's Character is his Fate (Heraclitus); For man's greatest offence/ Is that he has been born (Calderon); Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness (Dostoevsky); There is no coming to consciousness without pain (Carl Jung). "Wisdom alone comes through suffering," wrote Aeschylus, and playwrights throughout the centuries have explored this concept, their characters displaying the depth of the human spirit when faced with danger, defeat and, frequently, death. Yet, as the Sufi poet Rumi wrote: "The wound is the place where the Light enters you." The Essence of Tragedy looks at a selection of some well-known works from the time of the ancient Greeks to the present day, subtly dealing with major life issues - freedom and fate; revenge and forgiveness; passion, desperation and hope. David Irvin's lucidly written short resumes of the texts provide the backbone of his fascinating and impeccably researched study, making this intelligent and unbiased book a pleasure to read. It forms a companion text to his recent book Shakespeare for All. He is also the author of Facets of Fear (2010) and Novels for Ed (2012). David Irvin has worked in education all his life, mainly teaching literature - in schools, for The Open University and for Adult Education. He now lives in Whitstable, having been born in Stockton-on-Tees and migrated south via York, Cambridge, Oxford, Slough and Broadstairs. He is married and has three children.